Have you ever wanted to draw a realistic dog or puppy, but thought it was too challenging? Well, fear not! In this easy-to-follow drawing tutorial, I will guide you through the process of creating an adorable little puppy in just 20 simple steps. So grab your pencil and let’s get started!
Step 1: Establishing Guidelines
To begin, lightly draw a circle that will serve as the foundation for the puppy’s body. Don’t worry about making it perfectly round; a rough outline will do just fine.
Step 2: Defining the Shape
Next, lightly sketch a rectangle/oval shape within the circle. This is a guideline that will be erased later, so don’t worry about precision just yet.
Step 3: Creating a Framework
Erase the bottom of the circle and the top of the oval, leaving behind only the necessary guidelines. Use these lines to lightly draw a partial oval and additional lines within the circle.
Step 4: Outlining the Ears and Legs
Draw guidelines for the ears and portions of the legs. Remember, these are just guidelines, so keep the lines light and easily erasable.
Step 5: Refining the Guidelines
Add more guidelines to further define the puppy’s shape and proportions.
Step 6: Shaping the Body
Create an “S”-like shape, a wavy line, and two half circles to outline the puppy’s body. Again, these are guidelines that should be drawn lightly.
Step 7: Detailing the Legs and Ears
Draw lines on the right leg and ear, a tall “U”-like shape for the left leg, and a backward “#7”-like shape for the back leg. These lines will serve as guidelines and should be drawn lightly.
Step 8: Finalizing the Framework
Complete the guidelines by adding a curved line to the back leg.
Step 9: Face the Dog
Now let’s work on the face. Draw a circle for each eye and use the guidelines to help you shape the rest of the face. Remember to keep the lines somewhat messy, mimicking the texture of fur.
Step 10: Adding Details
Draw curved lines over each eye and smaller circles within the eyes. Add some fur-like strokes to the right ear and shape the mouth with a sideways “#3.”
Step 11: Refining the Features
Continue adding short, uneven lines around the ears to create a fur-like texture. Draw a curved line below the left eye and a backward “J”-like shape below the right eye. Add ovals within each eye as highlights.
Step 12: Focusing on the Face
Draw a curved line on the right eye to complete it. Fill in part of the eye and define the eyebrows above the eyes. Shade lightly under the eyes to add depth and draw a slightly “V”-shaped bottom for the nose, with a curved line above it.
Step 13: Defining the Details
Draw the top of the dog’s head and shape the sides of the nose. Start adding dark shadows to the eyes and draw uneven lines on the snout to represent fur.
Step 14: Adding Texture
Add more fur above the snout, along with lighter shading to the eyes. Create fur-like strokes around the body and buttocks. For a softer effect, smudge the shading slightly with a tissue.
Step 15: Bringing the Eyes to Life
Continue shading the eyes, making some areas darker than others to achieve a realistic look. Add fur to other parts of the body, shade below the eyes, and smudge lightly with a tissue. Shade the nose, darkest at the bottom and lighter towards the top, and darken the nostrils.
Step 16: Finalizing the Body
Draw lines for the toes and complete the back feet. Darken the shading of the nose.
Step 17: Fine-Tuning the Details
Apply very light shading to the feet and around the nose. Use a tissue to smudge some color onto the dog’s body or shade with the side of your pencil for a darker effect. To prevent smudging, place a second piece of paper under your hand.
Step 18: Perfecting the Fur
Add shading to different areas of the body to create a more textured appearance. The fur on the legs has shorter hairs, so use short, uneven strokes for that effect.
Step 19: Final Touches
Use longer lines to add fur to other parts of the body. Remember, you can decide how detailed you want your drawing to be, so feel free to experiment with different approaches.
Congratulations! You have successfully created a lifelike dog or puppy drawing. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and remember to check back soon for more exciting drawing lessons!
