Illustrator Shares His Process to Create a Realistic Drawing of a Octopus

Capturing an animal’s likeness in realistic drawings is an enviable skill. For those that want to create their own renderings of different creatures, it may even feel daunting. Fortunately, there are talented artists who share their tips and tricks on how to draw an animal with three-dimensional depth. Japanese artist Yuki Tokuda shares his step-by-step process on how to create a realistic illustration of an octopus.

His stunning drawing of a gray cephalopod glistens with life, as though it just crawled out of the water. Tokuda shared images of his complete process on the Japanese site LINE BLOG, including what materials he used to create the illustration. He begins by drawing a sketch of the octopus with a pale gray colored pencil. Then, the artist fills in the outline with a gray Copic marker—giving it a slightly watery texture.

Next, Tokuda retrieves the same gray colored pencil and begins adding texture and shading to the octopus. He mixes in a few other darker gray pencils to add depth to the finer details of the drawing. Afterward, the artist goes over the octopus in Copic marker to blend the layers of colored pencils and give it a watercolor-like appearance. Finally, Tokuda adds spots of opaque white paint on the octopus so that it completes the wet and shiny look.

Scroll down to see how Tokuda draws this stunning octopus from start to finish, and follow the artist on Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date with his latest creations.

Japanese artist Yuki Tokuda shares his step-by-step process on how to create a realistic octopus illustration. He begins by making an initial sketch of the octopus in gray colored pencil.

Then, he fills in the outline using a gray Copic marker.

He goes over the drawing again with colored pencils, adding details to the octopus’s skin.

Finally, Tekuda applies opaque white paint to the drawing to give the octopus a wet and shiny appearance.

And here’s the final image:

Yuki Tokuda: Website | Instagram | Twitter | LINE

All images via Yuki Tokuda.

Related Articles:

Artist Uses Sink as a Canvas for Extraordinary Watercolor Paintings

Storybook Watercolor Illustrations Inspired by Japanese Animation and Swedish Cartoons

Artist “Grows” Tiny Paper Flowers That Will Stay in Bloom Forever