Learn to Draw Savanna Animals: Realistic Drawing Tutorials, #3

By acrylgiessen.com and Martina Faessler

If you are like us and simply can't get enough of the wild creatures that inhabit this unique biome, then you're in luck! Whether you are a seasoned artist or have never picked up a coloring pen outside of school, this book will cover how to draw different savanna animals realistically. 

This book includes 14 detailed step-by-step drawing tutorials for a range of animals from the savanna, suitable for both beginners and advanced artists. Along with coloring techniques and 265 pages of content, you will also be pleased to know that these drawing tutorials are suitable for both traditionalists and graphic artists! That's right – these tutorials are so easy to follow that they can be applied to pen and paper as well as on an artist's graphic tablet. 

If you'd like to find additional inspiration and even more drawing tutorials, you can also check out our website as well as our pages on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. While you're at it, you can also sign up to our newsletter as well to get regular updates on new blog posts. Improving your artistic skills has never been so easy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martina Faessler
• Release date: Dec 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798224752096

Book preview

About this Book | Introduction

When you think about the savanna, you probably think about sweeping grasslands, scattered trees, the beating sun, and a handful of exotic wild animals. The largest savanna can be found in Africa. Not quite a desert and not quite a rainforest, the savanna biome is one that is home to thousands of different species, both plants and animals alike.

You are probably familiar with the typical herbivores and carnivores of the african savanna, being the giraffes, zebras, and buffalo that graze on the shrubbery and the lions, hyenas, and cheetahs that hunt these animals in turn. Whether you are fascinated by the way giraffes have adapted to eat leaves from the treetops or the way that the cheetah has earned a reputation of being the fastest land animal, there is no shortage of intrigue and fascination when it comes to the rolling grasslands of the savanna.

If you are like us and simply can’t get enough of the wild creatures that inhabit this unique biome, then you’re in luck! Whether you are a seasoned artist or have never picked up a coloring pen outside of school, this book will cover how to draw different savanna animals realistically. 

This book includes 14 detailed step-by-step drawing tutorials for a range of animals from the savanna, suitable for both beginners and advanced artists. Along with coloring techniques and 265 pages of content, you will also be pleased to know that these drawing tutorials are suitable for both traditionalists and graphic artists! That’s right – these tutorials are so easy to follow that they can be applied to pen and paper as well as on an artist’s graphic tablet. 

If you’d like to find additional inspiration and even more drawing tutorials, you can also check out our website as well as our pages on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. While you’re at it, you can also sign up to our newsletter as well to get regular updates on new blog posts. Improving your artistic skills has never been so easy!

Interested in improving your technique even further? Once you have mastered the art of drawing farm animals, why not have a look at our already released eBook Volume 1: REALISTIC DRAWING TUTORIALS – PETS

Website: https://artincontext.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artincontextdotorg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artincontext.org

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/artincontext

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/artincontextdotorg

How to Draw a Giraffe

Have you ever really wanted to draw a giraffe, perhaps for a loved one who is fanatical about these beautiful long-legged and long-necked creatures, but you simply do not know where to start? If this sounds like you, then you do not need to wonder anymore. With our detailed examples and in-depth instructions, you will soon be drawing giraffes without so much as a second thought. So, without further ado, let us jump right into our easy giraffe drawing tutorial!

Draw a Giraffe in 17 Easy Steps

As with any animal drawing the toughest part of drawing giraffes is knowing where to start. In this tutorial, your drawn giraffe will begin with a few very simple construction shapes and lines. The construction method is particularly great for drawing giraffes because they have such unique proportions. With construction lines, you can make sure that the proportions of your drawn giraffe are perfect before you begin adding color and detailing. In the collage below, you can see each of the steps of this easy giraffe drawing tutorial. 

how to draw a giraffe collage

For the coloring stages of your easy giraffe drawing, there is a lot of freedom for medium preference. Whether you love to work with oil pastels, on a graphic tablet, or you prefer the smooth glide of watercolor paints, you can easily adapt the instructions to suit your medium. 

With that said, gather up your drawing tools and meet us somewhere comfortable to begin drawing giraffes. 

Step 1: Constructing the Main Body Shape

It is always best to begin a drawing by constructing the largest element. Having the largest part of your animal’s body down on paper can make the placement of the smaller parts much easier. As such, let us begin by using a construction oval to represent the main torso of your giraffe drawing. This oval should be horizontal. 

The most important thing to consider with this first step is the placement of your main body construction oval. Place this oval at the very center of your canvas, ensuring that there is plenty of space above and below for the long neck and legs. 

giraffe drawing 1

Step 2: Placing the Giraffe Head

Before we attempt to lay down the neck of your giraffe drawing, we will place the giraffe head in the top left corner of the canvas. Having the giraffe head placed on the canvas will make the construction of the neck significantly easier.

To the left of the main body oval, and a fair distance above it, draw a small circle to represent the giraffe head. 

giraffe drawing 2

Step 3: Beginning to Draw the Giraffe Face

To begin laying the foundations for the giraffe face, we are going to construct the shape of the muzzle. Extending from the bottom left side of the head circle, draw a slightly pointed half oval shape.  This muzzle shape should be angled towards the bottom left corner of the canvas and will represent the nose of the giraffe head. 

giraffe drawing 3

Step 4: Adding Horns and Ears to the Head

This fourth step in the easy giraffe drawing tutorial is very quick and simple. On the top of the giraffe head, draw a curvy M shape to represent the two short horns. On either side of the horns, draw a small curved ear. 

The ear on the left of the canvas should be partly obscured by the horns, so you do not need to draw the whole ear. 

giraffe drawing 4

Step 5: Connecting the Giraffe Head and Body with the Neck

In this step, you are going to use the shape of the giraffe’s long curved neck to join the head and body. Begin at the giraffe head, taking the top neckline from the meeting point of the right ear and head circle. Gently curve this line up and then down to meet the body oval at the central point. For the underside of the neck, draw a straighter line down from the bottom of the head to meet the body oval. 

Finish the giraffe’s neck by joining the bottom points on the main body oval with a curved line. 

giraffe drawing 5

Step 6: Placing the Front Legs

On the whole, giraffes have very long and thin legs that look a little unsteady. To capture the movement of your giraffe, one of the front legs will be bent as if it is stepping forward. This bent leg is the one closest to our perspective, so we are going to draw this one first. Begin drawing the thigh segment of this first leg at the bottom of the left side of the main body oval. Curve the two lines in and down, and then create a rounded knee. At the knee, begin to separate the leg by drawing a straighter segment that extends towards the back of your giraffe drawing and ends in a hoof. Repeat this process for the second leg, but remember that most of the thigh will be obstructed by the first leg and that this leg extends straight down. 

giraffe drawing 6

Step 7: Drawing the Back Legs of Your Giraffe

Once you have drawn legs once, it is very simple to draw the rest as they will all follow the same process. The notable differences to keep in mind with the back legs is that they are slightly thicker towards the top, and the thigh has a significant curve in the back. Begin by drawing the leg that is closest to our perspective, meaning you will draw the entire leg, with the back curve beginning at the back point of the main body oval. The knees for these back legs are higher and wider than the front ones. This first back leg will bend in the opposite direction to the front leg, with the hoof extending forward. For the second back leg, simply repeat the process remembering that it will be partially hidden behind the first one and that it will extend straight down. 

giraffe drawing 7

Step 8: Outlining the Tail of the Giraffe

For this final construction step, you are simply going to draw the outline of the giraffe’s tail. The tail is quite long, ending just below the knees of the back legs. Begin the tail outline at the back of the main body oval, and curve it down. Finish the tail by adding a thicker end that is partially obstructed by the knee of the back leg. 

giraffe drawing 8

Step 9: Creating the Final Outline

The time for construction is over, and we are now going to use all of the foundational lines to create the final outline of our giraffe drawing.