Have you ever wanted to capture the irresistible look of a Pug on paper? Well, given how playful and affectionate this small dog breed is, we don’t blame you! So we’re here to help you learn how to draw a pug of your own!
To mix things up a bit and give you yet another avenue to explore when it comes to pets, we’ve got some great tips to help you draw this adorable breed. Pencils at the ready?
Sketch the posture first
Before drawing your Pug, have a think about how you want your finished pooch to be positioned. Are they sitting, lying down, crouching down, on their back? Or maybe you just want to draw a Pug’s face?
Whichever your choice, we’d recommend starting with the dog’s face. However, you will also want to include an outline of the body (if this is the option you’re going for). The best way to do this is to sketch a rough outline of their shape on your piece of drawing paper using light circles and rectangles corresponding to the key body parts of the dog (use a 2H or HB lead pencil for this so the lines can easily be rubbed out or drawn over). For example, draw a small circle for the head, a larger circle for the body, four rectangles for the legs and a final circle for the tail. Refer to the headings below if you’re looking to draw a sitting or standing Pug.
How to draw a Pug: the face
The eyes
Start by drawing your dog’s face. First, sketch two small circles or dots to define the location of the pupils. Then draw a slightly larger one around each to create the eyes. Think about where the eyes are located in terms of the distance between the top of the head and the chin, as well as from the temples to the non-visible centered vertical line. You can even draw a faint cross across your dog’s face to create a symmetrical line to follow when drawing the facial features.
Snout
Now it’s time to focus on the nose. Locate the middle point between the two eyes and move your pencil straight down to position the nose. Draw a small oval to define the small black snout. Just above the snout you will want to begin drawing the lines of the muzzle. These lines form an arc around the nose that stretch down towards the mouth. Roughly sketch this circle, and then extend these lines inwards to form the mouth. Finally, draw a tongue of your choosing if you’d like your Pug to sport one.
Head and ears
Using the circle you sketched as a guide for the head, begin to emphasise these lines at the sides and top to define the Pug head’s form. This is usually squared in shape with rounded edges. You won’t necessarily want or need to close the lines at the base of the head to provide a more natural looking image of the Pug’s head blending into its body. Next, draw in the ears. These are triangular in shape and can either fold flat down or half over themselves. Ensure to round out the edges of your ‘triangles’.
How to draw a Pug: the body
As you know, Pugs are known for their characteristic skin folds. To recreate this look, first identify where they are likely to exist i.e. they are typically found at the base of the neck and the hip/shoulder joints that meet the leg. Simply draw two or three lines that fan out slightly from the same point. Of course, you’ll need to add a tail if you’re drawing the entire Pug. A swirl or corkscrew is the shape you’ll want to go for here. Working with the small circle you drew at the beginning to identify the tail, begin to define the lines to create a worm or scroll-like shape. Admittedly, if that’s a bit complex and taking too long, a simple, single line corkscrew shape will work wonders!
The sitting Pug
After commencing with your rough sketch of basic shapes to define your Pug’s body position, you can begin to define its shape with more contoured lines. You might like to use a darker coloured lead pencil here such as a 2B.
Draw the front legs in line with the head; the width of the head corresponds to the spacing of the legs. These can taper slightly towards the base of your drawing/body of your Pug, and can be simply rounded out to form the paws. The hind legs sit just out from the body, although you don’t need too much detail here as you can see from the example drawing. Curved lines usually do the trick! Next draw the tail rolled up on itself, in the shape of a corkscrew or scroll. Have this sit in line with the ‘floor’ or bottom of your Pug’s body.
Finally, draw the small details of your Pug to bring it to life and give it character e.g. its folds, any shadows, whiskers, etc. Now’s the time to add color if you want to make it even more realistic!
The standing Pug
Draw a large oval under the dog’s head. This should be about twice the width of the head with the head sitting in line with one side of the oval. Arrange your rectangles for the legs, however keep in mind the fourth paw may not be seen depending on the position of your Pug. Now begin to define the features of the legs such as adding small bumps for the joints and paws, including lines in between the toes.
Next draw the corkscrew tail in line with the hind legs. This usually looks cutest sitting atop the body, in a corkscrew shape you see on most Pugs.
Finish by adding in the final features and details, including lines for joints, folds, whiskers and white reflections in the eyes. Feel free to add color to bring it to life!
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If you love a Pug and want to learn more about this breed, have a read of our article here dedicated purely to this playful small dog breed.