How to Draw Wolves With a Pencil

Wolves are elegant, mysterious and deadly. While the face of a wolf can evoke fear and terror, they can also be seen as beautiful. Wolves are great subjects for art and illustration. One of the best ways to draw a picture of a wolf is by making a pencil drawing. The advantage of using a pencil is that it allows you to add subtle shadows, texture and highlights. Drawing the shape of the wolf itself relies on framing the face with a large upside down triangle. You can use the techniques in this article to draw other wolves in different poses and with different types of fur.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Kneaded eraser

1. 
    

   Draw a large upside-down triangle for the head of the wolf. Add a large rectangle that overlaps the bottom half of the triangle for the body. Continue this shape off to the left side of the page.

2. 
    

   Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the triangle for the eye guidelines. Draw another horizontal line 2 1/2 inches below this for the nose guideline. Draw one more horizontal line just below the nose line for the mouth guideline. Add the ears with two small triangles near the upper left and right corners of the head triangle.

3. 
    

   Add two wide sideways triangles to the left and right side of the head triangle to create the cheek fur. Add a "U" starting just above the mouth guideline to create the snout of the wolf.

4. 
    

   Draw two diagonal lines coming off the left and right sides of the snout to create the rest of the mouth. Draw the nose with a small triangle just above the nose guideline and a small rectangle just below the nose guideline. Add two small circles on the horizontal line of the nose guideline. Create the paw with a diagonal line starting on the bottom right-hand side of the body rectangle and going slightly up and to the left. Draw the eyes with two small diagonal ovals on the eye guidelines. Add a curved line 1/2 inch above each eye.

5. Erase the overlapping guidelines, leaving behind the pencil lines you wish to keep. Create the fur with small swift strokes with your pencil. Place a larger collection of these strokes near the cheeks and top of the head. Draw the pupil with a small circle inside each eye. Darken this shape with your pencil. Darken in the nose and add small dots with the tip of your pencil around the bottom left and right sides of the snout to show the whiskers. Shade the inside of the ears by lightly rubbing your pencil in a diagonal motion across the upper corner of each ear.

Tips & Warnings

• All mammalian predators have faces that can fit inside an upside-down triangle. Try using the techniques in the article to draw a bear, lion or other predator.
• Be careful where you let your hand rest. You can accidentally smudge the pencil lines with your hand.

Resources

• Check Out This Gallery of Wolf Art and Paintings for Inspiration.
• Great Examples of Drawing Animals With Pencil.