How to Draw a Dog Face

Last Updated: May 12, 2021

Throughout time, the family dog has been a symbol of steadfast loyalty and unconditional love. But capturing that essence on paper can be a little tricky. You can write about it, but a dog's face is so expressive that sometimes the only way to avoid using 1,000 words is to draw a picture. This article will show you how!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Lots of Detail

1
Draw a circular shape and two floppy ears. Add also a vertical and horizontal line on the circular shape to serve as your guidelines. Make sure to use them as they will really help.
2
Draw the dog's nose. Draw an upside down heart and a triangular shape with two cutout holes.

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3
Draw the dog's eyes. Remember to make the eyes as glossy as possible by drawing squiggly lines within his pupils.
4
Draw small details such as the little circles on his nose and then lines for his eyelids and ears.
5
Draw his paws with a series of four rounded triangular shapes on the left and to the right side of his face.
6
Draw the details of his paws and arms.
7
Outline your drawing. Use a black pen or marker to ink over your penciled sketch. After outlining your drawing, clean it up by erasing your penciled sketch and guidelines.
8
Color him with colors such as gray, dark gray, black or brown.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Line Drawing

1
Make a small stick figure in the center of your drawing area. Add small legs but no arms.
2
Create three dots on each side of the stick figure.
3
Draw a circle around the stick figure. Make sure none of the stick's body parts or dots touch the circle.
4
Create two half circles attached to the top of the main circle. These should be almost touching each other but not quite. They will be the eyes.
5
Draw a semi-circle around the eyes. This will be the rest of the face.
6
Add two small dots in the center of the eyes for pupils.
7
Draw some ears. They can be floppy, pointy, however you want them!
8
Don't forget the tongue, and the bow!

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Community Q&A

Question

Why is there a bow on the dog? What if I don't want the bow on it?

Community Answer

The bow is just an optional stylistic choice made by the artist for this article. If you don't want your dog to have a bow, don't draw one.
Question

How do I draw a realistic looking dog face?

Community Answer

Use lots of detail, like shading and highlighting.
Question

How do I make a drawn dog face more lively?

Community Answer

Make the eyes rounder and add some shine - this will create a happier and more lively look. You can also try drawing the dog with different action poses.
Question

How can I draw specific dog breeds?

Community Answer

Look up pictures of the breed of your choice, and copy its facial details.
Question

How do I draw a German Shepherd's face?

Community Answer

You can use a live dog as a model, or you can search for an image online and draw based on that template.
Question

How do I make the ears and eyes the exact same shapes without stencils?

Community Answer

You can make a stencil. Draw the shape you would like to make on a separate piece of paper. Use scissors to cut out the shape. Place the cutout where you want the shape and trace the edges onto your drawing. Flip over the cutout when you're doing the opposite side.
Question

I have been trying to draw a husky. How should I use my shading pencils for it?

Community Answer

I would use a gray, silver or black shading pencil and color in your drawing. Then smudge the pencil to blend in then add detail. Also leave some parts white. Search up a husky picture for reference.