How To Draw A Dog

Step 1.

In this very instructional step I show you the skeletal anatomy of the common dog. The parts of bone structure I show you are the most important areas to focus on. Paws and heads of a dog can be the most challenging part. Drawing the body alone is also a hard project to succeed. I start off with a circle and and the line of motion to get accuracies flowing along.

Step 2.

It's important to focus on the major joints to creating an appealing and accurate dog. The blue circles indicate the 1st set of joints that have similarities with one another. The yellow set of circles indicate the 2nd set of joints that have similarities. The flow of poses that the dogs are moving in are colored red. It's ideal to observe poses and the movement of dogs. This is a great step to examine in order to draw a proportioned dog.

Step 3.

This step basically shows you what parts of a dog is called. There are artists that draw dogs well and fail realizing what the names of different body parts are. I myself found out some of the names for them I never know about. Hocks should be drawn a lot shorter then the upper thigh of the dog. Some artists draw the hock high up and skinny.

Step 4.

In this first step, draw the very basic guidelines for the dog. Start with the three circles. The first is the head, then the chest and then the abdomen. The chest is almost always larger then the back end. Smaller dogs have a slight difference. Add the lines for the legs, forelegs and the face guidelines.

Step 5.

Start this step by drawing the muzzle and mouth of the dog. It's always better to start off with the head. Working your way from top to bottom has a better outcome. From this point of view of the dog, you will only see a slight indication of a nose. You don't want the dog's face to have an awkward 3/4 turned head.

Step 6.

Begin this step by simply drawing the withers, shoulder, and hip. The circles will help structure the pose of the canine so it saves you lots of time. After you've done this, finish off the chest and mouth.

Step 7.

Start off by drawing the rest of the forelegs. See how drawing from top to bottom is better then drawing in random places? For other artists it may be different techniques. Force is pushing this dog forward as it runs, so it would be realistic to have its body have a thrusting appearance. To achieve this, have the legs pushing all the force towards its set path.

Step 8.

Get ready to finish off the hind legs. To make things easier, start off with the upper thigh and then the paw. Remember, the hock is always shorter then the length of it's knee. Have the hock set a bit lower on the ground so it doesn't have a distorted appearance. Don't forget to sketch out the tail as well.

Step 9.

This is basically the last step to completing the dog. Drawing your way out of this step will be much easier than the others. Finish off the back of the hind leg and your all done!

Step 10.

The outcome of your line art should look similar to this. If your satisfied with your drawing, you've achieved drawing a dog successfully! It can be hard your first time, but practice is always at hand. No matter how discouraged you get, keep practicing. Practice is the fuel to becoming a master. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, thanks for viewing and peace out.