How to Draw Dogs

How to Draw Dogs:

Drawing a dog can present an artist with many different views in which pose they would feel best to draw.

There is the static (standing still) scene and also the action scene.

I have chosen an action scene here for you to have a look at. You have probably seen drawings started with circles and different shapes to represent the overall body of an animal. I have never really taken up this idea when drawing my animals. So I am going to show you how I do it.

Now you might find that circles and triangles are all you know when starting to form a drawing of an animal. And they are good in certain areas. I think the circle is good when drawing the belly of an animal, and a triangle, to help you represent the eyes and nose of a dog. But this does not make the overall proportions right.

Ok, lets have a look at the picture of this Great Dane in how to draw dogs, you could start at one end of the dog and start to draw in detail. And we have all started there at one time and another.

 And I have not been an exception...... you get carried away getting one part of the dog done, and am happy with what you have done, only to find that all the rest of the dog is out of proportion and you have to rub that whole part out. AND it was so good... ahhhh. Reluctantly you rub it out and do it the right way, proportion first.

Now see what I have done on the second picture, this is a line sketch of the overall picture of the same dog. Once you are satisfied with the overall proportions of the dog, the action seems to be right. And positioned on the drawing board as you want it.

Then you can go further. You can start to put some shapes in, a circle for the dogs upper frame, and other shapes for the overall dogs head, legs and tail etc....

By approaching a drawing this way, you have achieved the most important aspect of the drawing, the proportions.... without these being right from the start, you are going to put all your efforts into a drawing only to have a look at it, and find that it looks funny in some way. The body is too long, or the head is too big.

I have seen this again and again in drawings. Proudly finished and on sale, yes that's right! for sale. And the proportions are not right.

Now there is only one way to get away with getting the proportions wrong, and that is if you are doing modern art. There are different degrees of modern art. If its the all out wacky art, you can keep it. I am not a modern artist, traditional is my game. Traditional is the representation of true nature itself. Where modern is accentuating a form. One would say an artists interpretation. Anyway, what I was saying was that of semi modern art (which I don't mind) is accentuation the form. Say you could draw a dog with an extra long body or a greyhound with extra long legs. More like a cartoon theme.

Anyway what I am trying to teach you here firstly, is getting the overall proportion of the true dog right before you go any further. I would encourage you to get some pictures of dogs and overlay a piece of tracing paper over the picture and draw the major lines of the dog. Being careful not to go to the outer edges of your dogs form. Keep the lines near where you would think the joints would be. This way you have some area where to bulk out the outer form outside the lines, in how to draw dogs.

Then, when you get the hang of it. Get a blank piece of paper, and with a picture of your dog beside it. Try drawing the lines freehand onto the blank paper. With practice you will find it easier and easier to draw up a proportioned foundation of your subject. Get cracking with this and practice, practice, practice.... this is the only way you are going to feel this task get more natural to you. As you get used to this way of achieving your basic proportional sketch of your subject, you will have no trouble in just putting pencil to paper to roughly draw out what ever subject you want to draw.

Then I will go on further with our how to draw dogs, in our next lesson. Even try copying the theme on this pages exercise, if you want to get cracking right now. All you need is a blank paper and pencil, and of course a rubber. Feel a true artist does not need a rubber, I always have a rubber handy when I am drawing.

Lets go back from How to Draw Dogs to Dog Art or How to Draw Dogs to How to Draw Wolves