Learn how to draw a great looking Realistic Dog with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial. You can now easily create a beautiful Realistic Dog drawing.
Jump to the step-by-step instructions.
“The only, absolute and best friend that a man has, in this selfish world, the only one that will not betray or deny him, is his DOG.” - King Frederick of Prussia, 1789
Would you like to learn how to draw a realistic dog? This easy drawing tutorial is here to help you master a realistic dog outline. Whether you're looking to adopt a mutt or a prize-winning show dog into your sketchbook, this is the canine drawing guide for you.
Wherever you live, dogs are likely a part of your daily life. In some places, dogs are beloved pets, even considered part of the family. In others, they are working animals that perform important and even life-saving tasks.
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Even where dogs are not particularly lauded, they are often found roaming neighborhoods or wild places.
It is fitting, then, that you expand your skills to capture a realistic image of this animal. For more than two hundred years, dogs have been called "man's best friend," as quoted above. But dogs have been our companions for much longer than that since they were domesticated thousands of years ago.
This realistic dog cartoon is one of many types you can learn to draw. It resembles a golden retriever, but you can also try your hand at sketching a realistic German shepherd or a picture-perfect corgi.
If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Hyena, Wolf Howling, and Chihuahua.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Realistic Dog
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 1
1. Begin the realistic dog outline by drawing the dog’s face. Use overlapping curved lines to craft the pad of the nose. Then, use longer lines to outline the snout and tongue. Draw small triangles for the teeth at the front of the mouth.
Enclose the round eyes, pointed at the inner corners, each with a circle inside it. Contour around the eyes and the corners of the mouth with short lines.
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 2
2. Outline the dog’s shaggy head, using lines of various lengths that meet at jagged points to simulate the appearance of long fur.
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 3
3. Use a series of lines to sketch the dog’s chest, foreleg, and paw. Again, use lines of various lengths that meet at jagged points to add the texture of the fur to the lines.
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 4
4. Draw the other foreleg, somewhat overlapping the first. Again, use lines of various lengths that meet at jagged points to add the texture of the fur. Notice how the curved lines of the toes overlap.
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Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 5
5. Draw the dog’s back. Extend the series of lines from the head. Use lines of various lengths that meet at jagged points to add the texture of the fur.
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 6
6. Draw the belly and the front of the rear leg. Again, use lines of various lengths that meet at jagged points to add the texture of the fur.
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 7
7. Draw the back of the rear leg, using lines of various lengths that meet at jagged points to add the texture of the fur. Notice how the curved lines of the toes overlap.
MORE DRAWING TUTORIALS:
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 8
8. Draw the final rear leg using a series of overlapping curved lines. Then, draw the bushy tail. Like the rest of the dog, the lines should meet at jagged points to indicate the shaggy fur.
Realistic Dog Drawing - Step 9
9. Complete the realistic dog outline by texturing the fur of the body and tail with curved lines.
Complete Realistic Dog Drawing
Color your realistic dog cartoon. We’ve shaded our to resemble a border collie or Australian shepherd. What color coat will your realistic dog wear?
For more great Dog drawing tutorials, see the 50 Easy Dog Drawing Tutorials post.
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