The Hippo Family: From Sketch to Colour
Creative Process · 2026 · Ryan Jones
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About this piece
I drew this cheerful hippo family as a special welcome-home gift for my nephew Jayden. These five stages show how I built it from pencil sketch to finished colour. Stage 1 – Original Pencil Sketch: I started with simple shapes and construction lines to plan the characters and composition. Stage 2 – Refined Pencil & Detail: I developed the drawing by adding the hippos, expressions, scenery and smaller details. Stage 3 – Shading: I added pencil shading to give the characters and scenery more depth and definition. Stage 4 – Fineliner: I carefully outlined the artwork with fineliner, bringing the characters and details to life while keeping my hand-drawn cartoon style. Stage 5 – Colour Pencil / Finished Artwork: I finished the piece using coloured pencils, adding colour, shading and detail throughout the hippo family, water, grass, plants and sunset. I created this special drawing for my nephew Jayden while he was in hospital, with the message “Stay Strong Jayden! Lots of love from Uncle Ryan.” This drawing is special to me because it is not just about the finished picture. It shows the ideas, time, patience and love that went into creating it.
About the image: From Ryan's portfolio