How to draw a sad dog

Step 1 of 58Guide lines

Biscuit's guides

Biscuit has lost the smell, and lies alone by a park bench. Start light: an oval for his head, and a long oval tipped down to the right for his body.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 24.

Step 2 of 58Guide lines

Guides for his haunch and ear

A circle in the body's right end for his haunch; over the head oval's right edge, a long oval, top tipped left: the ear on the right. Then a curve under the haunch: his tail.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 24.

Step 3 of 58

Biscuit's head

Now the real lines. From the top of the ear oval, over his head and down outside the head oval's left side, stopping halfway between its middle and bottom: the ear on the left.

Step 4 of 58

Biscuit's ear on the right

The ear on the right, over its oval: from his head, down its back edge, round the bottom and up its front. Then a fold inside, from the top, and a crease low down.

Step 5 of 58

Biscuit's eye on the left

The eyes sit either side of the head oval's middle. The left eye: its heavy lid from the inner corner, on the right; round under it; the iris, tucked under the lid; a high glint.

Step 6 of 58

Biscuit's eye on the right

Then the right eye the same way, mirrored: the top lid from the inner corner, on the left, out past the outer corner; round under it from the same corner; the iris; the glint.

Step 7 of 58

Biscuit's brows

Above each eye, a small tilted loop for the brow, high at the inner end and sloping down outwards. That slope is what makes him look so sad.

Step 8 of 58

The paw on the right

Under the ear on the right, his paw: from the ear's front edge down to the toes, round them and under it to the ear. Two toe lines, then two short fur lines on top.

Step 9 of 58

The edges of his blaze

His white blaze: from high on his forehead, a line down between the eyes, furry under the left eye, on down his muzzle. Then its right edge, up from the paw on the right.

Step 10 of 58

The front of the ear on the left

The ear on the left: its front edge, from just under the head line down beside the eye to the blaze. Then a long fold inside it, also from the top.

Step 11 of 58

The paw on the left

His other paw pokes out by his chin: from the blaze line, round the top of the paw, down its left side and along under it to his chin. Then three toe lines.

Step 12 of 58

The ear on the left

Finish the ear on the left: round its tip to the paw. Then a line from its front edge down to the paw, and a short fold in from the edge by the tip.

Step 13 of 58

Biscuit's nose

Low in the head oval, his nose: one loop from the middle of its bottom, curling in for the left nostril, over the top and in for the right. Then a curve inside its top.

Step 14 of 58

Biscuit's mouth and chin

Under the nose, his mouth: from the left corner up to a point and down to the right. A line from between the nostrils down to the point, then the chin, round to the paw.

Step 15 of 58

Biscuit's back

From the back of his head, one line up and along his back, over the top of the body oval and down round his rump to the haunch circle.

Step 16 of 58

Biscuit's haunch

On the haunch circle: a curve round its bottom, from the right. Then short broken strokes up its left side and over its top, and two more just inside them, so it looks furry.

Step 17 of 58

His chest and belly

Between the ear and the haunch: a line down the front of his body. Then a short line from the bottom of the ear up to meet it, and a little tuft where they meet.

Step 18 of 58

Biscuit's back paw

His back paw lies in front of the haunch: its top, from the chest line. Then from its toes, round under it and along to his rump, and two toe lines.

Step 19 of 58

Biscuit's tail

His tail, on its guide: from his rump, round to the pointed tip on the left. Three furry lines up from the tip, a zigzag where the white starts, two lines where it tucks under.

Step 20 of 58

The tuft on his neck

Now the fur. Where his back meets his head, four short spikes, left to right, each flicked up to the right from just below the line.

Step 21 of 58

Fur behind his head

Then flicks, each drawn from its left end, the way the fur lies. Seven behind his head, from the top down along the curve of his head.

Step 22 of 58

Fur on his back

Eleven more on his back, from the top down: a row just under his back line, then a slanting line of them down his side, and one on the ear.

Step 23 of 58

Fur by his ear and rump

Six small ones low down, left to right: two by the bottom of the ear, four by the haunch. Then two on his rump, at the right.

Step 24 of 58

Erase the guides

Rub out the guide shapes; Biscuit's lines stay. The bench and the rest of the park come next, without guides.

Step 25 of 58

The bench seat

Now the bench, kept light: its seat, from beside his head, along the bottom, round the end and back along the top. Then its back edge and a middle line.

Step 26 of 58

The seat behind him

The seat carries on behind him: four long lines out to the right, from his back, each a little lower than the one before.

Step 27 of 58

The bench legs

Its two legs, each from its edge nearest Biscuit: down from under the seat, round the foot and up the other side, then a line down inside it. The left leg first.

Step 28 of 58

A leaf on the bench back

Leaves first, so the slats can stop at them. The jagged one, above the seat over his haunch: round it from its left point, its stalk and middle vein down from the tip, three veins.

Step 29 of 58

Another on the bench back

The second leaf, higher still and further right, over his tail: round its edge from where the stalk joins it, then the stalk and middle vein, down from the stalk's tip.

Step 30 of 58

The top slat of the bench back

Above the seat, the back rest's top slat: from the upper leaf, left along its underside, round its end and along the top. Then the short piece right of that leaf.

Step 31 of 58

The lower slat

The lower slat: from the lower leaf, left along its underside, round its end and along its top to the upper leaf. Then a line right of each leaf, the top one first.

Step 32 of 58

The bench posts

The short posts, each drawn downwards: three between the two slats near their left end, three under them from the lower slat to the seat, then three more like those at the right end.

Step 33 of 58

The lamp post

On the left, the lamp post: from the top, down its right side to a flared base, its foot level with Biscuit's eyes; then up. Two lines at the base's top, one at its foot.

Step 34 of 58

The ground line

The ground line, in five short pieces: one out left from the lamp's foot, then, left to right, one each side of the bench's left leg and one each side of the right leg.

Step 35 of 58

A leaf in the wind

Left of the lamp post, high up, a leaf blowing past: from its stalk's base along the bottom to the tip, back along the top and out the stalk. Then a vein from the stalk.

Step 36 of 58

Another leaf in the wind

Another, right of the lamp: from its stalk's tip, down the middle. From the stalk's base, round the bottom to the tip and back along its curled edge; last, the top edge from the stalk.

Step 37 of 58

A leaf under the lamp

Under the lamp, a jagged leaf: its middle vein out along the stalk, back round the bottom edge to the left point, then the top edge. Four veins off the middle, left to right.

Step 38 of 58

A leaf by his paw

Below his paw, a long leaf: round its curled tip, left along the bottom, round its stalk and back along the top. Its middle vein, then four veins off it, left to right.

Step 39 of 58

A leaf under his tail

Under his tail's tip, a jagged leaf: up its stalk and back, along the bottom to the left point, back along the top and on down the middle. Then two veins, the upper first.

Step 40 of 58

A small leaf

Further right, below the bench's right leg, a small leaf: its middle vein, from inside out along the stalk. Then from the stalk, along the top to the point and back underneath.

Step 41 of 58

Go over Biscuit's head

Now press harder round Biscuit's head: from the top of the right ear, over his head and down the left ear, round its tip, under both paws, round the right ear's bottom and back up.

Step 42 of 58

Go over his back and haunch

Then press along his back, from his head round his rump to the haunch. Then round the bottom of the haunch, from the right; its furry strokes stay light.

Step 43 of 58

Go over his chest, paw and tail

Then down his chest and along the back paw's top; the short line up from under the ear; from the toes round under the paw to his rump; and round his tail to its tip.

Step 44 of 58

Shading his head

Shading now, soft and light: over the top of his head, round both eyes and down the right cheek, keeping the blaze clear. Then a thin line beside the right ear.

Step 45 of 58

Round the eyes

Press a little harder round the eyes: beside and under the eye on the left, and round the eye on the right. It makes his eyes look bigger, and sadder.

Step 46 of 58

Under his nose

A little darker tone under his nose, on the right of the line down to his mouth.

Step 47 of 58

The ear on the left

The ear on the left: darker at its lower end and tip, then a darker strip along its inner edge. Then a light tone up the rest of it, and a touch above the tip.

Step 48 of 58

The dark ear on the right

Press harder for the ear on the right, the darkest part of him: even strokes down its length from the top, going round a lighter patch low down.

Step 49 of 58

Its lighter patches

Then a light tone in that patch, and a touch along the bottom of the paw beneath the ear.

Step 50 of 58

Shading his body

Just a little tone on his body: by his chest, under the haunch, and on his rump, a touch darker where the tail meets him. Keep his back pale.

Step 51 of 58

His tail

A light tone along his tail: on top near his rump, and along its underside towards the tip.

Step 52 of 58

Shadow under him

A soft shadow just under him: below his chin, below the paw on the right, and in front of his back paw, so he lies heavy on the ground.

Step 53 of 58

The fallen leaves

A light tone on the leaves lying on the right: two patches on the jagged one under his tail, one on the small one.

Step 54 of 58

Shading the bench back

Now the scene, kept lighter than Biscuit: a soft tone under the top slat and over its right end, along the bottom of the lower slat, and a touch on and beside the jagged leaf.

Step 55 of 58

The bench's left end

A soft tone along the front edge of the seat on the left, darker at its end, and a dark line down inside its left leg.

Step 56 of 58

The lamp and the blowing leaves

A light patch on each leaf blowing past, and one down the lamp's base.

Step 57 of 58

The shadow side

Last, a light tone down the lamp pole, a little shadow on the ground beside the bench's left leg, and along the seat's front edge on the right, darker where it meets his back.

Step 58 of 58

The darks

Last of all, the darks: fill in the pupil and heavy lid of the eye on the left, then the nose, then the other eye, leaving the glints and the nose's shine white.