How to Draw a Sitting Dog

In this drawing tutorial, the team of Drawingforall.net will show you how to draw a sitting dog step by step. In this sitting dog drawing lesson, we decided to apply a new and interesting technique, different from what was presented in our previous dog drawing lessons.

This work will be somewhat similar to the work of a sculptor who gradually creates a figure from a single piece of marble, gradually removing the excess. You could see a similar style of drawing in our tutorial on how to draw a portrait.

Among other things, this way of drawing is very useful when you want to learn how to draw three-dimensional and proportional drawings because you do not focus on one detail, and your drawing looks truly solid.

 

Step 1

Draw the silhouette of the sitting dog using very light and simple lines. Do not try to detail the drawing, because at this stage you need to correctly depict the width and height and most harmoniously position the dog on the paper. By the way, in our article on composition, we talked about this in some detail.

Step 2

Now sketch out the ears and legs. When drawing a dog, constantly compare the parts with each other. Try to work on all parts of the drawing at once using simple lines. For example, after drawing a line on the right paw, immediately draw a line on the left.

Step 3

Now go to the head and sketch out the eyes, nose, and mouth of the dog. Don’t try to draw these details in as much detail as possible. Here you need to find their correct size and position them as correctly as possible on the head. You should constantly compare the details of the dog’s face with each other in order to avoid mistakes in symmetry.

Step 4

Now with smooth and light lines draw the lower eyelids of the dog and the pupils inside the eyes. After that sketch out the lower jaw, teeth, and tongue. When working on details, try to constantly move away from the drawing so that you can see it in its entirety. This will help you keep the dog’s proportions right and make the face details just the size you need.

Step 5

Now using smooth and clean lines draw the outlines of the ears and neck of the dog. To give the dog a more realistic look, sketch the fur on the neck using long, flowing lines. When drawing a dog, it is very important to keep in mind that you are drawing a three-dimensional object. You need to transfer the volume and weight of the dog on paper. In our articles on aerial and linear perspective, we’ve covered some of the ways you can do this.

Step 6

Now go to the front legs and using smooth lines draw the toes and sharp claws on them. Add the necessary hair lines at the junction of the limbs with the torso. This will make your drawing of a sitting dog look more natural and realistic. Don’t forget to draw a chest line between the front legs.

Step 7

Now go to the hind legs and do the same as with the front legs, that is, carefully draw the toes and claws on them. Use smooth lines to give the dog’s hind legs a more natural look, as shown in our example. In order to see mistakes in your sitting dog drawing, you can turn it over or look at it in the mirror.

Step 8

Erase all construction lines from your drawing of the sitting dog. Using long lines, draw the fur texture to make your sitting dog drawing more realistic and voluminous. In addition, you can draw details such as a pattern on the fur or a collar with a name on it.

Step 10

To make your sitting dog drawing look really three-dimensional, you need to draw shadows. Using hatching, begin to smoothly draw shadows, gradually moving from the darkest areas to the lightest. In our article on light and shadow, we talked in great detail about what shadows are and how to use them to create volume in the drawing.

This was a sitting dog drawing guide and we hope you found it useful. If so, be sure to share this drawing lesson, write us your opinion in the comments and subscribe to us on social networks.

Also, do not forget that the team of Drawingforall.net has created a huge number of drawing lessons about animals, and you can find all of them in the corresponding category on our website.