In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to draw a Dalmatian dog with ink liners. Creating a black and white artwork with a high contrast may seem challenging. This step-by-step process will give you an example of how to use the basic principles of drawing to create impressive ink artworks.
We will also explore effective methods of depicting hair and making the texture look credible.
This is a stylized drawing of a dog. If you're looking for how to draw a dog step by step, which is more anatomically correct, we have you covered.
What You Will Need
- Two sheets of paper
- Ink liners number 0.05, 0.1 and 0.3
A pencil (I recommend using an HB type)
1. How to Draw a Pencil Sketch
Step 1
First, we need to construct the dog’s head and think over the details. I draw an axis line and mark the upper and lower borders of the head.
Having an axis line is very useful because you can use it for checking the symmetry in your drawing.
Step 2
I mark the shapes of the eyes; they are located slightly above the center of the head.
I also outline the general shape of the dog’s nose and mark the side borders of the head.
Step 3
I outline the jaw and the bottom part of the snout.
Step 4
I draw the nostrils.
Step 5
I add the ears. To make this process easier, I imagine that I'm drawing two pieces of thick cloth at the sides of the dog’s head.
Step 6
I mark the neck of the animal with two vertical lines.
Step 7
I create shaded areas of the black spots. I draw them anywhere I feel appropriate, accentuating the eyes and ears. A small spot in a shape of a heart on the forehead looks like a lovely addition.
Step 8
I also mark the small highlights in the dog’s eyes.
2. How to Draw Hair
Step 1
To create an illusion of hair, I usually use hatching. The lines can be long or short; sometimes they even turn to dots.
Step 2
I create a simple hatching; the lines slightly differ from each other. It is a basic pattern for the light-colored hair.
Step 3
Another way of drawing hair is by creating layers of hatching. It is also a great method for darkening and increasing the value.
Additional lines may be located between the existing ones and repeat their direction, or they may cross the base hatches at an angle.
Step 4
It is possible to add rounded lines to create an illusion of volume. This method of drawing is also known as contour hatching because it repeats the real shape of an object.
3. How to Draw a Dog With Ink Liners
Step 1
I make a clean copy of my drawing with a pencil, transferring the main contours onto a blank sheet of paper.
You can use a light table of just a window during the day for performing this step. Try to create light lines so that they won’t interfere with your future ink drawing.
Step 2
With the 0.3 ink liner, I outline the contours.
I recommend drawing interrupted lines; they seem more organic and allow you to achieve an illusion of diversity.
Step 3
I use the 0.1 liner to mark the black spots. I imagine that the hatches are going from the center of the snout to the periphery.
Step 4
With the 0.05 ink liner, I add thin hatches to create shady areas.
Step 5
I use the 0.05 liner to create the texture of the dog’s nose, drawing small, rounded lines.
Step 6
With the 0.05 liner, I apply the contour hatching to the eyes, accentuating their volume.
Step 7
I use the 0.3 ink liner to darken the black spots. Wider lines seem to be darker than thin ones, so this tool is perfect for creating black areas.
Please note that the lines are going beyond the contours that we outlined previously.
Step 8
I draw the white hair of the ears and neck with the 0.05 liner.
Step 9
I continue creating an illusion of light-colored hair on the dog’s snout, using the 0.05 liner.
Step 10
With the 0.05 ink liner, I work on the central part of the snout, the nose, and the forehead.
Step 11
I add dots to the nose, using the 0.3 ink liner. The upper part of the nose is lighted, so I add only one layer of dots there.
Step 12
With the 0.1 liner, I draw rounded hatches on the sides of the nose, emphasizing its volume.
Step 13
I use the 0.1 ink liner to apply cross-hatching to the eyes, marking the pupils.
Step 14
With the 0.1 ink liner, I work on the eyes and expand the hatching there. Please be sure to leave small areas of blank paper for the highlights.
Step 15
With the 0.05 ink liner, I accent the shady areas, adding groups of thin hatches.
While working on the light-colored textures like hair, it is necessary to be accurate with the value in the drawing and increase it gradually.
Step 16
The drawing needs higher contrast, so I use the 0.3 ink liner to accent the black spots.
Step 17
With the 0.3 liner, I add another layer of hatching to the darkest areas of the eyes.
Step 18
I use the 0.3 ink liner to model the eyelids. I darken the outer corners of the eyes and leave only a thin line of blank paper on the upper eyelid.
Step 19
I add hatching to the nose, the jaw, and all the shady areas, using the 0.1 liner.
Step 20
As final touches, I add more cross-hatching to the sides of the head with the 0.05 liner.
Your Drawing Is Complete
Congratulations! I hope you enjoyed both the process and the result.
Understanding the principles of conveying the light-and-shadow relationships is the core of successful drawing with ink. If you add it to the skill of observation, you will be able to depict anything you wish.
Good luck on your creative journey!
