Shaping the body

In this section, we’re going to improve the body. We’ll take it from a rough, blocky form to a nicer, more animal-like shape.

To get there, you’ll go through three separate phases:

1. Tweaking the body and tail
2. Tweaking the legs
3. Tweaking the head

The head and the legs will be the most difficult, but since we have the front reference image to help, it won’t be too bad.

Tweaking the body and tail

First, let’s tweak the body and tail. What we need to adjust here is mostly the width—the body should be wider in the middle, with the head and tail thinner:

1. Select the whole “middle part” by holding down Shift and clicking on each face (or each vertex, if you like).

Figure 9.17 – Selecting the middle part

2. Then move the whole chunk outward (very slightly) with G and X:

Figure 9.18 – Moving the middle...