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Draw Realistic Animals! | Learn Animal Drawing and Sketching Techniques

Learn how to draw a new realistic animal each week in this fun art class for beginners. Examples of animals we draw include: cat, dog, horse, wolf, fox, panda, lion, elephant, dolphin, penguin, sea turtle, sloth, cheetah, capybara, giraffe!
Megapixels Art: Drawing Realistic Animals, Dragons
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(958)
Popular
Class
Play

What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
In this class, the instructor demonstrates how to draw a different realistic animal each week, step-by-step. Creativity is encouraged, and students are allowed to either copy or to make their drawings different and unique if they want. Whenever there is extra time, shading or coloring will also be demonstrated, but this is optional for students. Depending on how detailed the drawing is that week, students will sometimes finish coloring their art on their own after class. When this happens, students are encouraged to share their completed art at the next week's class.
Grading
included

Class Experience

US Grade 2 - 5
Beginner Level
Imagine your child creating lifelike animal drawings that capture the beauty and personality of their favorite creatures—and feeling proud to share their art with friends and family! Whether they love adorable pets, majestic wild animals, or fascinating sea creatures, this class will teach them to draw it all with confidence and creativity. This isn’t just a drawing class—it’s a journey where your child is the artist, and we’re their guide every step of the way.

In this class, your child will:
✅ Build confidence and artistic skill, overcoming perfectionism while having fun.
✅ Learn to draw realistic animals with fun, step-by-step demonstrations from a Megapixels Certified Instructor.
✅ Add their own creative flair with unique colors and embellishments—or follow along exactly to create a stunning masterpiece.
✅ Receive help and encouragement during class by showing their artwork to the instructor anytime (optional but encouraged!) and get personalized guidance to ensure they never feel stuck.
✅ Develop both sides of their brain, enhancing creativity and problem-solving skills.

We believe every child learns at their own pace. That’s why we gently guide students who need more time while offering exciting challenges to keep faster learners engaged. Our goal is to create a fun, positive atmosphere where every artist feels inspired and proud of their work.

Your child’s instructor will provide constant support and helpful check-ins throughout class to ensure they never feel stuck. By the end of each lesson, your artist will be amazed at what they’ve created.

🎨 What to Expect:

Each week, we’ll explore a new animal to spark creativity—think sea turtles, wolves, foxes, pandas, dolphins, and more! Depending on the level of detail, your child may finish coloring their art after class, and we’d love to celebrate their completed work the following week.
Students can join at any time and stay as long as they like. With over two years of unique lesson plans, your student will always have something new to look forward to!

At Megapixels, our 10 talented teachers are passionate about helping kids succeed in art. On rare occasions when your regular teacher is unavailable, another trained Megapixels instructor will seamlessly step in, ensuring your child’s creative journey is never interrupted. You’ll always be informed via the Outschool classroom.

Let’s Get Started—Your Child’s Next Masterpiece is Waiting!

Learning Goals

Gain confidence: create amazing art you will feel proud of!
Art mentorship: learn in a fun and supportive environment and be mentored by an encouraging professional artist.
learning goal

Other Details

Learning Needs
This class supports learning needs like ADHD, Dyslexia, & ASD by creating a safe space for creative expression with clear instructions, step-by-step examples, positive feedback, and support to help every child feel included and successful.
Pre-Requisites
No prior experience needed. This class is perfect for beginners. It's also great for intermediate students who want to build a solid foundation in drawing animals even though it's taught at the beginner level.
Supply List
Students are encouraged to use supplies they already own—no need to buy anything! Your student can succeed with just a pencil and printer paper. 

Supplies You'll Need:
📄 Paper (any kind)
✏️ Pencil and eraser
🎨 Optional: something to add color—like colored pencils, crayons, markers, or watercolors with a small brush

FAQ’s
Q: Can my child use Procreate on an iPad for this class?
A: Yes, students can follow along using Procreate, but this class does not cover the technical aspects of the app.

Q: Is watercolor painting included in the class?
A: Some students use watercolor paper and paints to follow along, but watercolor techniques are not covered unless requested.

Q: What if my child prefers to sketch on a canvas?
A: That’s perfectly fine! Some students draw on a canvas during class and paint it after class at their own pace.
 1 file available upon enrollment
Language of Instruction
English (Level: A0)
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
4.9
958reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Utah Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Ms. Jaime
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Dordt University
Miss Danikka, BFA, TESOL, TEFL
Bachelor's Degree from Lynn University
Ms. Gemma
Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Utah Valley University
Ms. Jaime
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from California State University of Fullerton
Ms. Marissa , BFA Animation, TEFL
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Elizabethtown College
Miss Mattie, BFA Drawing
Associate's Degree from Randolph Community College
Ms.Kimberly, AA Illustration & Graphic Design
🎨 Meg Navarro. Over the past decade, Meg has taught thousands of students to create dazzling, realistic art, to take impressive photos, and to write their first novels. In 2007, Meg founded Megapixels School of the Arts, which began as a local art school and expanded to offer online classes a few years back. Meg personally trains each teacher in the Megapixels Method, which she has tested and refined over the past decade. Meg studied art, photography, and writing while earning her BA, and is currently working on her Masters in Education. In her free time, she loves making human pyramids with her friends!

Reviews for Meg:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Meg is such a fabulous teacher! She is patient, enthusiastic, encouraging, and fun - both of my girls love taking classes with her!! - Lisa D.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My daughter (11) loves this class and is always looking forward to the next one. Her art skills improve with each class. I'm so glad she's found a class that she enjoys. She also says Teacher Meg is very patient and good with the other students. I recommend this class. - Melissa B.

Meet our instructors!
🎨 Gemma is a professional artist who creates and sells artworks in resin, acrylic, watercolor and ink mediums. She was born in England but lived most of her life in the great state of Michigan. She's a movie buff and a huge fan of Star Wars. She is patient, encouraging and loves helping others! 

Reviews for Gemma: 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hello! This is Sabrina(a student in this class), this class has been really fun for me so far and has helped me to improve my drawing skills quite a bit. Miss Gemma is always so nice and is always giving positive feedback(and if we need to change something on our drawings she always is very polite about it tells us how to fix it). Some of the drawings I have done were I little too easy and some were just a tad too hard but overall this class is just the right level for me(I’m eleven). I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who really likes animals and really likes art. Thanks for teaching this class! By the way, to show my improvement I put the first drawing I did in this class in May of 2021 and the drawing I did last Thursday(September of 2021).  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ms. Gemma is an amazing teacher! Very patient and kind, my son loved this class and now has a sketch book full of awesome dragons. We only stopped so he could take a different animal drawing class with Ms. Gemma!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ms. Gemma is an articulate teacher. Thoughtful, entertaining while instilling a focus on drawing. You will find her helpful at any level.

🎨 Marissa kicked off her career in Art Education when she was earning her bachelor’s of fine art in Animation at California State University of Fullerton. She has had the pleasure of instructing and generating art lessons for 5 years in-person and online and also has experience working with students with special needs in small groups and in 1:1 settings. Marissa has also completed an internship as an instructor for therapeutic arts and has volunteered with multiple children’s arts events. Aside from creating her own art in her free time, Marissa also enjoys spending her days outdoors, cooking new recipes, and excessively spoiling her dog, Bailey.

Reviews for Marissa: 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ms. Marissa is the best!! Our daughter first enrolled in her Wings of Fire drawing class almost two years ago, and soon after we enrolled her in a one-on-one! Marissa taught our daughter essential sketching techniques that have added to her love of art. If your child is curious or serious about learning to draw, we highly recommend Marissa! She is encouraging and present while she is teaching, an all-around natural.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From student - I REALLY love this class. We get to draw so many fun things, and I like picking the drawings. Ms. Marissa taught me how to draw the base shapes which is important (it doesn't look realistic/right if you don't do that). The tails, legs, body, wings, and heads of my dragons look really real. Ms. Marissa is super nice and always finds good pictures for me to learn to draw. I give this class 5 stars! From parent - This is my daughter's first formal drawing class, and it's amazing what Ms. Marissa got her to draw in the first session! She also struggles with handwriting and pencil control, and I've noticed both have gotten so much better with this kind of practice. Plus, she has so much fun every session and is so proud of her work :) Thank you Ms. Marissa!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We love this class! We take a lot of outschool classes and this is definitely at the very top. This class has really turned my son onto drawing. He joined reluctantly and now you cannot keep him away. The (He) loves the teacher, the students and of course drawing! - M. O'Brien


🎨 Mattie has a BA in Fine Arts with a concentration in drawing from Elizabethtown College in Lancaster Pennsylvania. Mattie fell in love with teaching art when she first started in 2020. She currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She loves to read, write, draw, sing, play with her dog, Freya, and enjoys a cup of Earl Grey tea in the morning.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent teacher and class; impressed with what my kid produced, and the teacher was very nice and engaging. - Judy V.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Miss Mattie is amazing! She takes time prepping each week for her lesson with my daughter and despite the fact that we have just done a few lessons with her, she has already made amazing progress. - Marianne S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My son loved this class with Miss Mattie. He has taken the Draw Dragons class with her for the past couple of weeks. When the Prehistoric Creatures one started he wanted me to sign him up immediately. I triple-checked with him because it would be 7am our time, then the dragon drawing class 15 minutes after this class ends. He enthusiastically said yes. As for the class, he loved it and said he wants to keep going. Drawing has always been a struggle for him and he recently expressed interest in wanting to work on his drawing skills. Miss Mattie's classes have been a confidence booster for him. He's always proud of what he creates in class.


🎨 Danikka is an Arkansas-based professional artist with a degree in fine arts who loves instilling a passion for creativity in others. Born and raised in Mexico, she draws much of her inspiration from her tierra patria as well as from her dreams and her favorite animals- horses. In addition to her 10 years of teaching experience as well as her TEFL and TESOL certifications, she also creates custom commissions for drawings, paintings, and even murals.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Excellent class led by a wonderful teacher. My son started as a beginner and I've seen his drawing skills and abilities improve greatly. He looks forward to this class every week and is always excited to show me his newest Minecraft creation. Highly recommend! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My daughter loves portrait class, and I love seeing her drawings! Miss Danikka is extremely patient and supportive. She's helpful every step of the way, and she gives great feedback throughout the class. There's a good variety of faces to draw and great instruction too. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My 11 year old loves this class! She had always been a talented artist, but I see so much improvement each and every week in her drawing. We’ve had a few different instructors over the past school year, which always makes me nervous, but with each instructor, my daughter still improves and learns a new technique. I also love the class format of switching between a certain facial feature and sketching a whole face every other week. Could not recommend this class enough!

🎨 Ilyse is a professional artist with a BA in English Literature who does freelance illustration and character design. She was born in Connecticut but spent most of her childhood in North Carolina. She has a huge passion for vibrant colors and bringing untold stories and characters to life. Her bubbly, welcoming demeanor reflects strongly in the art she creates!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Ms. Ilyse is a talented artist who demonstrates teaching with both kindness and patience. She handles the uniqueness of my neurodivergent learner with utmost professionalism. Each student, regardless of their abilities, is given equal opportunity to share their work, and Ms. Ilyse ensures that no one is left behind. She offers assistance and guidance whenever a student encounters difficulty or falls behind in class. Our 8-year-old learner has produced remarkable artwork under her guidance, surpassing our expectations. We wholeheartedly recommend her class.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My child is learning so much. She loves to draw, and this course has helped her fine tune that. I can see it in her amazing work too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We loved Ms. Ilyse. She is talented, kind, and engaging. 


🎨 Cheyenne is a professional visual artist who does art commissions with pencil drawings as her expertise. In June, she is set to finish her associates degree in Fine Arts with a focus on Painting and Drawing from Stratford Career Institute. She is passionate about encouraging others to dream big and make those dreams become a reality! She likes to encourage and hopes to help the next generation chase their dreams through their artistic talents.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Miss Fowler's protrait class has been an amazing class for my 8 year old daughter. My daughter wanted to work on realistic drawings of people and she was over the moon to find a class that offered it for her age group. She loves the class and is thrilled to show her portraits after each session. We can really see the improvement she has made in the past 5 months. Miss Fowler is a great teacher and really kind and patient. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My son loves his Animal Drawing class with Miss Fowler and looks forward to it all week. It has given him a sense of purpose and importance and has inspired him to continue drawing on his own outside of class as well. The class moves at just the right pace - fast enough to keep students engaged but slows down at the right moments for personal engagement that makes each kid feel special. My son tells me that he likes the way Miss Fowler explains things and how patient she is. The whole class has a very positive vibe and Ms. Fowler really knows how to connect with kids

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My daughter had her first class last week and LOVED it! I signed her up as a way to keep her busy while she is visiting her grandparents overseas and thought this would be a one time thing, but as soon as the class was over, she immediately sent me a message asking to do the next class! She loved the teacher, Miss Fowler, who was kind enough to catch her up since she joined the class a few minutes late. She was also really flattered by the positive feedback email she received from Miss Fowler. Overall, an EXCELLENT experience!

🎨 Kimberly Trotter, is an accomplished artist with an Associates degree in Advertising and Graphic Design and over two decades of professional expertise as a mural painter for educational Schools, businesses, and residences. With a remarkable five-year tenure as a face painter, she has also conducted engaging painting classes for adults. Presently, Kimberly imparts her artistic wisdom as an instructor for art classes at a local CoOp, all while showcasing her creativity through the crafting and sale of exquisite polymer clay and wire jewelry.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Very nice class. My 7-year old had a lot of fun and made a lovely work of art!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent class for wings of fire fans! My kids love the graphic novels and chapter books and they enjoyed drawing the dragons a lot. The teacher is very nice and teaches drawing very comfortably.

🎨 Tiffany is a professional artist who works with a wide range of mediums and in events like live weddings, charities, and more. She also does commission portraits of people, pets, and other subjects. She loves working with children and she has experience in teaching crafts and general child care through VBS and other volunteer work. As a country girl, she loves animals as well as being outside, and spending time investing in people and building meaningful relationships.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My 10 year old daughter has loved her drawing classes each week. She has grown so much as an artist since doing these classes. She loves her teacher. She is kind and caring when she instructs and helps correct with gentleness. We love seeing her art each week.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Our daughter loves this class. It has boosted her creativity and confidence in her work.

🎨Jaime is a Texas based teacher with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She has a passion for teaching and a love of learning. She has a lot of practice in differentiated teaching for large groups as well as one on one settings, providing a balance of challenging her students to improve while also building their confidence in their artistic abilities. Jaime has training in different drawing mediums (graphite, charcoal, pastels, etc.),  watercolor, photography, and 2D design. She is an art history enthusiast, and loves to know the stories behind paintings, statues, and architecture. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys writing, reading, taking care of her farm animals, watching movies with her husband, being outside with her two dogs, and creating crafts for her daughter

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This class is fantastic and Jaime is an excellent teacher. Jaime is patient and great at explaining everything. My son has gained a lot of confidence since joining her class. I also love the way the class is structured. One week they’ll draw a portrait of someone and the next week they’ll work on a specific feature of a person I.e. hair or eyes. This is great because it enables the students to incorporate what they learn into other art projects they do outside of class. If your child loves to draw, I highly recommend this class.

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Live Group Class
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$18

weekly
1x per week
55 min

Completed by 3525 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 7-12
1-8 learners per class

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