How to Draw a Dog

Schrëtt fir Schrëtt

1. Schrëtt 1

   Block in the big circle of the dog skull.

   Everything else gets measured against this, so draw it in one motion rather than in short careful passes. A slightly lopsided shape drawn confidently is more use than a perfect one built out of twelve nervous strokes, because you can correct a shape and you cannot un-see a hesitant line.

   Achtung Drawing it small to leave room for detail. The big shape is most of the drawing - use the space.

   Kontroll It should fill most of your page, with a margin all round.

2. Schrëtt 2

   Add the two centre lines, lightly.

   These are the rulers for everything that follows. Without them the two halves of the dog drift apart by a few millimetres at a time and you do not notice until it is finished and subtly wrong. Press lightly - they come off at the end.

   Achtung Skipping them because it looks symmetrical already. It will not be by the time you are done.

   Kontroll They should cross at the middle of the shape you just drew.

3. Schrëtt 3

   Add a second, smaller circle for the jaw, overlapping low.

   It sits below and slightly in front of the skull circle, overlapping it by about a third. This second circle is what gives a dog its heavy lower face, and leaving it out is why beginner dogs look like cats with long noses.

   Achtung Placing it entirely below the skull circle instead of overlapping it.

   Kontroll The two circles should overlap by roughly a third.

4. Schrëtt 4

   Draw the muzzle as a box projecting forward from the lower face.

   Forward, not down. This box is the single most important proportion in the drawing: about a third of the head's length for a middling dog, shorter for a pug, much longer for a collie. Decide the number and measure it.

   Achtung A muzzle that points downward, which makes the dog look like it is sulking.

   Kontroll The muzzle should project roughly horizontally from the face.

5. Schrëtt 5

   Place the eyes on the horizontal centre line.

   At the midline, not the upper third - a dog's braincase sits high above its eyes. They also face forward and slightly outward, which is what separates a predator's face from a rabbit's.

   Achtung Eyes too high, which reads as a cartoon.

   Kontroll The eyes should sit at the vertical middle of the head circle.

6. Schrëtt 6

   Add the nose at the end of the muzzle, and the mouth line.

   A dog's nose is large, rounded and tips slightly downward over the front of the muzzle box. The mouth line runs back from under it and then dips - that dip is the fleshy corner of the lip, and it is very recognisable.

   Achtung A small nose sitting flat on the front of the box.

   Kontroll The nose should overhang the front of the muzzle box.

7. Schrëtt 7

   Draw the ears - and draw the breed's ears, not an ear.

   Ear shape is the strongest breed signal in the whole drawing. Folded and hanging, upright and triangular, long and heavy: pick one deliberately. Both ears attach high on the skull circle, further back than feels natural.

   Achtung Attaching the ears to the top of the head like handles instead of to the sides of the skull.

   Kontroll Both ears should attach behind the halfway point of the skull circle.

8. Schrëtt 8

   Add the brow ridges above the eyes.

   Two soft mounds above the eyes, and they carry the entire expression of a dog's face. Raise one and the dog is curious; flatten both and it is calm. This is the cheapest character available in the drawing.

   Achtung Leaving the area above the eyes flat, which gives a blank stare.

   Kontroll There should be a visible ridge above each eye.

9. Schrëtt 9

   Draw the neck and shoulders as one wedge below the head.

   A dog's neck is thick - much thicker than the head is wide in most breeds - and it comes forward from the shoulders rather than straight down. A thin neck is what makes drawn dogs look fragile.

   Achtung A narrow vertical neck, which reads as a giraffe.

   Kontroll The neck should be at least as wide as the muzzle is long.

10. Schrëtt 10

    Break the outline into fur where the coat is longest.

    Only at the silhouette, and only where the coat is genuinely long - the cheeks, the chest, the back of the ears. A continuous scalloped edge all the way round looks like a sheep whatever breed you started with.

    Achtung Fur marks evenly around the entire outline.

    Kontroll Parts of the outline should still be smooth.

11. Schrëtt 11

    Pick a light direction and shade the muzzle's side plane.

    The muzzle is a box, so it has a top plane and two sides, and the side facing away from the light drops in tone sharply. That plane change is what makes a snout project instead of lying flat against the face.

    Achtung Shading the muzzle evenly, which flattens it back into the head.

    Kontroll You should see a distinct tone change along the top edge of the muzzle.

12. Schrëtt 12

    Darken the eyes, leaving one small highlight in each.

    A dog's eye is nearly black, so go properly dark, and leave a single small highlight in the same position in both eyes. Highlights in different places make the dog look at two things at once, which is unsettling and hard to diagnose.

    Achtung Two highlights per eye, or highlights in mismatched positions.

    Kontroll Both highlights should be in the same corner of each eye.

13. Schrëtt 13

    Add the whisker spots and a few coat direction marks.

    Detail is suggested, never itemised. A handful of marks in the right places lets the eye fill in the rest, and drawing every one flattens the drawing into texture. Put them where they matter and stop early.

    Achtung Adding detail evenly all over, which removes the contrast between busy areas and quiet ones.

    Kontroll Step back. You should still read the big shape first, detail second.

14. Schrëtt 14

    Go over the lines you want to keep, and lose the guides.

    This is the step that turns a construction drawing into a finished one, and it is the one most people skip. Press harder on the outline and the features; leave the small stuff light. That difference in weight is what makes a drawing look deliberate rather than traced, and it costs thirty seconds.

    Achtung Going over everything at the same weight, which flattens the drawing back out.

    Kontroll The outline should be clearly darker than the smallest details.