How to draw a wolf
A sitting wolf is two circles, the head on top of the chest. Everything that says wolf gets added on top: the big triangle ears, the pointed snout and the bushy tail resting at its side.
- 8 steps
- 10 minutes
- 4-10 Ages
- Easy
How do you draw a wolf?
Sketch two circles, the head on top of the chest. Draw the furry top of the head, then the body sides and the belly. Add two big triangle ears, trace the face with its pointed snout and oval nose, draw the front legs, then four small paws with toes, and finish with the big bushy teardrop tail. Eight steps.
Watch it drawn, line by line
The whole drawing in under half a minute, in the same order as the steps below. No sound, so play it anywhere.
Draw it step by step
The new lines for each step are drawn in red. The grey dashed shapes are guides, sketch them lightly and rub them out at the end.
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1 Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch a big oval for the head and a big circle below for the body.
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2 Step 2: Top of head
Draw a curved line across the top of the head oval. Add a few tiny curved marks around the sides and bottom for fluffy fur.
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3 Step 3: Body and chest
Draw two long curved lines for the body sides and a curved line across the belly. Add a straight line for the left front leg, a small U shape for the foot, and a short wavy line on the left for fluff.
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4 Step 4: Pointed ears
Add two big triangles on top for the ears, and a small triangle inside the right ear. Draw a short curved line on the left to join the ear to the head.
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5 Step 5: Face and snout
Trace a big circle for the head and add two small circles for eyes. Draw a rounded triangle for the snout, an oval nose, and two short mouth lines.
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6 Step 6: Front legs
Draw two straight lines down for the front legs. On the right side, add a curved line with a small zigzag at the bottom for fluffy fur.
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7 Step 7: Paws
Draw four small ovals at the bottom for paws. Add tiny curved lines on each paw for toes.
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8 Step 8: Big tail
Draw a large teardrop shape on the right, attached to the body, for the big bushy tail.
What do you need to draw a wolf?
A pencil, paper and an eraser. A wolf mixes smooth circles with a few sharp points, so draw the round parts calmly and save your quick, confident strokes for the ears and the fur.
Where do you start?
With two grey guide circles, sketched lightly, one on top of the other: the top one is the head, the bottom one is the chest. This wolf sits facing you, so both circles share the same middle line, and the tail will curl out to one side at the end.
What is the hardest part of drawing a wolf?
The snout. On a front view it drops BELOW the head circle as a soft pointed V, with the oval nose sitting at its tip. Keep it long: a short snout pushes the face toward kitten territory. The little fur marks along the cheeks help too, a wolf face is never perfectly smooth.
Second thing: the ears. They are big triangles standing ON TOP of the head, wide at the base, with a smaller triangle inside each one. Small ears read as a puppy, and rounded ears read as a bear.
How do you make it your own?
- Make it howl. Redraw the snout pointing up and to the side, mouth open, and put a round moon behind it.
- Give it a winter coat. Add short zigzag strokes along the chest and tail, always following the curve.
- Make it a pup. Bigger head circle, smaller chest circle, and oversized paws.
- Colour it. Grey back, white chest and muzzle, amber eyes. Or go full white for an arctic wolf.
What else is worth knowing about wolves?
A wolf pack is not a gang of strangers, it is a family: the parents and their pups from the last year or two, living and hunting together. The howl you hear in films is how they talk across distance, and in open country it can carry for around ten kilometres. And wolf pups are born with blue eyes that slowly turn yellow or amber as they grow, which is why the amber eyes you colour on an adult wolf look so striking.
Questions people ask about drawing a wolf
Is this a good first wolf for a 5 year old?
Yes. The two guide circles do most of the work, and each step adds one clear part. The triangle ears and the teardrop tail are the two shapes a young child will enjoy most.
How long does it take?
About ten minutes. The paws in step seven take the longest, four small ovals with toe lines, and they are worth the patience.
How do I make it look like a wolf and not a dog?
Keep the snout long and pointed, the ears big and triangular, and the tail thick and slightly lowered. A curly tail or a short muzzle instantly turns your wolf into somebody's pet.
