Sketch Challenge: Drawing Without Reference

The Cannon boys are cartoonists. That's what they are and what they do. They draw all day and dream about drawing all night. They can draw anything you can think of. They will draw things you have never heard of. They will draw a box. They will draw in socks. SKETCH CHALLENGE GO!

Today the boys are continuing Kevin's theme from last week about trying to draw things without looking them up. Easy, right? READY GO.

1. Grasshopper

KEVIN: No doubt you'll immediately notice that I didn't draw the correct pattern on the hind leg. If you're sharp you may also notice that the hind leg is BACKWARDS.

ZANDER: YESSS! Got the major details right, though I'd deduct points for that cigarette. I should mention I drew a grasshopper from reference about 2 years ago. I guess that's kind of cheating. Oh, and I should deduct points for that cigarette, too.

2. Pelican

KEVIN: I win this one, because even though the photo doesn't show it, all pelicans have fish in their mouths.

ZANDER: I wasn't as far off as I thought. I don't know why I think of pelicans' lower beak areas as hanging flaccid like that all the time. What disgusting birds they'd be.

3. Mole

KEVIN: We actually have a live mole in our office, so as you can tell from the bottom image, we just threw him on the scanner bed. Uh... just kidding. I'm pretty proud that I got his front feet right, but pretty not proud that my mole looks like a big puff ball. And has a bicycle horn nose.

ZANDER: Mine is a star-nosed mole, and I'm going to have to assume I got him right, nose-wise. And I'll know from now on that moles have five claws. How interesting.

4. Giraffe

KEVIN: I can't believe I forgot those horn things. What are those for, anyway?

ZANDER: AARGH! The tail! I've never seen a tuft of hair that long on a giraffe's tail!! What gives? Ooh, and I'll have to remember the spots fit together like puzzle pieces instead of looking free-floating like I drew them.

5. Platypus

KEVIN: My platypus is perfect. Ignore the reference image, which has the platypus holding silver dollars in its paws.

ZANDER: Nice job, me, on the lack of ears. The rest: man, I obviously have never seen one of these things. Wrong feet, wrong tail, and my duck bill looks like Uncle Scrooge's.

note: all photographs were found on google image search. We don't own 'em or anything.