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.

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!

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.