How do you draw tufty fur?

I am trying to do a portrait of a scruffy dog, but don't know where to start with the fur. I am good at drawing proportions and shading. I want to learn how to develop my drawings further by working in layers, what's the first layer I should put down? I'm using pencils.How do you draw tufty fur?
Good answers so far. Look carefully and try to draw what you see - not what you think you see. Graphite pencils come in various grades - I have pencils ranging from H - 9H (the hardest and lightest) and B - 9B (the softest) which lay down the darkest colour, with F somewhere in the middle. If there are others I haven't found them. Start by using a lighter pencil first - perhaps a 2H used with a light touch - then gradually work with darker grades of pencil - perhaps even a 6B once you know where you are going. Remember that an eraser is also a 'drawing' tool and as you are working in pencil highlights can be lifted out. Good luck - graphite pencil is a lovely medium to work in.How do you draw tufty fur?
possibly do the outline, then the alignment of the flow of the fur, then gradually fill in sections with the curves of the figure,


and then apply lighting and shading,





http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/2921/…


http://www.rebekahlynn.com/free/tutorial…


http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesA…





http://www.tedslampyak.com/labels/illust…


http://www.flickr.com/photos/a2z_mpls/12…


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The first mistake people make is trying to draw fur by drawing strands. Try to suggest the fur with your shading, maybe add a few noticeable tufts here and there but on the whole treat it as a texture rather than the physical strands of hair.