In this tutorial I will show you how to draw a realistic fox step by step, without any references. You'll learn how to sketch the pose to avoid proportion mistakes, how to add proper anatomy, and how to make it look real with details. You can also use this workflow to learn how to draw other similar animals.
This is a tutorial for beginners with a single, simple pose. If you want to learn more about foxes, their species and their anatomy, try this tutorial instead:
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1. How to Prepare the Basic Sketch
Step 1
How often have you noticed that your drawing went wrong only when you were finishing it? To avoid such a situation, it's good to start with a very general sketch first, and add the details to it later. The general sketch is easy to fix and quick to draw, so you don't waste so much time on it if something goes wrong.
Start with your simple fox outline by creating a rectangle for an elongated fox body.
Step 2
Measure the distance to the ground. Foxes are long-legged, so make it one body width long + some space for the paws.
Step 3
Sketch a simple fox outline of the legs on both ends of the rectangle.
Step 4
Add a thick neck. It should be slightly shorter than half of the body.
Step 5
Attach the head to the neck.
Step 6
Draw the long, tapered muzzle in front of the head.
Step 7
Sketch a bushy tail on the back.
2. How to Sketch the Legs of a Fox
Step 1
Take a good look at your basic body plan now and try to see if anything's off. Fix it, if necessary.
Add a "6" in the shoulder area. It's a very easy way to create the shape of the shoulder for many animals.
Step 2
Draw a line across the back side of the rectangle. This is a symbolic femur (the thigh bone).
Step 3
Add a perpendicular line to it. Its length will create the width of the thigh.
Step 4
Outline the thigh using these two guide lines. Don't worry if the thigh looks too fat—it should be fluffy!
Step 5
Add some details to both the shoulder blade and the hips.
Step 6
Time for the lower parts of the limbs. Sketch the length of the paws.
Step 7
Add the wrist and the heel.
Step 8
Draw the forms of the wrist and the ankle.
Step 9
Continue with your fox outline by drawing the paws.
Step 10
Connect the paws to the wrist and ankle.
Step 11
The forearm and the calf both need some muscle masses. Add them in the form of an oval along the "bone" lines.
Step 12
Add more details to each leg: the elbow, the knee, and the bony landmarks of the ankle.
Step 13
Gently outline the forms to create the whole form of the limb.
Step 14
Let's make the paws complete, too. Add the other visible toe.
Step 15
Draw the tips of the toes.
Step 16
Add short, blunt claws.
3. Drawing a Fox Face
Step 1
Drawing a fox face can be intimidating, but don't worry, we'll take you step by step through the process.
The head is a very important step, because we pay more attention to the proportions of the face than to the other parts of the body. Even if you sketched the body nicely, a tiny mistake in the face may destroy the whole impact of the drawing. So be very careful here!
Draw a high forehead for the fox, smoothing the step between the head and the muzzle.
Step 2
Draw a curve across the face—this will help us find the location of the eyes and define the sides of the face.
Step 3
Draw an oval in the front of the head. This will be a symbolic eye socket. By drawing the eye socket first, you get a nice reference point to properly place the actual eye (thus solving the biggest problem in drawing a face!).
Step 4
Draw the round eye in the middle of the eye socket (or somewhere near, if you've noticed the eye socket has been placed wrong).
Step 5
Draw the nose bridge along the muzzle.
Step 6
Draw the nose at the tip of the muzzle.
Step 7
Lead a line from the forehead to the chin.
Step 8
Draw an oval here.
Step 9
Draw the lips along these guide lines.
Step 10
Draw a line across the head, halfway up the forehead.
Step 11
Sketch the height of the ear. Foxes have them very big!
Step 12
Continue with the fox outline by drawing the ear with gentle curves.
Step 13
Draw the base of the ear.
Step 14
Draw the cheek-mane on the side of the head.
4. How to Draw the Body of a Fox
Step 1
Draw the lower side of the fluffy neck, creating a step between it and the head.
Step 2
Draw the rest of the "mane" on the neck.
Step 3
Draw the line of the belly.
Step 4
Draw the line of the back, curving towards the hips.
Step 5
Add some furry landmarks.
Step 6
If you want to make the drawing more interesting, you can add the second pair of legs.
5. How to Finish the Drawing of a Fox
Step 1
The sketch is finished, and now it's time to add the final lines. If you have been drawing with a pencil, you can now take a darker tool (like an ink liner) to make the final lines more striking. If your sketch is too dark for this, you can put another sheet of paper over it and draw the final lines on it.
Create the final shape of the eye by adding the eyelids.
Step 2
Add the pupil and the eye corner.
Step 3
Outline the nose.
Step 4
Outline the general shape of the head and the lips.
Step 5
Add the whisker holes.
Step 6
Add special features over the eye to make it more expressive.
Step 7
Add the details to the ear. It should be very fluffy!
Step 8
Draw the cheek mane and the outline of the bone under the skin (along the nose bridge and on the cheek bone).
Step 9
Add more details to make the face really fox-like: the marking between the eye and the mouth, the whiskers, dark nose, and dark ear.
Step 10
Outline the paws.
Step 11
Outline the legs, paying attention to their anatomy.
Step 12
Cover the whole body with fur. Whatever method you use to draw it, remember to keep the style consistent over the whole body.
Step 13
Finally, you can add some basic "coloring" and shading.
5 Amazing Fox Logos From Envato Elements
Foxes are often associated with resilience, quick thinking, and cleverness. If your company stands for these values, you should promote your brand with a fox logo.
In this section, you'll find five useful fox logos for any type of business. If you're interested in searching for more options, you can always visit Envato Elements. Here you'll get unlimited downloads of logos, illustrations, templates, fonts, graphics, and more for a low monthly fee!
1. Red Fox Logo (AI, EPS, JPG, PDF, PNG, SVG)
You might want to try this design if you don't like conventional fox logos. Download it and get a fully editable logo with 100% vector shapes and colors. This means that you can resize this fox logo to any size you want, without losing its quality.
2. Cartoon Silver Fox Logo (AI, EPS, JPG, PDF, PNG, PSD)
Get out of the box with this cartoon silver fox logo. These types of designs are often used for esports or fantasy football events, but that doesn't mean your company can't use it as well. Download this silver fox logo for a high-quality design that can be opened with a variety of programs.
3. Red Fox Tail Logo (AI, EPS)
This foxtail logo will help you have a memorable brand due to its beautiful design. When you download this file, you get three full color variations and greyscales, making it easy to create a silver fox logo if you want. Go ahead and start using this red fox logo.
4. Silver Fox Logo (AI, EPS, PDF, PNG, PSD)
Try an elegant design with Foxen, a modern and sleek silver fox logo. Suitable for any type of business, including creative industries, entertainment, and technology. If you want your fox logo to be transparent, don't worry—you also get a PNG version. This silver fox logo works with many programs, so go ahead and choose the design software of your choice.
5. Cute Red Fox Logo (AI, EPS, PNG)
Foxes can also be cute. This simple but adorable fox logo is vector-based, which means you won't lose resolution when resizing it.
Discover More Tutorials on Envato Tuts+
That's a beautiful fox! If you want to try other fox-related tutorials, check out this list:
How to Use an Animal Skull for an Art Study
Drawing for Kids: Draw a Cute Baby Fox
How to Create a Retro Fox Illustration in Adobe Illustrator
How to Create a Cute Animal Character in Paint Tool SAI
You can also try other tutorials about drawing animals in a simple way:
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