How to Draw a Cute Puppy

Last Updated: November 3, 2022

Drawing a puppy is not difficult. You just have to have some patience, and if you don’t like what you draw the first time, try, try again. Practice makes perfect. All you need to know is the basics, and you’ll be on your way to sketching the cutest puppies ever.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Drawing a Puppy Face Using Different Pencils

1
Gather your pencils. You will need a 6B pencil, which is used for shading in extra-dark areas. You will need a hard 4H pencil for softer shading. Know that the harder the pencil, the softer the line will be. For hatching and cross-hatching, you will need a 2H pencil. For mid-tone areas, use an HB pencil.
2
Begin with the eyes. Draw the first eye in the shape of a tilted almond. Be sure to leave space in-between, though, for the puppy’s muzzle. Next, sketch the second eye in the same shape on the opposite side; try and make them match. Now draw a circle in each eye for the eyeball. Then draw a smaller circle inside each for the pupils.^{[1]
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- At this point, everything is sketched in very lightly using a 4H pencil, which is one of your softer pencils.
- Shade the pupils in with a 6B pencil. This will make them really dark. Only use this pencil for dark areas; otherwise it’s too hard to erase when you need to.
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3
Gauge where you think the nose should be in proportion to the eyes. Sketch it in the shape of a roundish-looking heart. Make it about the same size as one of the eyes. If you realize later that it’s not exactly where it should be, you can always redraw it later.
4
Draw the muzzle around the nose. Make it in the shape of a half-open circle with the open part on the top. Leaving it open will allow you draw the rest of the muzzle. Leave plenty of space around the nose that you just drew above.
5
Draw the rest of the nose/muzzle area. On one side of the half-open circle, start drawing a long, oblong shape. It will come up along one eye. When you reach the top of the head, cross over to the other side and back down. It will connect to the other side of the half-open circle.
6
Sketch two oblong shapes for the eyebrows. Place them directly over the eyes. You want them to tilt down towards each other. They almost look like two puffy clouds.
7
Draw the outline of the head, mouth and ears. Take a look at where the eyes are to determine where to start to draw the head. You don’t want it too close to the eyes or too far. When you’ve sufficiently visualized where to begin, start to draw the head.
8
Sketch it in a soft, heart shape. The top of the heart shape will be the top of the puppy's head. The bottom of the heart will be the chin. You want the bottom to be soft, though, not pointy.
- It’s fine to use multiple, sketchy strokes for this rough draft. In other words, if the lines overlap, it’s okay.
9
Sketch the ears. Starting at the top of the head on one side, draw a puffy, oblong shape (almost like a half-donut). The bottom of it will stop at about the same height as the nose. Sketch the other ear.
10
Use hatching and cross-hatching strokes to indicate light and dark areas of the puppy’s fur. To hatch, you simply draw small lines closely to each other. To cross-hatch, go over these same lines but in the opposite direction. They will look like tiny patches when you’re finished.^{[2]
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11
Begin with the left ear. Shade it in with hatching and cross-hatching strokes, leaving a few white areas. With the same method, shade in the top part of the heart-shaped head. For the right ear, just shade in the left-third of it and finish with a few curvy, soft lines in that area.
12
Make a mask of hair around the eyes. Shade all around the eyes as if the puppy is wearing a mask. If you look at real puppies and dogs, they usually have a mask, too. Mix the area up with some hatching and some cross-hatching strokes.
- Visualize how hair grows in a particular area, and sketch in the same direction. A 2H pencil works best for this.
- Use soft, light strokes when shading. For extra-dark areas, use a 6B pencil, which is very soft.
- For any shapes that you think are off, this is the time to redraw them.
- Add your own unique touches now to turn it into the world’s cutest puppy.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Sketching a Simple Drawing of a Puppy

1
Begin with the nose. Sketch a circle that’s a little flat at the top and narrow at the bottom. Right in the middle of the circle at the bottom, draw a line about one-third up. Then draw two small circles, one on each side of the line, for the puppy’s nostrils.
2
Draw a curved line starting underneath the nose on one side and then on the other. This is the puppy’s snout. Next, with one of your fingers, trace from the middle of one curved line up until it looks just right, and draw a circle for the eye. Do the same thing on the other side. Color in the middle of each eye for the pupils, leaving a little white area at the bottom.
3
Visualize how far up you think you should draw the head. Once you have an idea, make an oblong shape for the head. Sketch it in using light, pencil strokes. If you see that it’s a bit off, simply erase and lightly sketch it again. It sometimes takes a few times to get certain areas you are drawing just right.
4
Draw the puppy’s tongue hanging out of its mouth. Sketch it right underneath where you made the two curvy lines for the snout. You can either give the puppy a long, drooping tongue or with just the tip coming out. Both are cute.
5
Sketch a large, triangle shape for the ears on each side of the head. The wide part will be at the top and the pointy part will be at the bottom. Though don’t make them pointy. Make it a soft triangle. With multiple strokes, draw in some curvy lines for a droopy chin. Keep it in proportion to the entire head though. Then draw in a couple lines to give the puppy some wrinkles.
6
Sketch a big, round shape on the left side of the body. The puppy is sitting on this side; that’s why it’s larger. Starting on the right side, draw a line down from the puppy’s snout, then up and around on the other side of the body. Next, sketch out the front paw. You can’t see the other paw, so just add a few curvy lines to indicate that it’s there. Add a pointy tail, and there’s your cute puppy!

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Drawing a Cartoon Puppy

1
Start by drawing a circle for the puppy’s head and an upward curving, noodle-shape for the body. The noodle shape should be drawn at an angle from the head. The shape for the body will be about the same size as the head just in a different shape. Next, draw a vertical line from the top of the circle to the bottom of it. Then draw another slightly curved line going horizontal across the bottom-third of the circle.
- When you’re finished, your drawing will be of a puppy standing up.
2
Draw his ears. Starting at the back of his head, draw two lines going out at an angle on each side. Then curve these same two lines down and around alongside his head. You want cute, perky ears so only come about a third of the way down.
3
Sketch two egg shapes for the puppy’s eyes on this horizontal line. Many cartoon characters start out with these same kinds of shapes. It just takes practice to understand the process. Then you’ll have it down. Draw with light lines so you can easily erase them later if you need to.^{[3]
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4
Draw a large, ellipse shape over one of the eyes. When you’re finished, this will be a beautiful marking over one eye. Don’t worry about shading. You’ll do that later.
5
Sketch the nose in a small, oblong shape. Draw it slightly above where the two lines cross in the circle. Make a smaller half-circle right below that for the mouth. Remember to sketch lightly in case you need to erase and redraw it later.
6
Draw a horizontal, ellipse shape on the left lower side of the puppy’s face. Sketch another ellipse on the other side. Basically, you are drawing two elongated noodles to represent the sides of the puppy’s wide, smiling mouth. Next, where you drew the oblong shape for the nose earlier, right in the middle draw a smaller, triangular-shape to make a button nose.
7
Draw the puppy's legs. For the front legs, draw the first one in an oblong shape. Make it larger at the bottom to give the puppy big paws. Sketch a few lines for nails. Draw the opposite leg but make it a little bit smaller since we see the other paw first. Now draw the back legs using the same oblong shape; make these legs a little smaller than the front.
- Most kitten and puppy cartoon characters have big paws, and it will make your puppy look extra-cute.^{[4]
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8
Draw a long tongue. Sketch it coming out of the half-circle that you drew in an earlier step. Take your time. The tongue in a cartoon puppy is a cute feature. Now give your puppy a pointy, curvy tail.
9
Erase all unnecessary lines. Using a soft pencil, outline the contours of the body. Shade in the ellipse around the one eye. Darken in the top of his back, ears and tail. Shade in the inside of his mouth and pupils. Lightly shade in the rest of his body, leaving the belly and paws white.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I make Method Two look less like a cat when I draw it?

Community Answer

You could add in a chew toy, bone, or just try to make the ears a little more floppy or long.
Question

How is this person so good at drawing cute dogs?

Community Answer

Practice and patience will help the most. You will be as good as this article's creator if you practice and have patience.
Question

How can I make that circle on the second one?

Community Answer

Practice! Drawing circles takes patience. You can try using a stencil at first to get the idea of it, and then you'll eventually be able to draw it without a stencil. You can also try making a square and then cutting off the corners. After that, just smooth it out.