How to Draw Dinosaurs

It seems as though every kid goes through a love affair of sorts with dinosaurs at one time or another. The power such animals express and the oddity of their forms draw kids--and adults--in. Drawing is one way for someone to express a connection with these life forms, and they're not so difficult to draw.

Instructions

1. Think in terms of circles, ovals and cylinders, with a few assorted add-on shapes. Practice making these shapes in all sizes--height and width--on several sheets of paper before creating your dinosaur.

2. Draw an oval on its side in the center of your paper. This represents the body. Visualize where the head, tail and legs of your dinosaur end up so that you can plan properly for the restrictions of the border.

3. Add four thick cylinders from the bottom of your oval, two on one end, two on the other. Use your eye to gauge how long they need to be in relation to the body. Draw lightly until you get them where you want them. Add toenails for a cartoon Flintstones-style look.

4. Put a long, thin cylinder off of one end, curving upward in a gentle slope. Again, look at the rest of the dinosaur's body to keep things in proportion. This is the neck. Use light lines until you get the lines you want, which you can then darken in.

5. Top off the neck with a small oval shape. Remember that dinosaurs have little brains. Add some eyes, a smile--unless your dinosaur is running down its prey--and a tail on the end, as thin or thick as you choose. Be creative in your approach and loose in your lines.

6. Color as imaginatively as you like.

Tips & Warnings

• Modify your drawings of other dinosaurs by changing the position of the neck, the tail and the legs.