Simple Guides on How to Draw Cats And Dogs Easily

Created by Tubik Studio | https://www.behance.net/gallery/118293597/Dog-Breeds-Cute-Digital-Illustrations

At first, it is somewhat challenging to draw cats and dogs. Both kinds of animals are very cute, and they have various expressions. Of course, it is easy to illustrate them as a silhouette. But it is less challenging. It is more fun to draw cats and dogs along with their cute expression. 

Actually, there are some tricks to get the best expression of cats or dogs or both of them. It can be done through the right application. Actually, it is much easier to draw any of those pets because human beings have a very close relationship. Owners can easily capture their expressions and match them with some features on the drawing application. This is especially for dogs. They have very sensitive feelings, and they can easily show off their emotions through their body language and expressions. 

Things don't apply similarly to cats. They are not really too expressive. They don't seem to show off their feelings unless they are hungry. This is why it is more challenging to draw cats than dogs. When you have time to illustrate these animals, then using the right application is worth trying. 

Let's Do It With the Right Application

First things first, let's decide which animals that you want to illustrate. Then, you can find some applications that allow you to draw perfectly with lots of features. Choose the one that allows you to choose some tools which can add some effects, particularly for animals' specific characteristics.  

Characteristics of dogs are more varied than those of cats. Some breeds are much bigger than others, while cats have similar sizes with very small differences from one species to another. Besides, cats' faces are also similar to each other. This circumstance doesn't apply to dogs, as expressions of several breeds are highly different. The expression of a husky is very much different than that of a bulldog. 

First, if you want to draw cats, then you can use the simplest drawing application like what the Google Play Store or App Store provides. Or there are also drawing tools online, so users don't have to download. Beginners might want to try the simplest drawing tool that doesn't require comprehensive drawing skills. Such applications might not deliver an outstanding result, but it is still worth using for the learning basic. 

At least, such applications still support layers and blending features. Those features are highly important to illustrate some animals like cats and dogs.  

Created by Rachel Foo | https://www.behance.net/gallery/115269913/Cats-2020

Is It Possible to Draw With Paint Application? 

Paint is the simplest drawing application that anyone can access. But is it applicable to paint dogs, cats, or other animals? However, the result of drawing with this application might not be as gorgeous as Adobe Photoshop. But, beginners may want to try some sketches first. For a better result, it is best to use Paint.NET that has better features, like blending modes, layers, and so forth. So, any painting tool is possible, as long as it is used to illustrate simple drawing. 

Besides, it is still good for multiple types of files, and it is equipped with some editing tool that allows round shape. So, it is still working well to draw cats and dogs. But of course, there are some lacks in it. It doesn't have guide support, and there is no option for a healing tool and RAW. The UI is also outdated. Again, it is good for beginners only.

A Tutorial is Still Required 

Beginners will need a drawing tool application that provides a tutorial. It applies to several drawing application like Adobe, Corel and other application that needs a great space for installation. However, some people might not want to use such applications because they don't really need them. This is why it is best to choose online drawing tools that don't require download.

Finding Sources of Animals Picture

For the best result in drawing animals, finding pictures of dogs and cats on several image directories is highly recommended. Through high-quality pictures, drawing dogs or cats or both can be much easier. Using CorelDRAW is better for preparing illustrations. The benefit of using this application for drawing animals is its ability to provide comprehensive tools that allow users to create various expressions to draw cats and dogs. Besides, operating this application is also very straightforward and simple. It is proven that this program is designed to put up the sense of human vision with natural agility. Besides, it is available with tutorials. 

Draw Cats and Dogs; Which One Is Simpler?

Of course, drawing cats is much simpler than drawing dogs. Cats have similar characteristics from one breed to another. Besides, the round head makes things easier for drawers to start, particularly beginners. 

Need to practice soon? Let's start with drawing a round shape for the head of a cat. Create a proportional round before drawing another bigger round for the body of the cat. Then, add the next circle below the second circle.

Afterward, add a curving line for joining those two circles. The line should be smooth for creating the neck. Add another line from the neck of the cat to the end tip of the biggest circle. 

Then, erase those overlapping lines that you've created to link the body of the cat. Then, draw an oval for adding the first front leg. Add it by overlapping the body. Then, create another oval with a smaller size below the bigger oval. Create a smooth line for the leg around the oval shapes.

Erase lines in the cat's leg and chest. Draw a line from the chest for another front leg. Add another oval shape for creating the front leg. Then, create another oval that overlaps the front leg and the back paw's bottom.

The last step is by adding the ears and face. Of course, it requires a lot of imagination if you want to create specific characteristics of the cat. But, if you want to draw a standard face of a cat, then you can just add eyes and whiskers.

Created by Nicole Standard | https://www.behance.net/gallery/73079593/Cats

Increase Your Ability 

Once you managed to draw cats & dogs with a simple sketch, then you can add your ability to draw any of them with more details. You can try finding some pictures of cute cats through lots of image directory websites like Pexels or iStock. There are lots of images of cats, dogs, and other animals. But, if you plan to draw cats with excellent details, try finding breed cats with the most complicated details. 

Now, you might want to start creating the head of a cat. This is somewhat challenging because this kind of illustration is usually used for creating logos. There is nothing wrong with trying this kind of drawing, right.  

In this case, you can find 'cat's face' when you try to find pictures on image directory websites. Then, choose the one that you want to draw. Choose the one that you think that you can illustrate pretty well. 

Here are the steps: 

First, create a circle. Let the top part open. Then, add the shape of W on the left side of the first circle in which the shape is the mouth of the cat. Next, add the ears. Of course, the details depend on how the ears of the cat that you choose. Pay attention to details with the best that you can. 

The third step is adding the details in the face of a cat. Creating the eyes is much easier than creating a nose and the surrounding area. This is because cats have various details on the area around the nose. Pay attention to the whiskers and mouth as well. In this case, you should be very careful with the details of the fur, particularly for popular breeds. Don't let people see the image of the cat containing less detail.

Don't forget that the patterns in a cat's head can be very complicated for beginners, particularly when they draw in a computer's application. Make sure the pattern looks alive with the right choice of colors. 

Drawing Dogs without Any Hassle

Now, let's continue your drawing practice by drawing dogs. This is a more advanced step that you should learn deeply for creating the best image of dogs. Let's start with the simplest step. 

First, you should illustrate three circles. This kind of step is almost similar to the first steps in drawing cats. But, you might want to draw bigger circles for dogs. Imagine a dog sitting when you create three circles for the head, body, and bottom. 

Next, create a nose of the dog. In this case, add a very small circle to the top circle. Then, you can create a line from the body to the bottom. Create two lines above and beyond the body. 

Then, your dog needs legs and a tail. Create two legs on the body circle and add the other two legs to the bottom circle. You should imagine the dog legs proportions in which they are highly different from cats. Pay attention to the joints. Make sure they face in the same direction as the face of the dog. 

The last step is the face of the dog. For a simpler image of a dog, it only requires a piece of the nose, two eyes, and two ears. The simplest way to create the eyes is by using the v-shape in the lying down shape. 

Then, create two triangle shapes for the ears. As for the nose, use a form of a circle. A square shape is fine; anything that you think will match your imagination. The basic lesson to draw a dog is the way to draw it with the right proportion.

Learn the More Advanced Steps 

How satisfied are you with your drawing? Now, it is time to outline the dog, particularly for the body and the overall details. If you use a paint application, then you need to open a new layer before softening the sketch that you have created before. The best outline is easy to do when you are using normal lines for the body's top part. Then, add hatching lines for the bottom. Those hatching lines help the dog looks real. Or else, the dog's fur on the bottom will look like the fur on the top part of its body. 

Then, focus on the area below the body. Pay attention to the belly and chest. Just follow the beginning sketch circle. Then, make adjustments in a very slight way in order to get the most accurate shape of the dog. Add the connection of the dog's nose, muzzle, and forehead, so the shape of the head looks smooth. Then, the legs should look thick. Add some details on the scaffold line. But, keep in mind that the top legs should be thicker than the lower ones. Creating some details to the muzzle is recommended, like slobbering tongue.

Don't underestimate the right way to add details on legs. Without the right proportion, the dog image will look unnatural. Pay attention to each pair of legs. The front pair should look very identical. Of course, the same thing applies to the back pair. In this case, you should have the right imagination that any dog usually places his hind legs somewhat further apart than his front legs.

Created by Lynn Chen | https://www.behance.net/gallery/45897617/Mochi-the-Corgi

Try Drawing with Other Poses

Find other pictures of any dog with several other poses. It will be very challenging. You can still apply similar methods before. The main difference is the position and proportion of the circles. They should be well-measured to provide a well-shaped picture of a dog. Still, focus on the joints' alignment because they determine the shape. Another important thing to deal with is the proportion of eyes, nose, and muzzle because you will illustrate the dog in different positions. Make sure that you can adjust the size of the ears. For beginners, the shape of ears is always a triangle. But now, try different alternatives. Try other shapes that you consider very close to the real picture. Never doubt to try various shapes for better results. Besides, ears represent a dog's feelings. It will look discomfited when the ears are folded while the eyes look cheerful and relaxed. What's more, nostrils are also very important because some people take them for granted while they end up disappointed with the awkward result. 

Don't want to waste time in creating a different pose of a dog? Just use your previous drawing, though you might want to change some outlines. It is as easy as adding some lines with zigzag direction for adding the hair for the natural look. You need to make lots of improvisation if you want to create better perspectives. For sure, you need to adjust the pose. There will be different looks from the wrinkles, bones, bulges, and overall body. All you have to do is to explore as many angles as possible. This is why it is always important to learn a dog's anatomy before starting to draw.

Keep in mind that those steps are the simplest thing to do. But, you still can create some improvements by practicing several poses. However, it is important to practice drawing dogs from pictures before you are confident enough to draw from a real dog. Or, you might want to try drawing when your dog is still sleeping so you can concentrate better. 

Created by Thimas Cian | https://www.behance.net/gallery/119303241/Stella

Want A Better Challenge? 

The more challenging part is the time when you decide to draw your dog when he is still in his relaxing position. It should be much easier than drawing the dog when he is in his alert position, right? So, grab your pencil and eraser now and start drawing before he is changing position. 

First, pay attention to the eyes first. They should be more rounded than our eyes. Though drawing eyes seem to be the simplest by adding circles, it will be very daunting to reveal the expression. Pay attention to the eyelids that should really stick to the circle. Keep in mind that pupils also play an important role in showing a dog's expression. For enhancing cute expressions, add the light point at the top of the pupils. The fact is that adding the light point should be done right after drawing the pupil.

Then, take a deep look at the nose. Regardless of the breed, any dog has similar structures of the nose, along with those folds and bumps. Just a little clue, start drawing a wide square in a landscape position, then divide it into two parts. Place the nostrils on each side and place them proportionally. On each side, create an angled-down spot, approximately the third quarter of the way from top to down. To avoid the sharp corner, slightly round each edge. After adding some details, maintain the vertical line but remove others.

For the last touch, pay attention to the muzzle and mouth. You can notice that the dog's muzzle is similar to W, though you can create the W shape with narrow corners. Add the tongue under the shape directly to illustrate the hanging tongue over the lower part of the lip.

Created by Cam Giang | https://www.behance.net/gallery/121714595/Sleeping-dogs-Frame-by-frame-animation

Final Words

So, that is all about how to draw cats and dogs. We hope you were enjoy reading this article while also practicing on your own. It can be complicated when you are not used to it. However, over several practices, it should become very easy for you. Lastly, don't forget to enjoy the process!