How to Draw a Dog (Pit Bull)

Please PAUSE the video after each step to draw at your own pace (scroll down to see the final pit bull drawing).

For the first few steps, don’t press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Draw two circles as guides for the pit bull’s body. They don’t have to be perfect. They’re just guides.

Step 2: Draw a square with rounded corners above the big circle as a guide for the pit bull’s head.

Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines inside the head to help you place the pit bull’s facial features later on.

Step 4: Draw two triangle shapes on top of the head for the pit bull’s cropped ears.

 

Step 5: Draw a series of curved lines that connect the major shapes to form the pit bull’s body.

Step 6: Draw four lines under the body as guides for the pit bull’s legs.

That’s it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

Step 7: Use the guide lines to place the pit bull’s eyes inside the head. The eyes are small and football-shaped, and draw circles inside them for the eyeballs. Inside of them is another shaded-in circle for the pupil.

Step 8: Use the guide lines to place the pit bull’s nose below the eyes. The nose is basically an upside-down triangle with two circles on it for the nostrils.

Step 9: Draw the pit bull’s ears using the initial shapes as guides. Draw a few lines within them and at the base to indicate the structure.

Step 10: Draw the pit bull’s mouth as a line that comes down from the mouth then splits in two and curves up. Draw a line below that for the chin and more lines around it for the rest of pit bull’s muzzle.

Step 11: Use the initial square as a guide and draw the rest of the pit bull’s head.

Step 12: Using the lines as guides, draw the pit bull’s front legs. Just go around the lines adding shape and structure as you go along. Draw the pit bull’s toes at the bottom too.

Step 13: Draw the pit bull’s hind legs stretched behind the body using the same technique as the front legs. The hind legs stretch far back for a powerful stance. Don’t forget the toes!

Step 14: Draw in the rest of the body, giving it more structure along the way. The pit bull’s tail is drooping behind the body, so only draw a small portion of it.

Step 15 (optional): You can stop here for a sketchy look or erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don’t worry about erasing all of them. It’s okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any that you accidentally erase.

Step 16 (optional): Add shading to your pit bull drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Add a cast shadow underneath the pit bull. This helps ground the dog so it doesn’t appear to be floating.

Step 17 (optional): You can add more value throughout your pit bull drawing for extra detail. It’s a good idea to use reference to be as accurate as possible. Otherwise give him spots, patches or even stripes. It’s up to you!