How to Draw a Dog

How to Draw a Dog

How to Draw a Dog:

In order to learn how to draw the dog you need to know a bit about their proportions and anatomy first. The dog, whether big or small, all have similar physical characteristics.

Being in the same classification of the canine species. This group, whether wolf or dog all follow the same way they move and similar build.

As you can see by this drawing below, the dog and wolf are of a similar shape. Of course, through the years, man has changed the dog species into all manner of shapes and sizes through careful breeding.

"As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward." Vincent van Gogh 1853 - 1890

But they all essentially remain the same. Their skeleton is no different in all breeds, maybe a big shorter or larger here and there, which affects the way the dog moves.

Sure, we will have variations from size and shape in how to draw a dog. Yet you need to study how the overall dog skeletal features allow for their movements.

As I have expressed to you earlier in my lessons, (and probably will again, and again), you need to study your subject. When I sculpt, I have done many of the same animals again and again. Yet, when it came to being asked to do a different species of animal.

It was like re-studying a particular species shape and anatomy all over again. I had been used to sculpting land animals, and when I was asked to sculpt a whale. WELL! you could imagine, it was a little daunting. Nothing like I have done before.

So when tackling a different species of animal, you could imagine... In how to draw a dog, you might feel as though you are going partially back to the drawing board, but it all works out in the end. You can never do enough study.

Here in how to draw a dog, you can see a view of the dogs head from a side view and from the top of the head.

This breed of dog is a greyhound, knowing that there are dogs from all walks of life, I want you to get the idea of where the ears are positioned in this particular breed.

This greyhounds ears are further to the back of the head.

Whether the snout of a dog be short or long, It's eyes are set to the front of the cranium.

Being a hunter, the dog has its eyes at the front of its head. The nose is small and well positioned at the front of its snout.

Now here we have drawings of the dog in action. See how the dog moves, how its back arches as it gathers its paws under its body. The faster the dog runs the longer its body stretches. In how to draw a dog, all movements are relatively the same, repeated over and over again.

"By the way, if you would like to know about how different the dog and the wolf are, when drawing them in art... You will learn these tips in my free newsletter "pet art newsletter" .

As dogs have been bred for different jobs over the years. So have their proportions changed to their abilities. The dog runnning in the diagram is slender and well muscled in the back legs. Then there are the heavier breeds of dogs where the barrel of its body is thicker its head larger.

Drawing a dog brings forth such variations, that need to be studied. Probably one of the most varied breeds of species is the dog, and he dog gives the artist a challenge to change its proportions where needed in such breeds.

So be careful when deciding to draw such a variety of such a large range of different dog breeds. Study each one individually, and always follow their main breed features.

Knowing that the wolf has not changed in stature throughout time, gives you the stability to be able to draw and paint, even sculpt them with familiar confidence, and you don't have to do extra homework.

Dogs give us variation, so go with it, might be a bit more work, but hey! its worth it..........