All you need is a pencil and paper to start drawing. I drew everything in this book free hand, using only pencils. I did not use any type of rulers or circles for my drawings, but you can if you choose to. You can Learn how to draw animals from around the world with these simple step-by-step illustrations. Anyone can learn from this book, from ages 8 to 108. It's all about just putting together circles, squares and lines.This book is so simple that the illustrations alone will guide you through everything. No words are needed to explain. As the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words."