How to Draw a Southern Flying Squirrel Gliding 9

Step 9: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the rest of the flying squirrel's head. Darken the path of the circle using short strokes to create a furry texture. Make the sides of the head wider and the bottom shorter as you darken the shape.



How to Draw a Southern Flying Squirrel Gliding 10

Step 10: Use the lines and shapes at the top as guides to draw squirrel's splayed front legs. Draw the small feet inside the initial curved shapes. Draw a series of short lines inside the shapes to separate the toes. Make the tips of the toes pointy for the claws. The inside of the foot on the left is facing away from the viewer. Above the feet, draw a couple of small curved shapes using short strokes to create the top of the skin flaps. Darken the tops of the guides for the top edges of the limbs and add sloping lines inside the body that are made up of short strokes for the bottom edges of the limbs and inner edge of the skin flap.





How to Draw a Southern Flying Squirrel Gliding 11

Step 11: Use the lines at the bottom as guides to draw the flying squirrel's hind legs the same way. Draw the feet inside the initial shapes but make the toes longer than the toes for the front legs. Add the tops of the legs using lines that are made up of short strokes. The top edges of the legs should be inside the body.



How to Draw a Southern Flying Squirrel Gliding 12

Step 12: Darken the guides in the middle using short strokes to create the shape of the squirrel's furry torso. Use the lines on the sides as guide to draw the loose skin flaps. Follow the paths of the guides but make the lines wavier as you darken them. Add an extra curved line on the right for a fold on the skin.



How to Draw a Southern Flying Squirrel Gliding 13

Step 13: Use the line on the bottom as a guide to draw the flying squirrel's tail. Draw a wide shape around the guide line that's made up of short stroke for the fur on the tail. In the middle of the shape draw a series of short strokes along the initial guide for the furry middle of the tail.





How to Draw a Southern Flying Squirrel Gliding 14

Step 14: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.



How to Draw a Southern Flying Squirrel Gliding

Final Step: Shade your flying squirrel drawing for extra detail. Use a medium on the head and on the visible part of the top of the body that's next to the head. Leave the area around the eyes and the bottom of the head blank for the white fur. Use a light value for the white fur on the underside of the body. Shade lightly at first and gradually build up to darker values. For light values, push down very lightly on your pencil and push down harder for darker values. As you shade the body, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur. Also as you shade, separate each stroke a bit so that the white of the paper comes through and creates a more furry texture. Add a darker value throughout the body to create shadows. Shadows will give the figure more dimension and volume. Shade the tail using long strokes that curve along the path of the tail. It's a good idea to use reference as you shade for a more accurate depiction of a flying squirrel. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.



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