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A step-by-step guide to drawing cute cartoon and realistic squirrels
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Squirrels are cute little animals! If you want to learn how to draw a cute little squirrel, in a cartoon style or a more realistic style, follow this tutorial.
Steps
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Draw the head and the body.- Draw a circle for the head and a pear-shaped figure just below it.
- Optional: draw a vertical line from both ends of the pear.
- Make sure that you are using a pencil for the draft sketch so you can erase it afterwards to make it neat.
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Add the ears and the jaw.- Draw 2 tall pointed arcs for the ears.
- Add a horizontal oval at the bottom of the head. This will be the jaw or the cheek of the squirrel.
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Add a big letter “S”.- This will be your squirrel tail.
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Add arm(s) and legs.- Draw a circle at the base of the pear, this will be the squirrel’s hip bone. Since the angle is on the ¾ view, only half of the other hip bone should appear.
- For the arm, add a long tilted U on the body.
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Add 2 set of long ovals under the each circle.- This will be your squirrel’s paws.
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Using a pen, draw on top of your sketch.- Put in mind the overlapping lines and parts that should be hidden.
- The line art might not look perfect and crisp but it should look neat when the pencil is erased.
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Erase the pencil sketch and add details.- You can add details like the ears, eyes, mouth, nose and fur.
- You can also add extra lines to emphasize the paw and the fur.
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Color your squirrel.- Squirrel can go in different shades from orange to red or even brown or gray, all depending on the breed.
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Draw a big circle and a tear shaped figure on the side.- This will be your squirrel’s head and body.
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Add arm and leg joints.- To do this, draw two circles. One should be bigger (the leg joint) than the other one. The circles and the head should form a slanted row of figures.
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Add ears and legs.- Add two curved figure for the ears. Depending on the breed, you can also modify the ears a little. Some squirrels have longer and pointier ears.
- for the legs, add some trapezoids at each circle. There should be one trapezoid at the base of the hind leg circle, another connected to the arm/foreleg circle and a small trapezoid for the body.
- The smallest trapezoid is for the leg hiding behind the squirrel’s body.
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Add tail, paws and face.- Draw a big flipped “S” from the body. This would be the squirrel’s tail.
- At the end of each trapezoid, add small triangles for the paws.
- For the face, add two small circles: one for the eyes and another for the nose.
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Using a pen, draw on top of your sketch.- Put in mind the overlapping lines and parts that should be hidden.
- The line art might not look perfect and crisp but it should look neat when the pencil is erased.
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Erase the pencil sketch and add details.- You can add details like the ears, eyes, mouth, nose and fur.
- You can also add extra lines to emphasize the paw and the fur.
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Color your squirrel.- Squirrel can go in different shades from orange to red or even brown or gray, all depending on the breed.
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Sketch a big oval shape in the middle of the page. This will be the head. -
Sketch the ears and the eye. On each side of the upper part of the oval shape draw a small egg shape. Inside the oval shape draw a smaller oval. -
Under the right side of the head draw a horizontal oval shape. This will be the body. -
Sketch the cute little hands! Draw a big long oval overlapping a smaller oval on the upper part of the body shape. -
Draw a big circle and two long slim ovals over the body for the legs and feet. -
On the right side of the body shape draw an arched long oval. This will be the tail. -
Outline the shape of the cute little squirrel and add details like the eye, long slim fingers, and a lot of frizzled hair all over the body. -
Carefully erase the sketch lines and make the contour stronger. -
Add in the color and you're done!
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Sketch an oval shape in the middle of the page. This will be the head.
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Draw two pointy ovals at the upper part of the head for the ears.
- Inside the head draw a slim oval. This will be the eye.
- On the lower part of the head draw another pointy oval. This will be the mouth.
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Draw a vertical oval under the head, for the neck. -
Under the neck, draw a long oval. This will be the body. -
Draw a bent long oval, ending with a small circle for the hands and paws. At the end of the small circle draw a bigger one. This will be a cute acorn for the squirrel. -
Draw a big circle and two long slim ovals over the body for the legs and feet. -
On the right side of the body draw a question mark like shape. This will be the fluffy tail. -
Outline the shape of the squirrel and add details like the eye, a cute little nose, smiling mouth with teeth, little fingers and toes. -
Carefully erase the sketch lines and strengthen the contour with a pencil. -
Add in the color and you're done!
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Community Q&A
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QuestionIs there a way to draw a squirrel mom with a baby?Dragonslayer 123Community AnswerChoose one of the pictures above, and draw a miniature version of the squirrel with the larger version.
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QuestionWhen I add water colors, would a Sharpie smear on the paper?Community AnswerNo, not if the Sharpie has dried fully.
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QuestionIs there a simple way to draw a squirrel that a child can do?Community AnswerTry any one of these, but just take your time to make every detail instead of making them super fast.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pencil
- Pencil sharpener
- Eraser gum
- Colored pencils, crayons, markers or watercolors
About This Article
Article Summary
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To draw a cartoon squirrel, draw a circle for the head and a pear-shaped figure just below it for the body. When you're ready to add some details to the face and head, use pointed arcs for ears, a horizontal oval for its jaw and cheeks, a button nose, and a large tooth or two protruding from its mouth. Add a puffy tail by drawing a large letter “S” at the base of the pear. You can also add small U shapes for its arms, circles at the base of the oval body to show its haunches, and horizontal ovals for feet. When you're done sketching your squirrel, don't forget to color it grey or brown and to add some texture to show its hair. To learn how to draw a realistic red squirrel, keep reading!
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Reader Success Stories
- "The single line motion method for pose and movement and proportion helped me the most since I have an Active Squirrel to draw multiple times. I've done a similar method, but your film clarified it for me in a way that will really help me a lot. Thank you." ..." more
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"The single line motion method for pose and movement and proportion helped me the most since I have an Active Squirrel to draw multiple times. I've done a similar method, but your film clarified it for me in a way that will really help me a lot. Thank you."
..."
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"Needed this for school, and the drawings were good as the steps were clear and detailed. To improve, near the last steps or so, make it more clear what it removed or rubbed out."
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"I was trying so much to draw a squirrel, but I did not get it. These steps it made it easy, thank you."
"Wow, I did an amazing squirrel picture! Thank you so much for showing me."
"I like that there are different methods of doing it."
