Dip your pencil in a pot of inspiration and take a deep dive into one of the most beloved characters of all time – Zero the ghost pup from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’ Create the iconic canine character with the help of these instructions and bring him to life with your own artistic flair.
1. Start with the Tilted Ears
Set off on your journey to draw Zero by first sketching out his ear shape. To make sure he has his trademark tilt, draw an oval shape that is slightly wider at the bottom. Point it directly forward as if it is doubling as an antenna so Zero can pick up all the supernatural sounds.
For an upped level of detail, use shading to make the inside of the ear look furry and a gradient to give the outside a smoother finish.
2. Outline His Head
Begin the base for Zero’s head by drawing a somewhat round shape filled with curves. This shape should follow the tilt of the ears to provide some overlapping. From there, make sure the line at the front comes to a definitive point to symbolize Zero’s signature jawline.
Tape into Zero’s supernatural nature by adding a face that is slightly out of proportion to a regular dog by inflating the eyes and shortening the snout.
3. Attack the Fur
Zero brings a lot of life to the screen with his fur that is both entrancingly wild and immaculately groomed. To add some of that spooky charm to your sketch, fill in the area of the neck with two-toned fur. The inner part should be a wild mix of pentagons and waves pointing in multiple directions, while the fur from the base of the neck to his chest should be neat and orderly.
Once the neck is filled in, add the patch of short fur on his chest and take into account that he is slightly smaller than a regular dog and adjust accordingly.
4. Fill in the Face
Inject the cartoon like features into the face of your Zero to give him his lively character that he is known for. Outline his eyes to create a puppy-dog expression while adding a cheery tilt to the eyebrows. Color them in a bright yellow to create a vibrant contrast with his darkness.
Underneath the eyes, give a little life to the sketch by adding two arches for the nose and a good deal of long strokes for the snout. Design the mouth so that the top comes to a peak but is slightly curved and the bottom half is slightly curved with an opened corner to capture the infamous jack-o’-lantern smile.
5. Let There be Light
Complete your drawing of Zero by bringing in one of his most beloved features- his light. To do this draw a thick circle that is as wide as the entire face, stretching out beyond the edges of the snout. Frame this with a thin circle and then 10 thinner segments sticking out chaotically to replicate the pumpkin shape with a touch of chaos. Fill it in with a light yellow, making sure that the tip of each segment ends in your signature brightness.
Once you feel like you have completed the sketch of Zero, it is time to add in your own flare and style by playing with colors, adding in more facial features and maybe even incorporating a background. So grab your pencil and set off on an adventure with Zero as your guide.
