Most of the magical animals in the Harry Potter books come from ancient mythology. J. K. Rowling was inspired by very old stories and creatures, and added them in magical ways to her books.

Many of the Fantastic Beasts in Rowling’s latest books are totally made up, but they might someday be thought of as mythical creatures, just like the dragon and griffon. After all, those animals were made up, too. They started out in popular stories a very long time ago.

Are you ready to draw some magical animals? It actually takes less magic than most people think.

I don’t know who started the myth that only a few specially talented people could learn to draw.

There are even some art teachers out there who believe that.

But if you learned how to draw the alphabet, and are able to write a sentence that other people can read, you can learn how to draw.

It just takes lots of practice, and some guidance from people who have learned a few tricks.

In a way it’s a lot like learning to play baseball – you need to train your eye to see better than you ever have before, and you need to train your fingers and hands to move the way you want them to.

The first time you took a swing at a baseball, you probably missed. So don’t expect to become a professional artist overnight.

But if you are willing to make a few mistakes, and keep on trying, you will soon become very good at drawing these wonderful animals (and you’ll even be able to draw real animals if you want to!)

One big reason many people don’t believe they can draw is that they think it’s cheating to look at the thing they’re trying to draw! That’s not cheating, it’s what every professional artist does!

Now, does that mean that everyone who has the patience and the willingness to learn will become a famous artist?

No, not necessarily. But what it does mean is that, if you are willing to practice, and to make mistakes, you will very shortly be drawing far better than just about anyone you know, and that your friends and family and teachers will be amazed.

People may ask you for copies of your drawings, beg you to make special ones just for them, and request that you make drawings for the school newsletter or your club’s brochure.

So, even if you don’t become world famous, you can still get a huge amount of personal satisfaction from your drawings.

You can also give wonderful, thoughtful gifts to people you care about, without spending hardly any money.

Soon, your drawings, (after you have practiced just a little), will seem almost magical to the people who see them.

Even more so, since the animals you will be practicing on are themselves magical!

Materials

Don’t tell anyone, but it doesn’t cost hardly anything to learn to draw and create wonderful works of art.

To start out, all you need is some cheap paper without lines (copy paper is fine) and some pencils.

The #2 pencils that are used in schools are perfectly OK – you don’t need to go to the art store and buy special ones.

You should find a good eraser, though, because the ones that come with your pencils are not big enough, and soon wear out.

That’s it! That’s all the materials you need to draw. Plus patience, of course!