How to Draw a Fox in Pastels

I would like you to keep in mind that I figured this out on my own and therefore I'm not an expert and this certainly isn't the only way of doing things.

You will need:

• Pencil
• Eraser (optional)
• Pastels (I think mine are oil but I've heard good things about chalk pastels as well, it's your choice)
• Damp Towel (I use my fingers to blend so it's just easier to clean up with)

I always start with a simple sketched out form, nothing too detailed because you won't see the marks in the finished product anyways.  Keep in mind that there is no need to be perfect.  I think a lot of people try too hard to make everything perfect and end up with a product they hate.  Plus, in nature nothing is perfect.

Start by adding a dark brown, never black, for the darkest part of the ears.    You can smear the  colors a bit  but don't go crazy.

I used a lighter red brown here, you always want to work in the direction  the actual fur goes.  This way you'll get a more natural look.

Now, here the picture is split.  I only colored in one ear so you can see the difference and get an idea for what your finished picture will look like.  You might want to take a break at this point and make sure you like where you're going.

Continue working down, always using darker colors first and lighter on top.

Once you have the basic colors down, you can go back for a touch up to make the fur appear more distinct.  Often times using pastels it blends together too much and you don't want that.

Same as before, you want to use dark colors first, but blend less in the eyes.  What I mean by this is to add all your colors first before you smear just enough so that it looks natural.

The white fur is really quite simple,  add some grey lines for depth and  smear white on top.

Your end result should look something like this.  

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!