How to Draw Indominus Rex

This tutorial will show you how to draw Indominus Rex, one of the most terrifying dinosaurs from the Jurassic World films.

The first and most important thing to remember is that, despite its unusual appearance, this movie creature is drawn much like a regular dinosaur.

Many of the steps are similar to those we showed in our Tyrannosaurus drawing tutorial, but with certain characteristic features exaggerated.

For greater intensity, for example, spikes are added along the back, along with a more aggressive facial expression.

How to draw Indominus Rex step by step

Step 1: Sketch the head, torso, and spine

Sketch the head as an oval geometric shape, then indicate the rib cage with a larger oval or circle. Next, draw the lower part of the torso as an even larger oval. Connect all three parts with a long spine line extending into the tail.

Step 2: Sketch the limbs of the monster

The placement and proportions of this dinosaur’s limbs are very similar to those of a Tyrannosaurus, with relatively small arms and massive legs. Sketch the arms and legs using light, long lines, marking the elbows and knees with small circles.

Step 3: Sketch the Indominus Rex jaws

Move on to the head and sketch the contours of the large jaws of the movie dinosaur. Keep the head turn and the planes inside the open mouth in mind so you can correctly add details later.

Step 4: Draw the neck, torso, and tail

Now connect the head of the movie dinosaur to its rib cage, creating the thickness of the neck. Then draw the torso of Indominus Rex by connecting the upper and lower parts. Continue the torso into a long, smooth tail that gradually tapers toward the end.

Step 5: Draw the arms of Indominus Rex

Indicate the arms using cylindrical forms, giving them thickness and mass. Mark the elbows with spherical shapes. Also establish the general mass and volume of the movie dinosaur’s arms.

Step 6: Draw the powerful hind limbs

Now move on to the legs and draw them using similar simple geometric forms. However, the legs of this dinosaur, like those of a tyrannosaur, are noticeably larger and more massive than the arms. The feet are also significantly larger and more powerful than the hands. Use general basic forms without focusing on details yet.

Step 7: Add basic details to the head

Return to the head and outline the shape of the monster’s jaws, giving them a more authentic appearance with all the necessary curves. Draw the tongue extending from the mouth. Indicate the membranes connecting the upper and lower jaws at the corners of the mouth. In the upper part of the head, sketch the outline of the eye.

Step 8: Refine the dinosaur‘s limbs and claws

Earlier you established the limbs and gave them volume, and now it is time to indicate the details using general masses. Start with the arms and first give them smoother outlines. Then draw the long fingers of Indominus Rex ending in sharp claws. Move on to the legs and similarly refine them with smoother contours before sketching the toes spread widely apart. The toes should be noticeably larger than the fingers of the hands.

Step 9: Draw the lower jaw of Indominus Rex

Refine the lower jaw using the construction outlines established earlier, giving it a smoother and cleaner appearance. Then draw sharp teeth along the edge of the lower jaw. Also trace the tongue, giving it a cleaner form.

Step 10: Refine the upper jaw and teeth

In the same way, outline the upper jaw, giving it a more menacing appearance. Draw the teeth of Indominus Rex along the edge of the jaw using triangular shapes. The teeth at the front should be slightly larger than those near the corners of the mouth.

Step 11: Draw the eye and spikes of Indominus Rex

Refine the eye in detail by drawing a frowning brow. Then trace the outline of the upper jaw smoothly transitioning into the neck. Add sharp spikes along the upper part.

Step 12: Refine the monster’s torso and tail

Continuing the neck lines, outline the torso flowing into the tail. Clearly define the spikes along the back and tail, making them smaller than those on the neck. At this stage, you can also add additional folds and carefully check the proportions and accuracy of the drawing before moving on.

Step 13: Trace the arms of Indominus rex

Outline the arms, indicating the muscles visible beneath the skin. Draw sharp spikes on the elbows of Indominus Rex similar to those on the neck. The overlapping of the arms with each other and with the torso helps create volume in the drawing.

Step 14: Detail the hands and long claws

Continuing the arm lines, outline the hands with long, sharp claws. Add extra folds if necessary, but avoid over-detailing so the drawing does not look messy.

Step 15: Refine the monster’s hind limbs

Give the hind limbs a cleaner and more defined appearance by outlining them and adding folds where needed. Clearly define the muscles visible beneath the skin contours. Overlapping forms here also help create volume in the drawing.

Step 16: Complete the feet and large claws

Outline the feet of the movie monster, giving them a clean and defined appearance as well. Draw sharp, long claws of Indominus Rex on the feet that should be noticeably larger than those on the hands. Add additional folds for greater realism.

Step 17: Erase the guides and refine the drawing

Erase the remaining unnecessary lines from the movie monster drawing and reinforce the details that need emphasis. At this stage, you can also create an additional sense of volume by making the elements closer to the viewer darker than those farther away.

Step 18: Add volume with simple hatching

First, indicate the separation between light and shadow either with a light guideline or simply by visualizing it. Then fill the shadow areas with simple hatching, trying to keep it as even as possible. You can darken the transitions between light and shadow to create a shadow core.

Step 19: Finalize the Indominus Rex drawing

Check how symmetrical and proportional your drawing of Indominus Rex looks, since mistakes can easily occur during construction. Correct them if necessary. Compare the drawing with the reference and add or remove elements that will make the result more convincing.

Drawing believable movie monsters

Movie monsters usually look far more expressive than creatures found in real life. For example, a real tyrannosaur already looked intimidating and frightening, but Indominus Rex appears even more terrifying.

This effect is achieved primarily through stronger expression, additional design elements, and the inclusion of features that are slightly less realistic but more visually striking.

The faces of movie monsters often appear more aggressive than those of real creatures, the spikes along the back add to the sense of danger, and the large claws complete the image.

At the same time, the monster should not become overly unrealistic, since that would reduce its believability.

These are important principles to remember when drawing such characters, especially if you want to create your own designs.

By understanding the basic principles of drawing dinosaurs, you will better understand how these monsters are constructed and how such creatures can be designed in a believable way.