- Generally when I'm trying to figure something out I start with just a basic sketch so I figure out the pose I want and such. Then I head to good ol' google and just look up a bunch of images of skeletons for that animal, then I loosely sketch the skeleton, and use some reference photos to adjust the placement and sizes of things as needed. Then I look up the muscular anatomy and sketch the muscles in over the bones, which gives me the proper base for it. Then I just add the fur and details and voila!
I also look at a lot of skulls for drawing the head because for me it's way easier to draw the finished piece if I know what's going on underneath (it also helps me with eye placement).
It's a pretty messy redline (oops), but I'll add you so that you can check out the layers
Hope it can help! I'm by no means an expert, but maybe some of my ideas will be helpful?
