Okay, let’s talk about what I did today. I decided to tackle drawing Staley Da Bear. Seemed like a fun little project.
Getting Started
First thing, I needed pictures. So, I went online and just grabbed a bunch of images of Staley. You know, front view, side view, him doing different poses. You gotta have good reference, otherwise you’re just guessing.
I used my drawing tablet, nothing fancy. Opened up the drawing software I usually mess around with. Picked a basic pencil tool to start.
The Sketching Process
I started just blocking out the basic shapes. Big round head, that was key. Then the body, kinda pear-shaped almost. Getting the proportions felt a bit weird at first. His head is massive compared to his body, really.
- Tried to get the head shape right. Erased a few times.
- Blocked in the torso and limbs. Kept it really loose.
- Positioned the snout and the ears. The ears are pretty simple, thankfully.
Next, I started refining the outline. Trying to get that curve of his belly right, the way his jersey sits. Added the big shoes he wears. Those things are huge.
Adding Details and Struggles
Okay, putting in the details. The eyes were important. Staley’s got those wide, kinda crazy eyes. Tried to capture that look. Then the nose and the big grin. Getting the expression right took a bit of fiddling.
The jersey… well, I sketched in the stripes on the arms and the number ’00’ on the front. Didn’t go crazy detailed, just enough so you know what it is. Tried to draw the Bears ‘C’ logo on the sleeve too.
Here’s where I struggled a bit:
- The fur. Making it look like actual fur? Tough. I sort of just suggested it with some jagged lines around the edges. Didn’t want to spend ages rendering individual hairs.
- The pose. I wanted something more than him just standing there, maybe like he’s cheering. Getting the arms and legs to look natural in a pose, not stiff, that took some erasing and redrawing.
- Keeping it clean. My initial rough lines were everywhere. Cleaning it up took patience.
Finishing Up (For Now)
So, after messing around for maybe an hour or so, I got something that kinda looks like Staley Da Bear. It’s not a masterpiece, definitely not. The lines are still a bit rough, proportions might be slightly off if you look closely.
But hey, it was good practice. Just getting the hand moving, trying to capture a character. That was the goal. It’s recognizable as Staley, I think. So, yeah, that was my drawing session for the day. Fun little exercise.
