How to draw a happy puppy in three easy stages

Puppies are one of the most requested animals to draw, and the good news is that a cute cartoon pup is mostly circles and curves. This guide shows you how to draw a happy puppy sitting up and looking straight at you, with its tongue out and its ears flopping.

We follow the three stages of the Happy Puppy sketch in Sketchglass: Head and ears, Face, and Collar and body. You only need a pencil, paper and an eraser. Near the end there is a short section on learning the shapes by tracing, if you would like a guide on your paper first.

What makes a puppy look happy

A cheerful pup comes from a few simple choices:

• A big head. Make the head larger than the body. Big heads read as young and cute.
• Floppy ears. Ears that hang down beside the face look soft and friendly. Pointy ears look more like a fox or a wolf.
• A smile with a tongue. An upturned mouth plus a little tongue peeking out is the clearest "happy dog" signal there is.
• Round, simple eyes. Two filled dots are enough. They look bright and curious.

If you have drawn our sleepy cat, you will notice the puppy uses the same plan: big shapes first, details last. Only the face changes the mood.

What you need

• Paper (printer paper is fine)
• A pencil, HB or 2B
• An eraser
• A black pen or fine marker for inking (optional)
• Coloured pencils or markers (optional)

Press lightly while you sketch. Light lines are easy to erase when an ear ends up too long or the head comes out lopsided.

Stage 1: Head and ears

Start in the upper half of your page so there is room for the body underneath.

1. Draw the head. Make a wide, rounded shape, a bit like a soft square with very round corners. The top is gently curved, the sides bulge out, and the chin is a broad, flat curve. It should be slightly wider than it is tall.
2. Start the first ear. From the top corner of the head, draw a line that swoops outward and down past the side of the face, like a teardrop hanging off the head.
3. Finish the first ear. Curve the line around at the bottom and bring it back in towards the cheek, so the ear tip ends a little below the middle of the head.
4. Mirror it. Draw the second ear on the other side the same way. Check that both tips hang at about the same height.

Floppy ears are the part people worry about most, but they are just two long, rounded loops. If one looks too stiff, give the outer edge a bit more of a bulge.

Stage 2: Face

The face is where your puppy gets its big grin. Keep every part small and close to the middle.

1. Add the eyes. About halfway down the head, draw two small filled circles, spaced well apart. Leave plenty of cheek on the outside of each one.
2. Draw the nose. In the centre, a little lower than the eyes, draw a wide oval and fill it in. A puppy nose is wider than it is tall.
3. Drop a short line. From the bottom of the nose, draw a tiny straight line down.
4. Draw the smile. From the end of that line, draw one curve that sweeps up and out to the left, and another that sweeps up and out to the right. Together they make a soft "w".
5. Add the tongue. Just under the middle of the smile, draw a small U shape hanging down. That little tongue is what makes the puppy look excited and pleased to see you.

Try moving the eyes a little closer together or further apart. Closer eyes look curious; wider eyes look extra cute. Both work.

Stage 3: Collar and body

The body is small and simple. The collar helps separate it from the head.

1. Draw the collar. Under the chin, draw a curved line that dips down in the middle, like a gentle smile. This is the bottom edge of the collar.
2. Add the tag. Right below the middle of the collar, draw a small circle. It looks like a name tag hanging down.
3. Draw the sides of the body. Starting just inside the edges of the chin, bring one line down each side with a slight outward curve, so the body gets a little wider towards the bottom.
4. Close the bottom. Join the two sides with a straight line. Your puppy is now sitting on the ground.
5. Add the front paws. At the bottom middle of the body, draw two small arches side by side, like two upside-down U shapes that touch.
6. Ink and colour. Go over the lines you like in pen, wait for it to dry, erase the pencil and colour. Brown with darker ears, golden, white with spots, or black and white all suit a cartoon puppy. A bright collar colour makes the drawing pop.

The sketch has no tail, but many readers like adding one. Draw a short curved line on one side of the body, curling upward, then add two or three little motion marks beside it so it looks like it is wagging.

Learning the shapes by tracing first

If the ears keep coming out uneven, tracing the puppy a few times helps your hand learn the curves. Happy Puppy is a free sketch in the Animals pack in Sketchglass, split into the same three stages as this guide, with Pip the pencil guiding you one step at a time.

1. Prop your phone on a glass or a stack of books, about a hand above your paper.
2. Open the Animals pack from the home screen and pick Happy Puppy.
3. Pinch, drag and twist the sketch into place, then lock it.
4. Trace one stage at a time, then tap Finish and snap your drawing to collect your stars and a Sketchdex card.

If the picture wobbles while you trace, our guide on setting up your phone for AR tracing covers the stand, the height and the light.

When your puppy is done, you can snap it and watch it come alive. It can dance, bounce, wiggle or walk across your desk, and you can record a 6-second clip. Our guide to making your drawing come alive walks through every button.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

• The puppy looks like a bear. The ears are too small and round and sit on top. Move them to the sides and let them hang down past the cheeks.
• The face looks grumpy. The smile curves point down. Flip them so both ends sweep upward.
• The head looks too heavy. That is fine for a cartoon puppy, but if it tips over, make the body slightly wider at the bottom.
• The nose takes over. Keep the nose oval small enough to fit between the eyes with room to spare.
• The lines look wobbly. Draw each curve in one confident stroke instead of many short ones. A short warm-up from drawing smooth, confident lines helps a lot.

FAQ

How do you draw floppy dog ears?

Draw each ear as a long, rounded loop that starts at the top corner of the head, swoops outward and down past the cheek, and curves back in near the bottom. Make both ears hang to about the same height.

What makes a dog drawing look happy?

An upturned smile and a small tongue poking out are the biggest clues. Round dot eyes, floppy ears and a wagging tail with a few motion lines add to the cheerful mood.

What is the easiest dog to draw for beginners?

A sitting cartoon puppy seen from the front is the easiest. It is a big round head, two floppy ears, a simple face and a small body with two front paws, so there are no tricky legs to work out.

Should I draw a tail on my puppy?

It is up to you. The Happy Puppy sketch has none, but a short upward curve on one side of the body with two or three motion marks makes it look like it is wagging.

Is Happy Puppy free in Sketchglass?

Yes. Happy Puppy is one of the free sketches in the Animals pack, with three easy steps: Head and ears, Face, and Collar and body.