How to Draw a Dog: An Easy Step-by-Step Dog Drawing Tutorial

When you look at the sketches of dogs, you might find it a bit complicated. From getting their ears right to ensuring they don’t end up looking like a caricature, drawing a dog can intimidate the best of us. However, with the right guide, everything gets simplified.

To get a realistic sketch of dogs, you must focus on their skeleton, emphasizing the crucial features like their eyes, nose, ear, and posture. By correctly placing some common shapes, you can easily learn how to draw a dog and perfect your art in only 1-2 weeks.

So, if you love dogs and want to draw one like a professional, you’ve come to the right place!

How to Draw a Dog Easy?

When you are sitting down to draw a dog, paying attention to the tiniest details becomes very important.

Many people attempt to draw a dog, but only a few can produce a sketch that resembles the real furry animal. The details are what differentiates the former and the latter.

So, when you decide to make a dog sketch, make sure to devote a reasonable amount of time to it because only when you observe, pay attention to details, and focus on the drawing can you put together a perfect piece of realistic dog art.

However, you need to keep some things handy beforehand, like a few drawing pencils, a pen, a sketch pad, or paper. If you are new to the activity, we recommend referring to a nice dog’s picture or cartoon.

How to Draw a Real Dog?

Here are a few simple steps to draw a real-like dog and make your dog-drawing sessions easier.

Step 1

Start the drawing by sketching the head of the dog first.

Step 2

Once you have drawn the head, add a nose, mouth, and eyes to the dog's face. You can add a few extra circles to them to highlight their eyes.

Step 3

After this, you can add a tongue and draw some face lines to make the picture more realistic.

Step 4

Draw the ears. Make it large and either folded or pointy for a more realistic resemblance.

Step 5

After that, draw a scruffy fur on the cheeks and add the neck and shoulders of the dog.

Step 6

Finally, erase any unneeded parts from the drawing and start coloring it.

How to Draw a Semi-Realistic Dog: A Step-by-Step Drawing Tutorial

As stated below, a bigger version step is required to draw a realistic and perfect dog.

Step 1: Observe the details

If you have a dog at your home, first, observe them minutely. Look at their movements. Pay attention to how they sit, jump, run, or walk around.

When you are indulged in the conscious observance of the animal, you will get to know them more. However, if you don’t have a dog, you can use some printables as a reference.

Step 2: Focus on the skeleton

The next step is to find the dog's skeleton. Though it sounds absurd, it is the key to mastering the drawing.

When you focus on the structure and understand it, you will get the proportions right. Once you get the hang of it, you may automatically remember these proportions through practice, which will help you draw a dog in any position.

Step 3: Sketch the skeleton

While starting, you need to use a tutorial click image of a dog to know their different postures like sitting, lying down, napping, and more.

Then, select a pose and refer to the picture to sketch the skeleton in light strokes. However, when you are drawing the skeleton, ensure to do it loosely so that it can be erased later.

Step 4: Draw the muscles

Dogs come in different breeds. So, while drawing, paying attention to muscles allows you to draw dogs of a particular breed.

For instance, German Shepherds are not very fluffy, so one can easily see the muscles through the outer coat.

But a breed like an Afghan Hound is a furrier dog, so finding the muscle becomes harder.

Thus, like the skeleton, observing the positioning of the muscles under the skin is equally important if you want to draw a particular kind of dog.

Step 5: Pay attention to the dog’s face

Once you have followed all the steps mentioned above, you need to proceed to the head of the dog. In this step, you must use stronger and more decisive lines.

Observe the positioning of different features like the eyes, nose, and mouth of the dog properly so that you can draw it with the correct proportions.

Step 6: Observe the muzzle

Different dogs have different muzzle lengths and shapes. But if you draw even a slightly longer or shorter muzzle than a real dog breed, it can make a huge difference in your art.

For instance, German Shepherds have longer muzzles. But, on the contrary, pugs don't possess prominent muzzles but are not wholly flat-faced. So, observing this feature is imperative to draw a perfect image of a breed dog.

Step 7: Draw the ears

Paying attention to the shape of the ears is essential if you want to learn how to draw a dog realistic.

Observe how their ears are attached to the head and ensure that the opposing ears mirror each other perfectly.

For instance, one ear may be more droopy than the other, but their base shape will be consistent.

Step 8: Draw the body

Since you've already learned tutorials of drawing the skeleton and muscles of a dog, it is time to focus on the skin and fur of the animal.

Refer to the print tutorial click and observe the density of hairs on a dog's body. Do not use the same kind of strokes for drawing the furry coat. After you have completed it, erase the basal lines accordingly.

Step 9: Perfect the art

Once you have drawn the furry coat and the drawing looks complete, add some final touches by drawing a few strokes on the legs to give a slight sight of the muscles underneath.

It will provide more character to your sketch. Finally, add subtle shadows under the paws, and your drawing will be ready.

How to Draw a Dog Face?

Learning how to draw a dog has become simple these days, thanks to YouTube. Referring to a video tutorial can help you notice many new details you may have otherwise missed while drawing a dog.

So, here are some easy steps you can follow to learn how to draw a dog face. This dog face drawing tutorial can be convenient for kids learning to draw a dog.  

Step 1

First, draw a perfect or a slight boxy oval shape. It's okay if it turns out to be a bit round too.

Step 2

Above the oval, draw an inverted U shape. It is the head of the dog. After this, make the nose by adding a little round and triangle blend of shape in the middle of the oval you previously drew.

Step 3

Following this, you can add the ears to the dog by making it look a little floppy and droopy. Besides, if you have any dog's picture in front, you can quickly refer to it and draw the ears accordingly.

Step 4

Complete drawing the dog face by adding two dots and arches above them in the inverted U-shape you created earlier. In the oval shape, add a straight and wavy line to form the snout and mouth, respectively.

How to Draw a Dog Step by Step?

Here are a few steps that can be followed as a basic outline to learn how to draw a small dog or puppy.

Step 1

Start with the basics by drawing three circles, one on top, which will be used as the face, and two on the bottom, which will be used in drawing a dog's body.

Step 2

On the top circle, add another small circle to form the muzzle. Also, add an oval shape to the two bottom circles to create the body.

Step 3

Add legs to the body by drawing four slightly slanting lines under the bottom circles. Also, add a line at the rear end of the second bottom circle to create the dog's tail.

Step 4

Draw the dog's face by creating a droopy V shape for the eyes. Next, draw a triangle for the ear and a square or circle for the nose.

Step 5

Once you have completed the above steps, you will receive a fine outline of the dog. Then, you can add some strokes to make your art more perfect.

How Do You Draw a Cocker Spaniel Step by Step?  

You can use the following tips to draw a cocker spaniel.

Step 1

Visit a site that offers free construction lines of a cocker spaniel. Print it out.

Step 2

Mark the width and height of the dog. Draw an oval to form the spaniel’s head.

Step 3

To develop the body, create a circle and add a curved line to display its shape.

Step 4

Using lines to define the areas where you want to place different features of the face and body of the dog is an essential step.

Step 5

Add some guidelines on the face and legs to mark their proportions and outline the shape.

Step 6

Draw the eyes, nose, ears, tail, and toes of the spaniel.

Step 7

Contour the drawing by adding light fur in some areas and dark fur in others.

Step 8

After adding the furs, erase the guidelines, and the drawing is ready.

How Do You Draw a Dog for 5th Grade?

For kids in their 5th grade, drawing a dog may be one of the most fun crafts. Using the steps mentioned below, they can perfect their drawing in minutes.

Step 1

Draw a small oval to form the nose.

Step 2

Above this oval shape, add a small half circle for the head.

Step 3

Create two dots above the nose and within the half circle to form the eyes.

Step 4

Add a nose and mouth on the oval shape.

Step 5

Draw a new bigger oval under the previous oval for the body.

Step 6

In the second large oval, add two front feet on the sides.

Step 7

Add two tiny feet behind the oval to form the dog's back feet.

Step 8

Add two ears on the sides of the face and draw the tail. And voila! Your picture-perfect dog is ready.

Final Words

You can follow these drawing tutorials mentioned above to draw any dog.

So, once you have thoroughly followed these steps to learn how to draw a dog cute, you will be able to perfect the art in no time. You may even eliminate using references and execute a perfect dog art with time and utmost practice.