How to draw cartoon dogs – part 1

Dogs are great to draw as cartoons. The reason for this is that more than any other animal – including humans – dogs come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, forms, colours, patterns and textures. Just think of well-known types as Basset hound, Chihuahua, Terriers, Dalmations, Pitbulls, Daschunds, Bulldogs, Rottweilers, Saint Bernhards and Labradors…

Every type of dog has its own character, and that, added to the general canine character makes for wonderful cartooning.

In the earlier post “Metamorphosis” I introduced you to the basic understanding that cartooning is a matter of caricaturing the original subject – and as an example I used a dog. In this series we’re going to be expanding on that same process. So, for you, the first step is to start looking at different breeds of dogs, and start making some sketches so you get some feeling for the different shapes.

Some dog types are, even in their original form, already cartoonish, and you don’t have to do much to them to transform them into cartoon characters. But I’ll show you some ways to exaggerate a dog’s natural comic form even more. For now though, just have fun getting to know our homely friends in all their variable glory.

Below are some of my quick sketches to get you going.