How to Draw a Rat
So I must admit that this article is about a little creature that I am particularly fond of, a rodent whose reputation was enhanced by the movie Ratatouille: the rat! I think my fondness for this animal comes from an old cartoon I saw a long time ago, "The Secret of NIMH"...
But let's move on! I will therefore help you master creating a rat!
ANATOMICAL STUDY OF THE RAT FOR DRAWING
You should be aware that "rat" does not refer to any particular species. The word is mostly used to describe a rodent of varying sizes (amongst certain "rats", a big size difference can be noted), with round ears, a long tail generally ringed, and most of the time, larger than a mouse.
I will mainly use models of domestic rats in this article.
Let's start with the classic skeleton study:
The rat's skeleton is designed to be both flexible and robust. It provides a great capacity for movement and acrobatics. You will notice the characteristic curved shape of its back.
A recurring point in the configuration of limbs, you can see that they have the same basic structure as ours. Like us, the rat is a plantigrade animal, meaning its feet (dark blue and light blue area) are fully in contact with the ground as it moves.
Let's see what emerges from the skeleton:
Diagram A.
I have highlighted the animal's appearance by segmenting the "parts": in red the head (zoom in B), in blue the neck, which is very short, in green the back, which is arched, and in purple the tail. If you "unfold" the green line it will roughly be the same length as the purple line; this gives you a point of reference for the length of the tail. We will see further on that the start of the tail is covered with fur, which can give the impression that it is a little bit shorter than it actually is.
Diagram B.
The red line underlines the forehead which shows a slight tilt. In orange, the eye is located about halfway along the length of the skull (a bit forward in reality / orange lines). In green, the "hearing zone" which indicates the position of the ear (blue line). In purple a line where you can place the nose, the eye and the top junction of the ears.
We can finally break down the animal as follows:
In pink the head: with the inclination of the forehead, the line (red line) nose/eye/ear (in green). The pale hatched area under the red line consists of the jaw muscles, the muzzle in short.
In dark blue the front leg, with a rather elongated shoulder/leg muscle mass.
In light blue the hind leg, with much more muscle mass at the thigh level. The hind legs are long, powerful, and allow rats to have not only good stability but also good agility.
In orange the body with the characteristic arched back.
In purple the ringed tail.
Now let's focus more closely on some details...
DRAWING THE RAT'S LEGS
On the left is the hind paw, equipped with 5 toes with claws, quite similar to our own hands.
On the right, the front paw, consisting of four clawed fingers and a small rudimentary thumb (indicated by the blue arrow). Note that the rat is very skilled with its "little hands."
Whether it's on the front or hind legs, the structure of the toes is the same. Simplified into two parts, in red and yellow, and a much shorter one with the claw (in green) at the end.
DRAWING THE RAT'S HEAD
In pink the muzzle, all rounded, with a very discreet lower jaw.
In light blue the nose that I have isolated and simplified on the side. It is rather elongated with a central demarcation. The nostrils are round and stretch along the length of the nose. It can be pink to orange, in very light and unsaturated shades.
In dark blue a small irregularity caused by the muscles above the nose, to be taken into account in the context of a drawing that aims to be somewhat realistic.
In orange the forehead area, wide and clear of other details.
In green the lower and upper eyelids which will also create irregularities in the coat, to be taken into account in the context of a drawing that aims to be somewhat realistic.
Let's take the time to see what it looks like from the front view:
As in the previous drawing:
Light blue, the nose with its rather rectangular shape, in dark blue hatching the muscles above the nose.
In orange, the wide forehead area that forms a rectangle on top of the head.
In pink, the limits of the muzzle, the very discreet lower jaw.
In green, the eyelid muscles.
An addition to the previous drawing, in yellow the "hearing area". This area will help you place the ears.
In the image on the right, we simplify the structure. You will notice that the eyes, in red, are placed on each side of the forehead area (orange zone).
THE EYES, WHISKERS AND EARS
Image A
The ear (blue lines) is quite round, with a small fold of skin at the junctions with the skull. The skin is thin and well-vascularized. You can introduce some slight transparency and, in the context of a realistic drawing, delicately make some veins (pink lines) appear.
They are covered on the outer surface by very short, fine hairs, which you can ignore. Note that the rat's auditory system is highly efficient and the ears are mobile.
Image B
On the contrary, the eye is not a very important organ for the rat; its vision is poor. They are quite round and placed on the sides of the skull. There will be no demarcations of iris, pupil or the "white of the eye". The eyelids (dark green) are thin and so well covered by fur that they are indistinguishable.
Eyes are often black in color, ruby in individuals with lighter coats, pink in albinos. Heterochromia is possible.
Image C
The whiskers are very numerous. They are placed all over the muzzle, under the chin, and above the eyes. In purple, the muzzle whiskers: they are short towards the top of the muzzle, they lengthen (darker arrow) and shorten again towards the bottom of the jaw.
The hairs under the chin (blue lines) are shorter. The hairs above the eyes (orange lines) are also shorter than those on the muzzle but longer than those on the chin. Don't draw too many, as it may make your drawing look too heavy.
THE RAT'S TAIL
The rat's tail is an extremely important part of its anatomy; it serves as a counterbalance and occasionally as a 5th foot for gripping!
The tail is covered at the junction with the body by a small area of fur. On the rest of its surface, the hairs will be very short and fine along the entire length. Make a few appear here and there, or not, but do not represent too many unless for an ultra-realistic drawing.
Note that the tail is ringed (blue lines). Similarly, do not draw each ring, as it would make your drawing too cluttered.
Zoom: The skin of the tail is covered with very small scales outlined in red.
Let's take stock of all this:
In yellow the muzzle: The nose highlighted in red with horizontal nostrils and a small bump right after. In yellow, the whiskers.
In blue the ear, which is delicate; in light blue I have added for you the shape of the back of the ear to properly place your shadow.
Then the tail, with these rings, red lines, and its fur area (pink lines). I added the lower abdomen in green for you, which forms a small characteristic pouch.
For the legs, you will find the construction in 3 parts and in blue the small thumb inside the front paws.
Note: the orange arrow indicates a feature marking the joint, this kind of line frames your drawing.
DRAWING A RAT STEP BY STEP
Now that you are fully aware of the rat's anatomy, it's time to get started.
Given that, throughout this article, it has been predominantly depicted on all fours, I have decided that we will sit it down. We will also avoid a too direct profile or frontal view and turn our creature slightly.
This pause is not necessarily the most obvious, as it requires you to clearly visualize the animal in space, which is why we will progress step by step through the architecture.
Step 1: I start with the shape of the head and place a short line for the nape. In pink, I suggest the shape we are going towards.
Step 2: So I reduce certain parts. Remember, we're not looking at a profile view, that's why the "arched" aspect is somewhat reduced. From the shoulders, I draw two circles for the top of the front legs and do the same for the hind legs from the lower back.
Step 3: I close the abdomen by joining the neck and the lower stomach with a little round belly.
Beware, the harder steps are coming!
Step 4: In purple, the spine that starts from the nape and from there I draw the leg attachments. I roughly place the bulk of the two hind legs.
Step 5: I do the same for the front legs.
Step 6: In red I complete the column. I draw the tail based on the length of the back (orange lines)
Continuing on, we're going to take care of the head.
Step 7: I remind you that we are not quite in profile. I'm redefining your head in red for you.
Step 8: At the end, I place the nose (in green) and from there I draw the nose/eye/ear lines in purple and orange.
Step 9: I take into account the distortion due to perspective and in the middle of the purple line, I place my eye. At the junction of the skull line and my purple line, I place the high attachment of the ear. We can guess the ear on the other side.
We will clean it up and once that's done, verify the accuracy.
Step 10: Based on the blue outline, I redraw my lines more neatly. The red line shows the adjustment at the neck level. I start from the end of the head outline to join the top of the back.
Step 11: In red I reposition the column and the simplified limbs. And there a small error appears, marked by the pink line. My knee is too low, it should be at the level of the arrow.
Step 12: I correct by adjusting the leg upwards. I draw a dark blue line for the alignment of both legs and I adjust the other leg by slightly raising the line of the fur that wrinkles (elements indicated in light blue).
Now let's apply the fur!
Step A: The flat color. Three construction elements indicated, in blue the small bump in front of the nose, in pink a fold of skin and fur due to the position, in green the belly bulge.
Step B: I add a touch of pink to the nose, ears, "hands/feet" and tail, the same shade for all these elements.
Step C: I lighten the belly, the hairs at the base of the tail, the chin, and the area around the eyes.
Step D: I take a shade slightly darker than the base of my fur and roughly brush in the direction of the hair (pink arrows). For the tail, I do the same, taking a shade slightly darker than the base tone and brushing in the direction of the rings (blue lines) to suggest them.
Step E: I darken the shadow areas to create volume: areas shaded in green. I lighten the areas that receive the most light: the nose, the eye (being very dark, the light reflects clearly), the tops of the shoulders, the toes and the tail. Where the two blue lines are located, shadow is placed to suggest the folds of the belly.
Step F: And there you go! Well, I grant you, we went for the cute little rat...
I chose a very classic fur, but note that coats can come in a wide variety of colors. Be aware that even if you opt for a white rat, do not start with pure white, use a cream-white or a very light gray base. You will then use touches of white to create relief in the fur (working with shadows and obviously darker reliefs).
I hope this article has familiarized you well with this rodent. You can play with the tilt of the ears and whiskers to give it various expressions! With all the elements we have covered, you have the tools to bring this lively and clever little animal to life.
Illustrator and Writer: Elo Illus