How to Draw a Papillon Dog
Papillon dogs are a member of the toy group and are an American Kennel Club recognized breed. They are small, lightweight dogs with a fluffy coat and large, butterfly-like ears. Papillons generally are friendly and happy dogs and do not tend to get aggressive. A drawing of a papillon can be made in black and white or in color, and with charcoals, pencils and colored pencils. The drawing can be made to represent the papillon's happy, friendly personality.
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Instructions
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Obtain a reference image. Reference images are necessary to be able to draw a realistic-looking papillon. Though it is often better to draw from real life, these playful dogs unlikely are to sit still long enough for you to complete the drawing. Consult the Internet or papillon breed books for a wide variety of images to draw. Determine whether you want to draw a papillon at rest or at play, and find a corresponding image. Consider using a photograph of your papillon if you want to personalize the drawing.
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Sketch an outline of the dog to create the form on which you will fill in the detail. If your reference photo is mostly of the dog's face, you can block in where the details go on the drawing by drawing one vertical line the length of dog's face, then adding shorter, horizontal lines at the places where the eyes, nose and mouth of the dog are. If your reference photo includes the body of the dog, draw three circles to create the outline of the body. The first circle should be the size of the head; the second one will be slightly larger and represent the shoulder and upper body; and the third will be the legs and haunches.
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Fill in the larger details of the dog's head and body onto the outline. Begin by drawing a smaller oval inside the dog's face to represent the muzzle at the place where you marked the nose and mouth lines. Papillons have small, rounded noses and and mouths that sit low on their heads. Join the head circle to the shoulder circle with short lines representing the papillon's small neck. Connect the shoulder circle to the haunches circle by using curved lines that representing the dog's back. Sketch the papillon's small legs and paws by drawing straight lines with small ovals at the bottom. Sketch the upturned tail that sits on the dog's haunches. Consult your reference photo often to create a realistic-looking papillon drawing. Remember, papillons are fluffy dogs, so the body outline will be used as a reference for fur placement.
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Draw the details of the face onto the head. The most striking characteristic of a papillon is its oversized, butterfly-like ears. Draw two, large ovals on each side of the head to represent the ears. Begin refining the outline of the head to reflect more details. Sketch the small small circles to represent the eyes and begin to fill in the muzzle with the shape of the nose and mouth in your reference photo.
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Create the fur by shading in the outline sketch of the head and body using light, short pencil strokes that match the fluffy, uneven coat of the papillon. The fur will come out of the outline sketch at different lengths determined by your reference photo. Most papillons have a large amount of fur at their chests that hangs down almost to their paws.
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Finish any details remaining, including filling in the eyes and sketching the lines of the paws onto the pall ovals. Create these details to match your reference photo.
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Fill in the color on the sketch, if you are using color. Papillons have a predominately white body with brown and black markings at their head and haunches. Match the colors according to your reference photo.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
