Dog Drawing Ideas

How to draw a dog step by step

A dog is easier than people expect, because almost every drawing on this page is built from two ovals and a few curves. The trick is drawing the body before the legs, so the legs have somewhere to attach.

1. Draw a circle for the head. Keep the line light so you can adjust it.
2. Add the ears. Floppy ears are two long rounded shapes hanging down beside the head, which is the friendliest and easiest look. Pointed ears are two triangles on top.
3. Draw the snout. A dog snout is a rounded shape pushing out from the lower half of the face, wider and blunter than a cat or a fox. Put an oval nose on the end and a short curved mouth under it.
4. Add an oval body below the head. For a sitting dog it is a rounded triangle, wider at the bottom. For a standing dog it is a horizontal oval.
5. Add the legs and the tail last. Keep the legs short and thick. A curled tail is easier than a straight one and it makes the dog look happy.

Darken your final lines at the end and rub out the guide shapes. That last step is what makes a drawing look finished rather than sketched.

Which dog should you start with

If this is your first dog

Start with the easy sitting dog or the simple standing dog. Both face you squarely with nothing else on the page, so you are only thinking about one shape at a time. The dog lying down is also forgiving, because the folded legs hide the hardest part.

If you have drawn animals before

Try the dog in a party hat, the dog wearing a scarf or the dog with a bone. The dog stays simple and you are adding one small prop, which is a good way to make a drawing feel finished without more difficulty.

If you want a challenge

The dog catching a frisbee is the hardest here, because the body stretches and twists at the same time. The dog jumping in the air is a step below it. Draw the long curve of the back first in both, and the rest follows.

What you need

An HB pencil, plain paper and an eraser. A 2B pencil helps if you want darker final lines. Nothing on this page needs a tablet, a light box or special paper, and none of these were drawn with any.

Three things that make a dog look like a dog

• The snout is too pointed. A dog snout is wide and blunt at the end. Narrow it and you have drawn a fox.
• The legs are too long. Keep them short and thick, especially on a puppy. Thin legs make the dog look like a deer.
• The tail is straight. A straight tail looks stiff. Curl it up over the back or let it curve to one side, and the whole drawing comes alive.

Dog or puppy

Same drawing, different proportions. For a puppy, make the head bigger compared to the body, the eyes larger and rounder, the legs shorter and the ears floppier. Most of the drawings on this page use puppy proportions, which is why they read as friendly rather than realistic.

Ways to use these drawings

Copy any of these by hand, or download and print them for yourself, for your children or for your classroom. They work as colouring sheets, tracing practice, a warm up before a bigger drawing, or line art for a card. The party hat, the gift box and the balloon drawings all suit birthday cards. If you want to use one in something you sell, write to us first.