- So I'm not an expert at wolves/canines but I thought I'd try this one
I've numbered the areas I would like to talk about so I can type them out
1: Head
Remember to always use a reference. Always. Stare at the picture for as long as you need to. Draw and erase and redraw until it looks good.
Remember to use guidelines. I draw a circle then a little oval-ish-shape that comes off of it with triangles on top for the head. Also, remember that the eye is in line with the nose (which you did very well at! Good job!)
I actually quite like your nose, the way you drew it, but the only thing is it isn't natural looking. It looks too stiff. Wolves don't have noses that stick straight out front. They curve slightly downwards, like in my drawing sort of.
The ears in your drawing, though nice, are kind of just placed on top of the head. The ear closest to you, the drawer, should be turned slightly towards you so that you can see the inside of the ear a bit.
(I didn't draw that on mine. If you would like me to show that, I can)
2: Neck/Chest
While you did very well with the head, the neck looks a bit skinny. Round it out a bit. Add some fluff. Wolves have thick layers of fur that has to keep them warm in winter so they have quite a bit on their necks.
Your chest area on your drawing is pretty good. My only comment would be how abruptly it comes out of the neck. It should be a more graceful curve.
3: Legs/Belly
The legs on your drawing are a bit too short, I'm afraid. Wolves actually have pretty long legs (easier to run with). Also, as I said before, study pictures of actual wolves. Look at how their legs work. They have many joints on their leg, that is actually similar to a human's arm. The shoulder at the top, then the elbow, wrist, then toes.
(I can draw this clearer if you would like)
The back legs also have two sections; the top then the bottom. Like with a human leg, it starts a a hip, then goes to a knee, then ends with an ankle and toes.
In regards to the leg farthest from the drawer, the back leg on your drawing is a bit out of perspective. It should be in line with the front leg farthest from the drawer.
4: Shading
I attempted to show a bit of shading, because you mentioned you wanted some help with that.
Those three lines above the redline sketch is to show a light source. Shadows happen because light can't shine there, so the light has to come from somewhere.
Where the shadows occur are the places that face away from or are obscured from the light source, like the inside of the back leg for example, or the backs of the ears.
The more obscured the part of the body is from the light source, the darker the shadow will be.
(If you want I can draw this clearer as well.)
Let me know if you have any questions!
~Batman.
