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Eclectium
Eclectium

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A digital illustration of a brown rat yawning or stretching in tall green grass with water droplets, under a light blue sky. Text overlay says "Love watching the layers come together."
A light green background with a white torn paper-like text box stating, "Digitally 'toning' the canvas So that I start subconsciously tying the colors together and I can see where the background leaks through."
A light green background with a rough, multi-colored sketch of a rat stretching, overlaid with a text box saying, "Sketch layer So can See where I'm going based off my reference."
A light green background featuring a clean brown line art drawing of a rat stretching, with a text box stating, "Line art" and a black heart emoji.
A light green background showing a brown rat with initial color and texture applied, stretching. A text box reads, "I'm really playing with color and texture this time!".
A light green background with the colored rat stretching amidst initial green grass strokes. A text box says, "Color n texture n Smearing for effect!".
A light green background with the colored rat stretching, surrounded by more detailed green grass in the foreground. A text box reads, "More grass in the foreground."
A digital illustration showing the colored rat stretching in green grass, now with a light blue sky added. A text box simply states, "Sky!".
A screenshot of a digital art program interface displaying the artwork in progress and the "Layers" panel with multiple named layers. A text box says, "Ta da! Layer's!!!".
A digital illustration of a brown rat yawning or stretching in tall green grass with water droplets, under a light blue sky. This is the final artwork.
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Love watching the layers come together

Think I’m just gunna keep pulling content from Rattober for awhile till I properly catalog my physical art. This one was towards the end and I think it shows my growth really well! I’m learning more and more about mixing traditional medium with digital art! Anyways… #digitalart #traditionalart #embracevulnerability #animals #cute

2025/1/17 Edited to

... Read moreHey everyone! Following up on my recent post about the yawning rat piece, I wanted to share a bit more about my process and some thoughts that might help if you're also diving into animal digital art. When I first decided to tackle a 'rat yawning' pose, I knew it would be a fun challenge to capture that sweet, stretched expression. It's not just about getting the anatomy right, but also conveying that moment of contentment or wakefulness. One thing I've learned that really makes a difference, especially with animals, is to pay close attention to reference photos. For this rat, I studied so many images of rats stretching and yawning to understand how their little mouths open, how their whiskers splay, and the subtle flex of their bodies. My 'sketch layer' is always my messy playground for this – getting the basic form and movement down before refining it into 'line art'. Then comes the magic of 'layers'! As I mentioned in my process, I love watching the layers come together. After my initial 'digitally toning the canvas' to set a mood, I start building up the color and texture. For the rat's fur, I don't just use one solid color. I layer different shades of brown, playing with light and shadow to give it depth and softness. I found that using softer brushes for the base and then adding finer strokes for individual hairs really makes the fur pop. It’s all about building up those details. And the environment! Setting the rat in 'tall green grass with water droplets' under a 'light blue sky' wasn't just aesthetic; it helped tell a story. When adding elements like grass, I think about foreground and background. The OCR mentioned 'more grass in the foreground' which is key to creating depth. I like to use a variety of greens and slightly blur the background elements to draw attention to the main subject. For 'water droplets,' I focused on tiny highlights and shadows to make them look wet and reflective. Finally, why do rats yawn? It’s not just because they’re sleepy! Sometimes it's a sign of relaxation, or even to cool down their brain. Knowing little facts like this can even inspire how you pose or depict an animal. I hope these extra tips help you on your own digital art journey, especially if you're thinking of drawing some adorable critters!