Learn how to draw a dog with this step-by-step guide

Dogs are simply amazing, aren’t they? With more than 300 different dog breeds, learning how to draw a dog is a great way to celebrate your appreciation for the canine community and help you practice drawing animals.

So, get ready to sharpen your pencils and learn how to create a pet portrait.

How do you draw a dog for beginners? 

If you’ve always wished that you’d learned to draw, knowing how to draw a dog is a great way to build your confidence at drawing if you are a beginner. Drawing is a wonderful hobby and a great skill to learn that can create a strong foundation for other types of art. Whether you would like to eventually tackle watercolours or even oil painting, getting the very basics of drawing under your belt will go a very long way.

How do I draw a dog step-by-step? 

Whether you are a complete beginner or not sketched in a while, following this step-by-step tutorial will help you learn the basics of drawing. Once you’ve learnt how to draw a dog, you can go on to tackle other drawing projects. It’s time to get your pencils and sketchpad ready.

Step 1

Draw four circles. A small circle attached to a medium circle will form the dog’s head. The largest circle below will create the chest, and the medium circle will become the lower part of the dog’s body.

Step 2

Draw the outline of the dog, linking the four circles.

Step 3

Add more details of the dog such as its tail, front legs and a back paw.

Step 4

Draw in the dog’s features. Add an eye by sketching a triangle with a small dark oval for the eye. Draw a nose at the end of the muzzle and add a floppy, droopy ear. Use soft feather strokes to imitate the dog’s hair.

Rub out your guidelines and now it's over to you. You can add in more details such as the dog's nails and more depth with shading. Colour in your dog however you want.

How do you draw a dog for kids?

Children can have great fun learning how to draw a dog. Just like with the previous sketch, the key is to break down the picture into different stages. Once they've learned the basics below, they can then go on and try drawing other animals. 

1. Draw a collar and head
2. Add two droopy ears on the top
3. Draw the face and dog tag
4. Draw the front legs
5. Draw the back leg
6. Finish the back leg and tail
7. Colour in your picture

By following drawing tutorials like this, you should find that learning how to draw a dog is easier than you think. Drawing is a wonderful hobby and one of the most accessible forms of art. All you need is a pencil, some paper and something to draw that interests you and you’ll soon be well on your way to discovering the artist in you.