How To Draw A Giraffe Step By Step
Creating a masterpiece is so much easier than you might expect — especially if it’s a giraffe! Giraffes are majestic and fun, and you can learn how to draw them with a few simple steps. You can almost see them come alive before your very eyes with each line and shape you draw.
The first thing you’ll want to do is draw the shape of the giraffe. Most art teachers recommend starting with the big shapes and then adding the details you can find in any good reference photo. They’re distinguished by their tall heights, long necks and a spotted coat. Begin by drawing a rectangle for the body and neck, curving the top downwards slightly.
Next, you’ll want to add details like the legs, ears and spots. Draw a pair of slightly curved lines for the legs and a pair of curved lines for the ears. Then, draw several circles for the fun spots on the giraffe’s coat. Giraffes have somewhat irregular spots, so don’t feel limited to perfect circles.
Then, it’s time to make your giraffe really come alive. Add details like eyes and a mouth — you can use darker marker or color to make these look realistic. You can even add a tongue, mane or extra shading to the spots of the giraffe.
Finally, it’s important to add some color. While a pencil or pen drawing looks great, coloring your giraffe is like giving it a heart and soul. Use colored pencils or paints to fill in the spots and coat of the giraffe. Don’t forget its long lashes, either — they make it look positively charming!
Extra Steps For Your Giraffe Drawing
Now that you’ve mastered the basics of drawing a giraffe, it’s time to take things to the next level. Here are some more tips and techniques to make your giraffe drawing come alive:
Create depth with thicker edges. Instead of sticking to the same outlines, you can build depth in your giraffe drawing by emphasizing certain edges. Coloring the lines around the eyes thicker or making the spots outlined in a darker color can really make your giraffe look lifelike.
Think of the eraser as your friend. No masterpiece is made in one try. Think of the eraser as a tool and don’t feel intimidated by the idea that you’ll have to start over. If a line doesn’t look quite right, it’s easy to erase it and try again!
Mix up your colors. Especially if you’re using paint, adding a dash of strange colors to your giraffe can spruce it up.
Adding a bit of purple to the spots or a pink shade to the inside of an ear can help make your giraffe stand out from the rest.
Shadows & Highlights: Finishing Your Giraffe Drawing
Apart from regular coloring, you can really help your giraffe come alive by adding shadows and highlights. This can be especially helpful if you’re creating a 3D giraffe since shadows & highlights will help you create the illusion of depth. This is an optional step, but can really be a great addition.
Start by blocking out areas of shadow and light. Generally, you’ll stick to cooler colors for shadows and warmer colors for lighter parts. You can use back and forth motions when making a darker shadow and more circular motions for highlights. For example, when highlighting the legs, start in the center of the leg and draw slightly curved circles over it.
Remember not to overdo it — shadows and highlights will help your giraffe look realistic, but you don’t want it to be too dark. You’re going for subtle shading here!
Tips & Tricks For Drawing a Giraffe
Avoiding common mistakes can help you create a realistic and lovely giraffe drawing. Here are some tips and tricks for drawing a giraffe that art teachers swear by:
Pay attention to symmetry. As you can imagine, a giraffe has symmetrical parts. Don’t skimp on the details you add to one side of the giraffe, they can really make or break the composition of your drawing.
Don’t forget the perspective. Drawing a giraffe at a slight angle is the most natural looking and can often be found in reference photos. Taking the perspective of your giraffe into account will help make it look realistic and more 3D.
Don’t buy into the artistic world standard. Just like all artforms, drawing is subjective! Don’t feel intimidated by what you see other artist drawing. Giraffes are unique creatures and your drawing can be, too.
Practice, Patience & Passion: Your Keys To Success
Drawing a giraffe is really rewarding and is a great exercise for your skills as an artist. But like all artforms, practice is key! Don’t lose enthusiasm if the first few attempts don’t look perfect — no draw will, the first time.
Keep all the steps above in mind and you’ll become a master at drawing giraffes in no time. Find good reference materials, ask for tips from more experienced artists and have a good time — all these are key for successful giraffe drawing. Most importantly, never give up! Even the greatest artists made mistakes, but you can become like them if you stay passionate and patient.
