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How to draw an African elephant. Drawing tutorial.

Updated: Dec 6, 2023

Drawing an elephant is quite easy, as its body parts are larger than those of many other animals. Use simple shading to depict its bumpy trunk, wrinkled body, smooth tusks, and drooping tail.

How to draw an African elephant. Drawing tutorial.

Step 1. Outline the elephant's body and head

Start outlining the elephant's body using large overlapping circles and ovals to represent its head and huge torso.

How to draw an African elephant. Step 1. Outline the elephant's body and head

Step 2. Draw the outlines of the elephant's legs and trunk.

Draw thin vertical ovals to indicate the legs and the widest part of the trunk. Then, draw curvilinear outlines of the tusks on both sides of the base of the trunk.

How to draw an African elephant. Step 2. Draw the outlines of the elephant's legs and trunk.

Step 3. Start shaping the outline of the elephant's body, head, and ears.

Based on the basic shapes, draw a clearer outline of the animal's body, ears, head, and legs, as shown in the figure. Then, sketch out the shape of the trunk and outline the tail.

How to draw an African elephant. Step 3. Start shaping the outline of the elephant's body, head, and ears.

Step 4. Continue shaping the elephant's body and remove the original contours.

Now, draw the outlines more clearly and erase the basic shapes. Then apply hatching to the neck, ears, tail, and legs, but the darkest tones should be left at the very end of the work. With short strokes, mark the wrinkles on the trunk and the folds of the skin on the torso.

How to draw an African elephant. Step 4. Continue shaping the elephant's body and remove the original contours.

Step 5. Apply shading to the elephant's drawing.

With a 2B pencil, apply the darkest shadows - on the tail and under the head. Now shade the eye, leaving a small speck - a highlight - unshaded. Finally, finish shading the texture of the elephant skin and add a slight shadow from it around the legs, so that it looks like the elephant is firmly planted on the ground.

How to draw an African elephant. Step 5. Apply shading to the elephant's drawing.

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