How to Draw Wolverine Claw Marks

In this comic-style drawing lesson, we’ll show you how to draw Wolverine claw marks, expanding the series of tutorials dedicated to this X-Men character.

Earlier, we covered how to draw Wolverine himself and how to draw Wolverine claws, and this lesson continues that sequence.

It can serve as a standalone guide if you want to draw claw marks separately or include them as an element in your own comic panel.

The process is very simple and follows a standard progression from basic shapes to more defined details. In our example, the marks are shown on a metal surface with sharp, torn edges, but you can change the material if needed.

For instance, you can draw the texture of wood with softer, uneven splits, or use concrete or stone with rougher, heavier breaks.

How to draw Wolverine claw marks step by step

Step 1: Sketch the initial claw mark contours

First, sketch the contours of the claw mark edges, starting with the central one. Keep in mind that the edges should look uneven. At this stage, don’t try to make the marks perfect. Your main task is simply to keep the claw marks roughly the same distance from one another.

Step 2: Draw the angled side claw marks

Keep adding the claw marks, drawing the side ones at a slight angle so the spacing between all three gradually increases toward the top. This creates the effect of motion, as if Wolverine drove his claws into the metal at the highest point and, while moving downward, pushed them in deeper. His claws also spread apart slightly toward the tips and sit closer together near the area where the knuckles would be.

Step 3: Draw the jagged edges of the central mark

Next, using ragged lines draw the protruding edges of the claw marks, also starting with the central one. Note, that the edges should be very uneven and jagged. In this step, you also should not press down too hard on the pencil. Use smooth and light lines.

Step 4: Draw the torn sides of the outer marks

Draw the torn edges along the sides of the outer claw marks using the same basic approach. Avoid repeating the exact shapes – make each tear slightly different in size and direction, with some edges longer, shorter, or angled differently than the others. The more variation you introduce, the more natural and realistic the final claw mark textures will appear.

Step 5: Draw out Wolverine claw marks in detail

Starting from this step, begin using darker, crisper, and more defined lines for the Wolverine claw marks. First outline the main cuts and the torn edges to give them a sharper, heavier appearance. You can also go over these lines with ink or a marker if you want a stronger, more comic-style look.

Step 6: Start adding shadows and texture

Add volume to the sketch, adding shadows to the internal parts of the protruding edges along with the claw marks. Then draw the shadows of protruding edges that fall to the surface. Shadows should be drawn using light hatching.

Step 7: Darken the shadows and add more texture

Further darken all the lines and edges in the claw marks sketch. Then deepen the shadows and add texture to the surface. To create a texture similar to the one in our example, lay your pencil slightly flat and shade using the side of the lead.

Step 8: Add the final fill inside the claw marks

You can leave the internal parts of Wolverine claw marks unpainted as in the previous step or paint them as in this step. If you didn’t manage to draw the Wolverine’s claw maron the first try, just erase the failed lines and draw again. The more you practice the better you will learn how to draw.

You can now use this drawing either as a standalone element or as part of a more complex composition. As mentioned earlier, this lesson continues our series on one of the most recognizable X-Men characters.

You can also explore our tutorial on drawing Wolverine’s head, where we show how to depict Logan wearing his iconic mask with the long pointed ears.

And if you want to work with his most classic appearance and draw him the way the original creators introduced him, visit our lesson on drawing the original Wolverine, where we depict his first costume from his earliest encounter with the Hulk.

You can also explore our comics category to learn how to draw other comic characters and their distinctive elements. There you’ll find many classic heroes illustrated in a recognizable comic style and drawn using the same structured teaching method we use throughout our lessons.