Here is part two of the 2014 Halloween special, animal ears! My character Jamie has a little secret to reveal, he is in fact half kitsune and sports a very large and fetching pair of ears when he isn't hiding them with magic.
There are as many variations of ears as there are animals, but for the two step by steps I have chosen Jamie (fox ears) and Storm (rabbit/hare ears) to represent triangular and tall respectively.
For triangular ears I recommend drawing the top line first, then connecting back to the head depending on the size and set of the ears. Jamie’s are low set and large. Next a line is drawn to separate the inside of the ear from the outside and the inside is filled with fluff. Jamie has very unique markings in the form of a black ear stripe, when for a fox usually the whole top of the ear would be black. Profile is always hard, here he has the ear tilted back slightly to make things easier.
Below we have high small (perhaps a cat?), low small (drooping sadly) and ‘in hair’ high small triangular ears.
Storm’s hair and ears are usually black, but I have left them white so you can see the detail. For tall ears like this, instead of drawing a topline you draw a ‘support line’ as I like to call it. Basically a representation of the inner centre of the ear (imagine a stick up the middle of a fabric ear holding it up. From there I sketch out the slightly triangular shape of the outer ear. The opening can only really be seen clearly from the side (and here the triangles are on both sides, making a distinctive diamond shape). Note the ‘support line’ actually makes a useful defining line if the inside of the ear can be seen.
Many other ears follow the same pattern when it comes to location. Don't let strange shapes deter you. The 'aquatic monster' ear is three spines joined with curved lines radiating from the rough location of the human ear. Same with the roots of most ears. They often look more realistic if you can draw them where normal human ears go although smaller cat ears especially can look good on the top of the head as well. Construct droopy rabbit ears the same way, just with a little more curve and obviously going the other way! Floppy Labrador ears are drawn top first like Jamies, then curving down into a triangle shape. Greyhound ears are again drawn top line first, then sweeping back up to the main folded section that connects to the head.
Just a pet peeve, I have seem many people draw fangs too large and too straight! Look at my little example to see they are set where your canines would be (obviously) and are curved and do not extend below the bottom lip. These fangs are visible yet elegant to make your vampire as menacing and attractive as possible. ;)
Go get some photo's of animals. Almost any ear can be constructed with the 'top first' or 'support line' method. There are an infinite number to choose from (bear ears, like rounded cat ears, are particularly cute) so go pick an animal and make your own!
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