Our Tips On How To Draw Animals

Whether you’re looking to become a professional animal painter or you just want to get better at drawing these living creatures, we have some great tips to get you going. We have outlined the basic steps to take in order to achieve a life-like observation of your favourite animal using everyday art supplies, and through practice and dedication, you will become an expert in no time at all.

How to draw a dog

Fun, loving and playful, who doesn’t love dogs? Learning to draw dogs is a great starting point when it comes to animal observations. Sharpen your pencils and learn how to capture the adorable nature of your dog with a little bit of practice. Here are some quick tips to get you started. 

1. Simply start by looking at the dog, whether that be in real life or a still image. Analyse the basic geometric shapes that make up the animal. 
2. Once you have identified a  rough shape, carefully observe the muzzle. Is it flat or arched? Long or short? These are all factors to consider.
3. It’s time to move onto the shape of the ears. How are they distanced? Where do they sit on the head? Be sure to carefully observe the dog whilst drawing the shape.
4. When drawing any animal, it is important that you capture the animal’s personality through expression. Examine their face carefully and compare it to a human. Does the dog appear happy? Intelligent? Tired?
5. Bring the shapes together by adding small details, such as fur. You can use whichever medium you feel most confident with.

How to draw a horse

Drawing a horse is well known for being very challenging. A horse has a complex anatomy, making the animal an artist’s worst nightmare. We have some simple tips to help you get the shape of the horse as accurate as possible, by grouping each body part. 

1. Start by observing the horse’s spine. This is the foundation of your drawing, so ensure the shape of the spine is as accurate as possible. It runs from the top of the head, and ends at the tailbone.
2. Draw an oval for the main body of the horse, as well as a circle for the neck and head as a rough guideline. 
3. Slowly add in the remaining shapes, ensuring careful observation whilst sketching.
4. Add the eyes, ears, and tail. Start to sketch out the horses legs, ensuring a rough circle sketch to capture the shape of the knees.
5. Rub out the structural lines, and start to add finer details.

How to draw marine animals

Animals that we see on land make up only half of the animal world, and we should by no exception forget about the vast array of marine wildlife on our planet. As an example, here’s a quick step by step guide on how to draw a fish.

1. Start by drawing a round shape for the body, making an outline to illustrate a sense of movement.
2. Add the head and the tail, whilst carefully observing your image.
3. Start to add fins and eyes.
4. Add any other details. The more intricate, the more realistic.

Looking for some high quality artist materials to get you started? Take a look at our wide selection of paints, pencils, and easels to help you make the most of your art at the lowest price possible.

Want to find out more about drawing? Discover our Guide to Pencil Sketching Techniques.

Experiment with new techniques in our Guide to Brush Lettering.