How to Draw a Deer (White-Tailed Deer)

Hello everyone, in this video we're going to draw a deer. Start by drawing a circle as a guide for the front part of the body. To draw the circle first make two small marks to indicate the circle's length and then on the sides make two more small marks to indicate the circle's width. Then connect the marks using curved lines to finish the shape of the circle. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. Also pause the video to draw at your own pace. The circle doesn't have to be perfect but if you're having trouble drawing it, just trace the outer edge of a coin, a bottle cap or anything else with a circular edge. To the left, draw another circle as a guide for the back portion of the body. Use the four marks method to draw this circle too. First make four small marks to indicate the sides of the circle and then connect the marks using curved lines to finish the shape of the circle. Draw the two circles about the same size. Don't place the circles too far apart or the body will be too long. On the top right side, draw a smaller circle as a guide for the head. Use the four marks method to draw this circle as well. This circle should be about one fourth the size of the first circle. Place the head circle fairly close to the first circle. There should be a small gap between the two circles. Inside the head circle, draw a curved horizontal line. This is a construction guide that will help you place the facial features later on. On the top left side, draw a shorter vertical line for another construction guide. On the lower left side of the head, draw a small triangular shape as a guide for the muzzle. This shape should be similar to a wide arc that's upside down. The muzzle should touch the edge of the first circle. On the top right side of the head, draw a thinner arc as a guide for the first ear. Make this arc a bit pointy at the top. On the left side of the head, draw a sideways arc as a guide for the other ear. On top of the head, draw two long curved lines as guides for the antlers. These lines should curve outward at the bottom and then curve up at the top. You can make these lines longer if you want bigger antlers. The longer you make these lines, the bigger the antlers will be. Draw a long curved line from the head to the body to create the guide for the neck. Connect the circles in the middle using two horizontal lines to finish the guide for the torso. Under the circle on the right, draw a long angled line as a guide for the front leg. This line should slope at the top and then bend in the middle to indicate where the joint will be. Under the circle on the left, draw another long angled line as a guide for the hind leg. This line should slope to the left at the top before bending in the middle. To the right, draw a slightly shorter angled line as a guide for the other hind leg. And that's it for the guidelines. Now let's start on the final drawing. Inside the head, on top of the horizontal construction guide, lightly sketch two small ovals for the eyes. Place the eyes on either side of the vertical construction guide. The eye on the left should be slightly smaller because of the way the head is turned. When you get the size and position of the eyes right, darken the shapes. Make the sides of the eyes pointier as you darken the shapes for the corners of the eyes. The inner corner of the eye on the right is made up of two short lines that point toward the muzzle. Make the eye on the left thinner as you darken the shape. The shape of the eye on the left should be similar to a small diamond. Inside the eyes, draw tiny circles for highlights. Shade in the eyes but don't overlap the tiny highlight circles. Use a darker value in the middle of the eyes to emphasize the pupils. To get a darker value, just push down slightly harder on your pencil. Make the top edges of the eyes darker too for eyelashes. Add a few short strokes above the eyes for a bit of fur. Draw a short curved line under each eye for extra detail. On the tip of the muzzle, lightly sketch a small circular shape for the nose. When you get the size and position of the nose right, darken the shape. Don't place the nose too close to the bottom edge of the initial arc. Use a series of short strokes as you darken the top part of the nose for a furry texture. On the right side of the nose, draw a short curved vertical line for the nostril. Add a few more short curved lines to the right to make the nostril bigger. Shade the inside of the nostril using a slightly darker value. Under the nose, draw a line that curves to the right for the mouth. Extend the mouth up to the lower edge of the initial circle. Darken the line above the nose to create the top part of the muzzle. Now darken the basic path of the initial guide at the bottom to create the chin and jaw. Make the lower jaw slightly thinner than the initial guide. Use the arc on the top right side of the head as a guide to draw the first ear. Darken the shape of the arc but make the left side wavier. Extend the lines at the bottom farther inside the head. Draw a series of short strokes inside the shape for the furry ear opening. Use the arc on the left as a guide to draw the other ear the same way. Darken the shape of the arc but make the sides a bit wavier. Inside the shape, at the top, draw a curved line for the ears opening. Add a few short strokes inside the shape for fur. Use the long curved line on the right side as a guide to draw the first antler. Darken the shape of the line to create the outer edge of the antler. Add a shorter line at the bottom to create the thick base of the antler. Use short strokes at the very bottom for fur. Add a short line at the top to create the first thin tip of the antler. Now to the left, add another branch on the antler by drawing two more short vertical lines. Each branch on the antler should be thick at the bottom and thin and pointy at the top. Draw two smaller antlers to the left using shorter curved vertical lines. Sketch the branches on the antlers lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. When you get the shape of the branches right, darken the lines. Add a small pointy branch near the base. If you'd like, you can make your antler bigger and add more branches. Use the long curved line on the left side as a guide to draw the other antler the same way. First darken the line to create the outer edge of the antler. At the top, draw the first pointy branch using a short vertical line. Directly to the right, draw another branch using a couple more vertical lines. These two branches should overlap each other. Farther to the right, add a couple more pointy branches using slightly longer curved vertical lines. Remember to sketch lightly at first and only darken the lines when you get the shapes right. Make each branch thick at the bottom and thin and pointy at the top. Remember that you can add more branches and make them longer if you'd like. Add a smaller branch farther to the right close to the base. Darken the outer edges of the guides to complete the shape of the head. Add a short curved line on the lower right side for the jaw. Draw a few short strokes inside the head for a bit of fur. Now use the long angled line on the lower right side as a guide to draw the front leg. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg around the guideline. Make the top part of the leg wide and gradually make it thinner toward the bottom. Curve the shape of the leg where the guideline bends to indicate the joint. Add a small square-like shape at the bottom for the hoof. Above that, draw a small circular shape for a joint. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. The overall shape of the leg is thin, so keep the outer edges of the leg close to the guideline. The deer is stepping forward, so the bottom of the leg will be slightly lifted. Add a short line at the bottom to split the hoof. Draw the front leg that's on the other side of the body behind this leg. First, lightly sketch two long vertical lines to the left. Curve these lines at the top for the joint. When you get the shape of this leg right, darken the lines. The top part of this leg will be blocked by the first front leg. Add a couple of short lines at the bottom for the hoof. Use the angled line on the far left side as a guide to draw the first hind leg. First, lightly sketch the shape of the leg around the guideline. Make the top part of the leg wide and gradually make it thinner toward the bottom. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Add the hoof at the bottom using short lines and a small dewclaw on the left side. Curve the shape of the leg where the guideline bends to create the joint. Use the angled line on the right as a guide to draw the other hind leg the same way. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg around the guideline and only darken the lines when you get the shape right. The top part of this hind leg will be hidden behind the first hind leg. Add a small square-like shape at the bottom for the hoof. Now use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the body. Simply darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the body. Use a few short strokes on the left side for fur. Don't overlap the legs that are on this side of the body as you darken the lines. Add a short curved line on the left side of the body for the tail. Now erase the initial guidelines. The next few steps are sped up so that the video won't be too long. Don't worry about erasing all of the guidelines. It's okay if you leave some behind. Redraw any of the final lines that you may have accidentally erased. Now shade your drawing. Use a medium value throughout the body. Add the value lightly at first and gradually build up to the medium value. Push down very lightly on your pencil for a light value and then push down harder for darker values. As you shade, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur. Be consistent with your strokes. If you use strokes that go in multiple directions, the drawing can start to look a bit messy. Use a dark value to shade the nose but leave a strip blank at the top for a highlight. Leave the area around the nose, eyes, and ears blank for white fur. Use a darker value throughout the body to create some shadows. Shadows will give the body more volume and help the figure look more three-dimensional. Pick your light source when you shade so that the shadows are consistent throughout the body. Here the light source is coming from the top, so most of the shadows will be on the underside of the shapes. Use a light value for the underside of the body and on the neck. Add some shadows to the antlers too. Shading can be time consuming so be patient and take breaks. It's a good idea to use reference as you shade for a more accurate depiction of a deer. Use a dark value for the hooves. Use a lighter value for the bottom parts of the legs. Draw a shadow at the bottom using a medium value. This grounds the deer so that it doesn't appear to be floating. Keep shading until you're happy with the result. And that's it for the deer. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace. Also please visit HowToDrawAnimals.com where every step of this tutorial is broken down into an individual image. That's how, and then the number 2, ThenDrawAnimals.com If you enjoyed the video, please leave a like and a comment. Also subscribe for more videos in the future. Thank you for watching and until next time, keep drawing.