Cover

DINOSAURS

How2DrawAnimals

TOOLS & MATERIALS

Welcome! You don’t need much to start learning how to draw. Anyone can draw with just a pencil and piece of scrap paper, but if you want to get more serious about your art, additional artist’s supplies are available.

PAPER If you choose printer paper, buy a premium paper that is thick enough and bright. Portable sketch pads keep all your drawings in one place, which is convenient. For more detailed art pieces, use a fine art paper.

PENCILS Standard No. 2 pencils and mechanical pencils are great to start with and inexpensive. Pencils with different graphite grades can be very helpful when shading because a specific grade (such as 4H, 2B, or HB) will only get so dark.

PENCIL SHARPENER Electric sharpeners are faster than manual ones, but they also wear down pencils faster. It’s most economical to use an automatic one for inexpensive pencils and a manual sharpener for expensive ones.

ERASERS Some erasers can smear, bend, and even tear your paper, so get a good one that erases cleanly without smudges. Kneaded erasers are pliable and can be molded for precise erasing. They leave no residue, and they last a long time.

PENS If you want to outline a drawing after sketching it, you can use a regular Sharpie® pen or marker. For more intricate pieces, try Micron® pens, which come in a variety of tip thicknesses.

DRAWING BASICS

How to Draw Shapes

For the first steps of each project in this book, you will be drawing basic shapes as guide lines. Use light, smooth strokes and don’t press down too hard with your pencil. If you sketch lightly at first, it will be easier to erase if you make a mistake.

You’ll be drawing a lot of circles, which many beginning artists find difficult to create. These circles do not have to be perfect because they are just guides, but if you want to practice making better circles, try the four-marks method, as shown below.

Mark where you want the top of the circle and, directly below, make another mark for the bottom. Do the same for the sides of the circle. If it helps, lightly draw a dotted line to help you place the other mark.

Once you have the four marks spaced apart equally, connect them using curved lines.

Erase any dotted lines you created, and you have a circle!

ADDITIONAL SHAPES While circles are usually what people find the most challenging, there are many other lines and shapes that you should practice and master. An arc can become a muzzle or tongue. Triangles can be ears, teeth, or claws. A football shape can become an eye. A curvy line can make a tail and an angled line a leg. Study the animal and note the shapes that stand out to you.

How to Shade

The final step to drawing an animal is to add shading so that it looks three-dimensional, and then adding texture so that it looks furry, feathery, smooth, or scaly. To introduce yourself to shading, follow the steps below.

Understand your pencil with a value scale. Using any pencil, start to shade lightly on one side and gradually darken your strokes toward the other side. This value scale will show you how light and dark your pencil can be.

Apply the value scale to simple shapes. Draw simple shapes and shade them to make them look three-dimensional. Observe shadows in real life. Study how the light interacts with simple objects and creates shadows. Then try drawing what you see.

Practice with more complex objects. Once you’re comfortable shading simple objects, move on to more complex ones. Note, for example, how a horse’s leg is made up of cylinders and spheres. Breaking down your subject into simple shapes makes it easier to visualize the shadows.

How to Add Texture

Take what you’ve learned about shading one step further by adding texture to your drawings.

FURRY

One quick pencil stroke creates a single hair. Keep adding more quick, short strokes and you’ll get a furry texture. Separate each individual stroke a bit so that the white of the paper comes through.

Create stripes and patterns by varying the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.

Make sure that your strokes follow the forms of the animal. As you shade a furry animal, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur growth. The fur here follows the form of a simple sphere.

This is how to add fur to a complex form, which is easier if you know the animal’s anatomy. In order to show the muscle structure, this image shows an exaggerated example of a lion’s front leg and paw.

SMOOTH

For very short fur or smooth skin, add graphite evenly. Blend with a cotton swab, blending stump, or piece of tissue if needed.

SCALY

For scaly animals like reptiles or dragons, create each individual scale with a tiny arc. Then add shadows to make the form look three-dimensional.

For a much easier way to get a scaly look, just add a bunch of squiggles! Make the squiggles darker in areas of pattern, as well as when adding shadows.

FEATHERED When adding texture to feathered animals, approach it as you would with fur or with smooth skin. Use a series of short strokes for fine or fluffy feathers. For smooth feathers, use even, blended value.

GALLIMIMUS

Lightly sketch two circles on your page and add an arc on the side of the larger circle. These guides will help you create the head and body, so pay attention to the size and placement of each shape.

Draw wavy lines as guides for the neck and tail. On the right side of the head circle, draw two arcs for the mouth.

Add guides for the legs, angling the lines to indicate joints and how the legs will bend. Add another line as a guide for the front limbs.

Sketch a small oval for the eye and add a dark pupil and a smaller white circle for a highlight. Draw a small, curved line above and below the eye. Then add the top part of the muzzle and several lines for the nostril.

Finish the mouth, which should end just below the eye. Draw a short line in the corner of the mouth for the skin that connects the jaws. Finish the head and neck, including the bump over the eye, and add some extra lines for detail in the face.

Draw the first hind leg and front limb. There are a lot of details in the muscles, the creases and texture on the skin, and in the feet, toes, and claws, so pay close attention to this reference image.

Now draw the visible portions of limbs on the other side of the body. This hind leg is lifted off the ground and stepping forward.

Using the initial lines as guides, complete the body.

For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don’t worry about erasing all of the guides. It’s okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

Add some shading to your drawing, including a cast shadow underneath, which helps to ground the dinosaur so it doesn’t appear to be floating. Roughly shade to get the skin texture, separating your pencil strokes a bit so that the white of the paper comes through. To re-create this pattern, make a series of triangular shapes across the top of the body using a dark value to create stripes. You could create a different pattern if you’d like, or add feathers, as it is believed Gallimimus most likely had feathers!

DIMENSION & VOLUME To make a two-dimensional drawing look three-dimensional, decide where the light source should be and create shadows where they would appear in real life. To get light and dark values, vary the pressure on your pencil. Be sure to shade lightly at first, and then gradually build up to the level of darkness that you like. Don’t push down too hard on your pencil though or the graphite may become shiny, and you may tear your paper. Adding accurate shadows to drawings takes time and practice to do well, so for now, observe your references (in this case, the final step) and copy what you see, taking note where the shadows are.

BRACHIOSAURUS

Lightly sketch three circles as guides for the body and head. The circles themselves don’t have to be perfect, but make sure the sizes and placement is about right. The higher up the small head circle is, the longer the neck will be.

Connect the body circles, and add four leg guides, a long tail, and a long neck. Finish your guide lines with a tiny U-shaped arc on the head for the muzzle.

Draw the eye and a few lines around it for detail. If the head is too small to add detail, just draw a dot in the eye’s place. Draw the muzzle using the initial arc as a guide and add a wavy line for the mouth.

Complete the head. Add a bump on top for the bony protrusion, a few lines for the wrinkles and folds of skin, and the nostril and jaw.

Draw the first two legs. Sketch the shape of each leg as you follow the path of the guide line. Add a few small lines at the bottom for the toes and some at the top for the folds of skin.

Draw the legs on the other side of the body using the first two as guides.

Make the shape of the neck by using two parallel lines around the neck guide line.

Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the body and tail. This dinosaur had a muscular tail, so make the base thicker as you darken the lines.

For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guides. Don’t worry about erasing all of the guides. It’s okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.

Add some shading to your drawing to give the dinosaur more dimension and volume. Include the shadow on the ground that the Brachiosaurus casts. Don’t worry too much about adding the value smoothly. This dinosaur may have had rough skin. Nobody knows for sure exactly what dinosaurs looked like, so you can shade yours any way you’d like.

MOSASAURUS

The Mosasaurus is an extinct reptile that’s not actually a dinosaur! But it did live with the dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous period. Start by lightly sketching three circles on your paper. Pay close attention to their sizes and the space in between them.

Draw two arcs on the left for the mouth. Then connect the head and body circles.

With arcs, add four flippers below the two body circles. Then complete your basic shapes with two curved lines that make up the tail.

GUIDE LINES Remember to sketch in guide lines lightly, and don’t worry if your circles aren’t perfect. You will erase guide lines later on, so instead of worrying about making a perfect circle, focus more on its size and placement in relation to the rest of the shapes.

Now start adding the details. First draw the eye and some lines around it for detail. Then add the head using a bumpy line to give the skin some texture. Draw a series of V shapes for the row of teeth.

Draw the bottom jaw and some teeth. Keep some space in between each tooth.

Finish the other side of the bottom jaw and include some additional lines in the corner of the mouth. Add more lines within the head to give the skin more texture, but don’t overdo it or it might start to look like fur.

Draw jagged spikes across the top part of the body and tail, but some of the tail should be smooth. Then darken the bottom guide to create the underside of the body.

Use the U-shaped lines below the body as guides to draw the flippers, making them wavier. Add a few curved lines above the base of the flippers for the folds of skin. Finally, darken the bottom part of the body and tail.

Erase any guide lines and re-draw any lines you’d like to fix.

For this look, use a medium value all over the body and don’t worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the skin a gritty texture. Wherever there are detail lines, like around the eyes, use a darker value. Use a slightly lighter value above the brow and on top of the body to create highlights. Add a few more triangle-like shapes on top of the body for more spikes. Use a darker value on the underside of the body for shadow, which gives it more dimension and volume.

IGUANODON

Lightly sketch three circles as a guide for the body and head. Don’t place the circles too far apart, otherwise your Iguanodon will be too long.

To the right of the head circle, draw an arc as a guide for the muzzle. Then connect the head and body circles, and add a line for the tail.

Finish up your guide lines with four angled lines under the body. Note how each line bends to indicate where the joints will be.

Begin by drawing the eye and the thick brow above it. Then complete the nose and mouth area.

Complete the head shape. Use short, curved lines for the bumpy texture of the skin at the top of the head and add small lines within the head to give it more structure and detail.

Draw the first two limbs by following the path of the guide lines. The hind leg should be wide at the top and thinner at the bottom. Use curved lines to emphasize the muscles and bend the shapes to create the joints.

Using the first two limbs as a guide, draw the remaining limbs that are on the other side of the body. Make sure to add the prominent thumb spike, which is a distinctive feature of this dinosaur.

Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the Iguanodon’s body. Use wavy or bumpy lines for a more organic feel. Draw in the bottom of the tail, and don’t overlap the limbs that are on this side of the body.

Tidy up your sketch to get it ready for shading.

After adding shadows on the body and a cast shadow underneath, use a medium value all over. Use a dark value for the beak-like mouth and the nails. Leave a section of white on these parts for shine. With a dark value, draw a series of pointy shapes on the body for a striped pattern on the skin. Add a few random scribbles across the body to give the skin a rougher texture.

PTERANODON

Like the Mosasaurus (see here), the Pteranodon was not a dinosaur. It was a flying reptile that lived with the dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous period. Lightly draw some basic shapes to start.

Add three triangles to the head circle. Connect the head to the body and add two leg guides.

With a few curved lines, add guides for the Pteranodon’s wings.

Draw the eye with a few lines around it for detail.

More curved lines around the eye represent the structure of the skull. Draw the nostril on the left side.

Darken the triangle on top of the head for the crest. Then draw the top part of the mouth and show some of the brow ridge on the other side of the head. Make this shape thinner than the guide and extend it into the head.

Draw the lower jaw, adding a few more lines within the shape of the jaw for the inside of the mouth and the tongue. With wavy lines, draw the neck using the initial lines as guides.

To draw the first wing, first make the arm portion thicker. Draw the clawed fingers using small, curved lines. The tip of the wing is actually the fourth finger, which comes to a point at the tip. The bottom of the wing is one line that curves inward a bit. Finally, add a line above the shoulder.

Draw the other wing, which includes the small clawed fingers and long pinky finger, as well as the one line that makes up the back part of the wing.

Draw the rest of the body, including the legs and clawed feet. Add some lines within the shape of the body to emphasize the structure of the chest.

Erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines and re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

Add some shading to your Pteranodon to give it more dimension and volume. Just like with dinosaurs, nobody knows for sure exactly what pterosaurs looked like, so you can shade yours any way you’d like. For a spotted pattern like this one, simply use a darker value on certain sections of the body. For a simpler drawing, just add a single value to the entire body. Don’t worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the skin texture.

SCIENTIFIC CLUES With extinct animals, scientists sometimes have an idea as to what they looked like on the outside based on evidence found in their fossilized remains. Some fossils are so complete that there is still some preserved skin, muscle, and organs, not only skeletons. Because we’re discovering more all the time, we might learn that an animal is different from what we thought! While we may picture a certain dinosaur having green, scaly skin, it actually may have had feathers, patterns, or bright colors. This makes dinosaurs and other extinct animals really fun to draw, because you can imagine what you think they looked like.

STEGOSAURUS

Draw three circles as guides for the head and body. The head circle should be small—the Stegosaurus had one of the smallest brains of all the dinosaurs!

Connect the head and body shapes, and add an arc for the muzzle and a tail with two lines that come to a point.

Finish your initial sketch with four lines (two below each body circle) as guides for the legs. Bend the lines to indicate where the leg joints and feet will be.

Draw the eye and add some lines surrounding the eye for extra detail. Then draw the top part of the muzzle, including the nostril. The tip of the beak-like mouth comes to a point.

Finish the head by adding the lower jaw, the top of the head, and some lines in the head for extra detail.

Draw the first two legs around the leg guides. Note how the hind leg is much larger. Draw the visible toes at the bottom and add a few lines at the top of the legs indicate folds of skin.

Now use the other lines as guides to draw what’s visible of the remaining legs.

Draw the first row of plates on your Stegosaurus. Each plate is shaped like a pentagon. The plate directly above the hind leg is the biggest, and they get smaller as they get closer to the head and tail. On the tail, draw two defensive spikes, which are called thagomizers.

Before completing the spikes, form the rest of the body with a bumpy, wavy line to make it look more organic.

Draw the second row of plates. Follow the same basic size as the first row of plates but only draw the visible portion. You should end up with a total of seventeen plates. Finally, draw the other two defensive spikes on the tail, which are long and narrow with a slight curve.

Erase initial guide lines and re-draw any lines you’d like to fix.

Add some shading and a cast shadow underneath. Shadows on and below the dinosaur helps it look three-dimensional. When it comes to the pattern and texture, it’s up to you! To follow this drawing, draw a few stripes along the back and random squiggly lines all over for rough, scaly skin.

TRICERATOPS

Lightly sketch three circles on your page. Note their sizes and placement in relation to each other.

Draw an arc to the right of the head as a guide for the muzzle, another wide, curved line on top of the head for the frill, and four angled lines (two below each body circle) for the legs.

Add a line for the horns. Connect the major shapes to form the body and add two lines that come to a point on the left side as a guide for the tail.

Draw the small eye. If you drew the initial lines large enough, add more details, including the dark pupil, tiny circle to represent a highlight, and few lines around the eye. Then draw the triangular horn, beak-like mouth, chin, and nostril.

Draw the two long horns above the eye, curving them a bit for an organic feel. Using the arc on top of the head, draw the frill with tiny triangle shapes along the guide line. Extend the frill downward and add another horn-like protrusion on the lower, left side.

Using the lines below the body as guides, draw the first two legs. Note the size of the hind leg compared to the front and where the legs bend for the joints. Draw a few curved lines at the top of the limbs to indicate the creases on the skin and add the toes.

Now draw the legs on the other side of the body. Don’t forget the toes!

Complete the body, adding a few bumps for a rougher look as you darken the guide lines.

For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Then re-draw any final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.

CAST SHADOWS If your dinosaur isn’t flying or swimming in your drawing, add a cast shadow underneath it. This will help ground the animal so it doesn’t appear to be floating in space. Use a darker value near the middle of the shadow and a lighter value along the edge.

Pick the direction of the light source and add shadows to your Triceratops, including behind the frill, on the underside of the body, and on the ground underneath it. Then add the pattern and skin texture. For this look, add a solid value first. Then draw random squiggly lines all over that resemble spots.

SPINOSAURUS

Start with three circles.

Draw two triangle-like arcs on the right side of the head as guides for the open mouth. Connect the major shapes to form the body and create the tail with two long, curved lines that come to a point on the left side.

Draw guides for the arms and legs, bending the lines to indicate where the joints will be. Then make a wide arc on top of the body as a guide for this dinosaur’s distinctive sail.

Draw the eye and add an arc above it for the brow and another arc to the right of it.

Use the top arc to draw the upper jaw, making the shape bumpier as you darken the line and stretch it to the left and inside the circle. Spinosaurus was mainly a fish-eater and had a crocodilian skull, so space the teeth apart and make them different sizes. Then finish the top of the head.

Add the lower jaw and the teeth. Draw a few lines to show the tongue and the tissue that connects the jaws.

Use the wide arc at the top to draw the jagged edge of the sail. Lightly sketch a few lines within the sail to give the shape more structure. Then add the first leg and arm. Use curved lines to indicate the muscles in the limbs, and add the digits and claws at the end.

Use the remaining lines as a guide to draw the rest of the dinosaur’s body and tail. Then complete the arm and leg on the other side of the body. Don’t forget to add the digits and claws.

Either leave your drawing as it is for a fun sketch or clean it up to get it ready for shading.

Shade your Spinosaurus drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Also add a cast shadow underneath so it won’t look like it’s floating in the air. Because nobody is exactly sure what these dinosaurs looked like, you can add stripes or spots or anything you’d like. Add an even value throughout the body for a solid pattern or add different values all over. Draw extra dots and random squiggly lines all over for a rougher and grittier texture like crocodile skin.

VELOCIRAPTOR

Start by sketching three circles.

On the right side of the head, draw an arc as a guide for the top part of the muzzle. Then connect the head and body circles with slightly curved lines.

Add another arc to the head for the lower jaw, angled lines for the hind legs, and, below the middle circle, a shorter angled line as a guide for the wing. Draw an extra line for the digit. Finally, draw the guide for the tail as a long, horizontal line that curves up.

Draw the eye with some quick, short strokes around it for detail, including the brow above. Then create the top part of the open mouth with a row of teeth. Add the nostril too.

Add the lower jaw, including the tongue and small teeth.

Complete the head and face with short strokes to represent feathers.

Draw the wing using a series of thin, curved shapes for the feathers. Add the small digit around the short guide line and include a sharp, curved spike for the claw.

Create the first leg, which is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Use short strokes for the feathery texture on top and smooth lines for the featherless lower half (like what we see on modern-day raptors). At the bottom, draw the toes and pointy claws. One toe should be bigger with a large claw.

Draw the other leg the same way, and also draw the visible part of the other wing. Don’t forget to include the digit and claw. Inside the first wing, draw a few curved lines for more feather detail.

Darken the outer edges of the body guides. On the bottom of the tail guide, draw a series of thin, long, pointy shapes for the long feathers. Change the orientation of the feathers along the way so that they are diagonal and become smaller short strokes at the base.

Clean up your drawing, and you have a nice sketch! Move on to the next step if you’d like to add shading.

Add some shading to your Velociraptor! For this look, add a speckled pattern by alternating between dark and light sections. Use a medium value for the legs and underside of the body. You can use modern-day birds of prey as reference when you shade for inspiration. Use a dark value for the claws but leave a thin section white for shine. Don’t forget to add a cast shadow underneath!

EYES Many dinosaurs had small heads compared to their bodies, so your eyes might end up too small to add a lot of detail. If you draw the head large enough for detailed eyes, make sure to include a tiny circle off to the side for a highlight. In the middle of the eye, draw a slightly bigger circle for the pupil and shade it with a dark value. When shading the rest of the eye, don’t overlap the small highlight circle. Use a dark value at the top and gradually lighten the value toward the bottom to give the eye a rounder look.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX

Start with some basic shapes as a guide for the head and body. This T. rex is viewed at a three-quarter perspective, so the basic guide lines will be a little more complicated.

Add some more shapes, which will help you draw the large hind legs later on.

Finish up your guides with two angled lines for the small arms and a large triangle shape for the tail. Before moving to the next step, take a look at your guide lines and make any necessary changes to them now.

Draw the first eye and brow ridge in this step. There are a lot of bumps on the brow and lines around the eye.

With a wavy line under the half-circle shape, draw the top of the mouth. Then add a series of V shapes for the teeth. On the left side, draw a curved line for the other side of the mouth and add teeth under it too.

Draw bottom jaw and the teeth near the front.

Add the tongue and a curved line for the skin that connects the jaws. Then complete the head with bumpy lines. Add a few more squiggly lines near the eye for detail and a small oval-like shape for the nostril.

Create the neck, adding a few lines for extra detail like veins. Then draw the small arms using a series of curved lines for the muscle structure. Separate the backward-pointing fingers, and draw pointy tips on the right sides for the claws.

Darken the outer edges of the leg shapes, but use bumpier lines for texture. Add some extra detail to the leg on the right. For the feet, use a series of short, curved lines to create the individual toes and add a claw to each toe.

Use bumpy lines to create the body, making sure not to overlap the leg or arm on the right. Then follow the tail guide but make the shape wavier as you darken the lines.

Erase guide lines and tidy up your drawing so you can add shading, or leave it as is for a nice sketch.

Add shadows to your Tyrannosaurus rex to give it more dimension and volume, and don’t forget the cast shadow underneath. For a rough, scaly texture, draw random tiny, squiggly lines throughout the body. Use a lighter value on the neck veins to make them stand out and on the claws for shine. Add the value lightly at first, and then gradually build up to the level of darkness that you want. Note how dark some areas are, including the nostril, inside of the mouth, above the eye, and claws, while the teeth, eyeball, lips, and claw shine are very light.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

How2DrawAnimals.com teaches beginning artists how to draw all kinds of animals from A to Z through video demonstrations and simple step-by-step instructions. Started in 2012 by an animal-loving artist with a bachelor’s degree in illustration, How2DrawAnimals offers a new tutorial each week and now boasts hundreds of animal drawing tutorials. Working in graphite and in colored pencils, and in both realistic and cartoon styles, How2DrawAnimals has featured animals from all letters of the alphabet, from Aardvark to Zebra and everything in between. See more at How2DrawAnimals.com.

ALSO IN THE LET’S DRAW SERIES:

Let’s Draw Cats
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8070-3

Let’s Draw Dogs
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8072-7

Let’s Draw Favorite Animals
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8074-1

Let’s Draw Wild Animals
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8076-5

Let’s Draw Birds & Butterflies
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8078-9

Let’s Draw Sea Creatures
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8080-2

Let’s Draw Dragons
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8084-0

www.WalterFoster.com

Copyright

© 2022 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.

Illustrations and text © 2022 P. Mendoza

First published in 2022 by Walter Foster Jr., an imprint of The Quarto Group.

100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915, USA.

T (978) 282-9590 F (978) 283-2742 www.quarto.com • www.walterfoster.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

Walter Foster Jr. titles are also available at discount for retail, wholesale, promotional, and bulk purchase. For details, contact the Special Sales Manager by email at specialsales@quarto.com or by mail at The Quarto Group, Attn: Special Sales Manager, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915, USA.

ISBN: 978-0-7603-8082-6

Digital edition published in 2022

eISBN: 978-0-7603-8083-3

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