How to draw a fox and a rabbit

Step 1 of 69Guide lines

Head and body guides

Autumn, and someone is watching Clover from the hedge. Start light: a circle for her head, then an oval for her body, twice as wide, down and to the right, overlapping the circle.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 41.

Step 2 of 69Guide lines

The ear guides

Two long, thin ovals up from the top of the head circle for her ears, each nearly as long as the circle is tall: a slim one leaning left, a wider one leaning right.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 41.

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Her face

Now the real lines. From the top of her head, down the front of her face, round her nose and along under her chin.

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The ear on the left

The ear on the left, along its guide: up from her head, round the tip and back down.

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The ear on the right

The ear on the right: up from her head, round its tip, down its back edge, and on down the back of her head to her neck.

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Hair on top

A tiny tuft on top of her head, at the foot of the ear on the right: two little hairs, each drawn out to the left.

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Inside the left ear

Inside the ear on the left: one long line down its middle, from near the tip to its foot.

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Inside the right ear

Inside the right-hand ear: a long line from the tip down its left side, four short fur strokes below it, two lines down its right side, then one from its front foot into her head.

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Her eye

Her eye, above the middle of the head circle: the almond, from its right corner. A big round iris inside, the pupil inside that, open at its top, and a glint circle in the gap.

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Her brow and cheek

Soft fur round her eye, in one line: from the right end of the arc above it, left over the eye, round under it and up past its right corner. Then a mark beside it.

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Her nose and mouth

Her nose, a small V at the tip of her face. Then her mouth, down from its point and along to the right, and two marks: a curve up from the nose, one beside it.

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Fur on her cheek

Fur on her cheek, right of her eye: four short strokes down, top to bottom. Then the line of her jaw in one stroke, left to right, and one up at its right end.

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Hairs on her forehead

Three long hairs out of her forehead, just left of her brow, each from her face up and out to the left.

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Whiskers on the left

Five long whiskers fanning out to the left of her nose, top one first, each from her face outwards.

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Whiskers on the right

Four whiskers on the right of her muzzle, top one first, each from the muzzle out to the right, the lower ones sloping down over her chest.

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Fur on her neck

Six short strokes of fur down her neck, top to bottom, under the ear on the right and just right of her jaw.

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Her chest

Her chest: six short, jagged strokes of fur, one below another, from under her chin down the left of the body oval. Then two more beside the lowest ones.

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Her front leg on the right

Her front leg on the right, in one line: down from her chest, round under the paw and up its right side. Then two little toe lines, each up from the paw's bottom.

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Her front leg on the left

Then her front leg on the left: down from her chest and round under its paw, stopping at the first paw. Two toe lines, each up from the bottom.

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Her back

Her back: one long curve from the back of her neck, along the top of the body oval and down its right side.

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Her haunch

Her haunch, a round curve inside the bottom right of the body oval, its top about halfway down the oval: from the right, along its top and down its front edge.

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Her back foot

Her long back foot: its top line, from its left end up and along to the haunch. Then a line from that edge, round the toe and along underneath, and two toe lines up.

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Her tail

Her fluffy tail, at the right end of her back: one stroke from her back round its right side, then a small tick inside its top, then two more round its lower right and along its bottom. Then six fur strokes down its side and under it.

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Fur between her legs

Now her fur. Nine short strokes at the bottom of her chest, between the tops of her front legs, from left to right, each drawn down.

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Fur on her chest

Fur on her chest: eight short strokes down inside its left edge, top to bottom. Then ten in a slanting row further right, from the top right down to the left.

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Fur down her belly

Seven short strokes of fur down her belly, top to bottom, in a line from below her neck fur to the front of her haunch.

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Fur above her foot

Fur above her back foot: four short strokes slanting down onto its top line, left to right. Then one more by her heel, at the right.

Step 28 of 69Guide lines

The fox's guide

Now the fox, peering out of the hedge behind her. A circle for his head, a little bigger than hers, its middle level with the top of her head, two head-widths to her right.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 41.

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The fox's ears

The fox's two pointed ears, set wide on top of his circle, each outer foot just outside it. The left one from its outer foot, up over the tip and down; then the other.

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The top of his head

Three short marks of fur on the fox's head, between his ears: one along the top, left to right, then two below it, each drawn up.

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His cheeks

The fox's furry cheeks: six short, jagged strokes down the left side of his face, below his ear, top to bottom. Then twelve down the right side, top to bottom.

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Inside his ear on the left

Inside the fox's ear on the left: one long line down its right-hand edge from near the tip, and two short ones beside its foot. Then fourteen short strokes of fur, top to bottom.

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Inside his ear on the right

Inside the fox's ear on the right: one long line from the tip down to its inner foot. Then seven short strokes of fur working down, and one just outside its inner foot.

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The fox's eyes

The fox's eyes, above the middle of his circle, the left one first: a narrow almond from its inner corner, then a thin slit inside, from the top. Then the right eye likewise.

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His brows

Fur over the fox's eyes: four short strokes above the eye on the left, left to right. Then four above the eye on the right, the last a long arc over it.

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His muzzle

The fox's muzzle: a line from the inner corner of the eye on the left, down and out. Then one from the outer corner of the other eye, under it and down to the left.

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His nose and mouth

The fox's nose, a round loop between the ends of his muzzle lines. Then his mouth: a line from the left, under the nose and along, and one from below, back up under it.

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His face fur

Fur on the fox's face: a line down his cheek on the left, from below the eye. Then a mark under the other eye, one above his nose, and five down his right side.

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His chin

Fur under the fox's chin: three short strokes down below his mouth, left to right, then one more to their right.

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His whiskers

Last on his face, the fox's whiskers: four out to the left from beside his nose, top one first. Then six out to the right, each from his muzzle outwards.

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Erase the guides

Rub out the circles and ovals. Clover and the fox stay; now for the hedge he is peeping out of.

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Leaves along the top

The hedge, round the fox's face: first the leaves along the top, over his ears. Twelve light lines, left to right, each a pointed leaf or the part of one that shows.

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The left of the gap

Then the leaves down the left of the gap, between Clover's ear on the right and the fox's cheek. Nineteen lines, top to bottom, each leaf stopping where it meets the next.

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Leaves under his chin

Leaves under the fox's chin, overlapping, so he looks out from inside them. Fifteen lines, left to right, each a pointed leaf or part of one.

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The right of the gap

Down the right of the gap, beside the fox's ear on the right: twelve lines, top to bottom, for leaves along a thin twig reaching in.

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Lower on the right

Lower on the right, beside the fox's cheek and down to about the level of Clover's back: seventeen lines, top to bottom, for more leaves, some with a line down the middle.

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The twig on the left

Over to the left of Clover, level with her head, a twig of leaves in thirteen lines: its stem, up from the bottom, the pointed leaves round its top, then two long lower branches.

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Leaves along the twig

Carry on along the twig to the right: first a leaf hanging below it, in two lines. Then eight lines, left to right, for its stem and the leaves above and below it.

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Leaves at the top

Above the twig, a small spray of leaves in seven lines, left to right, then one loose leaf on its own out to the right. Keep them light: they are behind her.

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Grass on the left

Now the short grass at the back of the clearing, just below the twig: eighteen quick zigzag lines from the far left up to Clover's chest, each blade fine at its tip.

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Grass on the right

The same short grass on the right, from behind Clover's back out to the far edge: nineteen zigzag lines, left to right. Vary the heights, so it doesn't look like a fence.

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Tufts on the left

Little tufts on the ground, left of her front paws and round them: twenty-six short blades in small clumps, one clump at a time from left to right, each blade drawn up.

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Tufts by her foot

Tufts in front of Clover's back foot and up beside her tail: ten blades, clump by clump from left to right, each drawn up from the ground.

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Tufts on the right

Then tufts out to the right of her tail: sixteen blades in small clumps, from left to right, with one tall clump near the end.

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Fallen leaves

Seven fallen leaves on the ground, seventeen lines, one leaf at a time from left to right: three on the left of Clover, then four on her right, each a small pointed oval.

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Go over her head

Now press harder, on the animals only: Clover's face, from the top of her head round her nose. Then her ear on the left, and her other ear on down the back of her head.

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Go over her body

Then Clover's body, in longer lines: her chest, each front leg with a toe line, her back, her haunch in one sweep along her foot's top, then under her foot, its toes, and her tail.

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Go over the fox

Now the fox: press harder round each pointed ear, the one on the left first. Then down his two muzzle lines, round his nose and along his mouth, leaving his cheek fur light.

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Shading her ears

Shading now, with the light from the left. A soft tone inside Clover's ears, darker along the inner edge of each, your strokes running up the ear.

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Shading her chest

A light tone under Clover's chin and round her neck, then down her chest and front legs. Keep most of her white, so she stays bright.

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Shading her haunch

Then a tone on Clover's haunch: along its front edge and round its back above her foot, and a touch on her tail.

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Shading the fox

A light tone inside the fox's ear on the left, down the sides of his face and under his eyes, and inside a few leaves on the right. Leave the middle of his face pale.

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The hollow

Now the darkest part: the hollow in the hedge. Press harder in the gap above the fox's head and between his ears, right up to his outline.

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Hollow by his cheeks

Carry the dark down beside the fox's cheeks. Framed by the dark, his pale face looks out of the hedge.

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Shadow in the hedge

A soft, even tone in the hedge below the fox's chin, filling the spaces between the leaves down to the grass.

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Across the hedge

Carry the same light tone across to the right, between the leaves below the fox's cheek.

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Up the right edge

Then up the right edge of the hedge, between the leaves, fading out at the top.

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Shadows on the ground

A soft shadow on the ground under Clover's paws, back foot and tail, so she sits on the grass.

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The darks

Last, the eyes: fill Clover's pupil inside its ring, leaving the glint white. Then thicken the fox's lids, darkest in each inner corner, and fill each slit, leaving a nick of white at its top.