How to Draw a Dog Step by Step

Alexia Young 06/09/2023

4 2 minutes read

Table of Contents

Introduction

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to draw a cartoon dog, this beginner-friendly tutorial is perfect for you. Follow these eight simple steps with easy-to-understand instructions and drawing examples.

Dog drawing step by step

Drawing a dog is a fun and easy activity suitable for beginners. To make it even easier to correct mistakes, it is recommended to use a pencil and draw light lines that can be easily erased. You can darken the lines later in the process before adding color.

Step 1 – Draw the Dog’s Snout

Dog snout drawing

Begin by drawing the dog’s snout. Split the top part of the snout at the bottom and draw the bottom part with a single curved line. Position the snout in a way that allows enough space for the head above and the body below.

Step 2 – Draw the Head

Dog head drawing

Draw the head, starting from about the halfway point of the top part of the snout. Make the head slightly wider towards the bottom and narrower towards the top. The very top of the head should appear almost flat.

Step 3 – Draw the Body & Front Legs

Dog front legs drawing

Add the dog’s legs and body by drawing two curved lines going down from the upper part of the snout. Outline the dog’s feet at the ends of the legs. Then, draw two more curved lines for the inner part of the legs. Finally, connect the legs near the transition into the feet to show the bottom of the dog’s body.

Step 4 – Draw the Back Legs

Dog back legs drawing

In this step, add the back legs behind the front legs and body. Draw the upper part of each back leg with a single curved line pointing slightly away from the dog as it goes towards the top. Draw the back feet as an oval shape with a flattened bottom, partially hidden behind the front legs.

Step 5 – Draw the Ears

Dog ears drawing

Create the ears with a shape resembling a “^”. Make them wider near their base, where they grow from the head, and narrower towards the tips.

Step 6 – Draw the Tail & Toes

Dog tail and toes drawing

Draw the tail using two curved lines, defining its shape. Then, draw curves into the feet to show the individual toes.

Step 7 – Draw the Eyes, Nose & Complete the Line Drawing

Dog line drawing

Finish the dog’s face by drawing a triangular-shaped nose with rounded corners. Add oval-like shapes for the outer part of the eyes, starting from the top of the snout. Draw smaller ovals for the inner part of the eyes (the irises). Above the eyes, add two small curves for the eyebrows.

Finally, fill in the irises and the nose with black pencil shading, leaving some white spots for highlights.

Step 8 – Color the Dog

Dog drawing

Choose any color you like for the dog’s body. For this example, we’ll assume it’s brown, while the snout will be yellow. Feel free to use colored pencils, paints, or markers for coloring, depending on what you have available.

Conclusion

Drawing a cartoon-style dog without complex details makes this tutorial simple and beginner-friendly. Hopefully, you found this step-by-step guide helpful and enjoyable.

For more tutorials on drawing animals in a similar style, check out the following: