Watch First. Watch whatever you’re going to draw for a while and see what they do. Most things have some sort of repetitive behavior you can catch. Zoo animals are really good for this, because of the pacing back and forth they do- it’s sad that they do that, but good for you as an artist.
Dive in. The most important lesson to learn is DO NOT BE AFRAID YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE MISTAKES. Your sketchbook is your private library of drawings and nobody has to see a thing you do in it unless you want them to.
Warm Up. After you’ve watched your subject for a while, you will have noticed some markings, the shape of its body, and the postures and behaviors it repeats frequently. Warm up with quick gesture sketches (contour/line drawings) done in seconds. Don’t erase. Capture only the basic shape or pose of the subject.
Record Large Shapes Before Details. Try to get the shape of the body before moving on to the details. Get the proportions correct before you do any details. When you start doing details, do the eyes as soon as possible because that’s what we look at first.
Speed. Capture each pose as quickly as you can. If it stays in one place for longer than normal, you can correct errors before you start on details.
Sketch SEVERAL poses at the same time. Start drawing several of the poses you see the animal or person do. When THEY move, YOU move your hand and start a new sketch. If they hit that pose again, add a little more, but otherwise, Draw a little more each time they strike the same pose again. Concentrate on drawing the body parts in sequence - big cats at the zoo tend to pace, so you’ll see the same motion over and over.
Capture Movement with Speed. Draw as fast as you can. Let your mind go blank and just let your hand move, recording what your eyes are seeing - don’t worry about anatomical features, just get the general idea down on paper as fast as possible. With birds in flight, you can stare at the bird in the sky and close your eyes, and try to draw the after image as it lingers in your eyes for a few seconds.
Include the surrounding habitat. This will help you judge size, set the animal or person in something realistic when you draw it again back at the studio, and give you more information about subject.
Study Anatomy. I know I just said to not concentrate on anatomy while you’re field sketching - but you SHOULD when you’re not doing live observational drawings. Study it until you know it without thinking about it. Know how things are put together. You mostly need to know major muscle groups and spots where the skeleton shows - the bony protruberances. Bird anatomy is very hidden by feather groups, like a suit of armor- find out what those feather groups are before you go out in the field and keep a quick sketch of that in your sketchbook for reference. Same with wings, or leg structure for mammals.
Only Draw What You See. Some things won’t get finished. Don’t worry about it. For these sketches, don’t fill in with what you THINK should be there if you can’t see it. Your drawing will look more realistic and alive, even if it doesn’t get every single thing completed.
Make Notes. Write down the name of the animal, plant or place that you’re drawing. Make notes about locations, weather, behavior, season, colors, time of day. If you take photos, consider printing them out and pasting them in your sketchbook for reference later on.
Make MISTAKES. KEEP DRAWING. You must make a zillion mistakes to get good at anything. If you don’t draw regularly, you will lose your touch, faster than you think is possible.
