Golden Retriever Dog Drawing Made Easy in 8 Steps

Drawing a Golden Retriever is a fun and rewarding experience. With these 8 easy steps, you'll be creating a beautiful Golden Retriever dog drawing in no time.

Start by sketching a rough outline of the dog's body, including the head, neck, and back. Make sure to include the distinctive Golden Retriever ears, which are floppy and triangular in shape.

The Golden Retriever's body is muscular and athletic, so don't be afraid to add some definition to the shoulders and chest. Keep in mind that Golden Retrievers have a thick double coat, so you may want to add some texture to the fur.

To add some personality to your drawing, consider adding some eyes and a nose. Golden Retrievers are known for their friendly and gentle expression, so aim for a sweet and endearing look.

Start with a light touch, using smooth strokes to begin, especially in the first few steps.

To draw the body of the golden retriever, use two circles as guides. The circles don't have to be perfect, but they should touch and have the top edges at the same level. The circle on the right should be slightly higher.

Draw a smaller circle on the left side for the head, making sure it's a bit smaller than the body circle. The edges of the circles should touch.

You can use a coin or bottle cap to draw perfect circles if you want to.

You can start with an accurate line drawing, showing the details you want to draw and the placement of the important features.

The face of your golden retriever drawing is a bit tricky, so take it slow and closely follow the reference picture. You'll need to draw circular shapes with sharp corners on each side for the eyes, and add a big black dot inside each one.

The nose will be big and quite rounded, and the mouth is divided into two main sections that come out from a center point on the nose. You can use short lines around each eye and a long curved line extending down from each one towards the nose.

To make your golden retriever look nice and furry, you'll need to draw the chest and first leg. The front of the leg will be more straight, while the back of it will have a jagged line for furriness.

You've already drawn two legs, so drawing the other two will be a breeze! They'll go on the other side of the body and will look almost identical to the first two you drew, but a bit smaller to show perspective.

Drawing the chest and first leg will make your golden retriever look quite realistic. Don't be afraid to take it slow and closely follow the reference picture.

You can draw the rest of the legs in just one step, making it easy to complete your golden retriever drawing. These will be a bit smaller to show perspective, but will look almost identical to the first two you drew.

Expand your knowledge: Dog Nose Turning Pink Golden Retriever

The back of your dog drawing is where the magic happens! Extend a curved line from the head going backward, curving sharply at the end.

This curved line will serve as the foundation for the back of your golden retriever. It's a crucial step in creating a balanced and realistic drawing.

Drawing the first back leg of your dog requires a slightly thicker and more rounded top portion compared to the bottom part, which should be thin and at a more pronounced angle.

The back leg will have a distinct shape, with the top portion being thicker and more rounded. This shape will help create a natural and lifelike appearance in your drawing.

As you add the back leg, remember to keep it in proportion to the rest of the dog's body. This will ensure that your drawing looks balanced and visually appealing.

The back leg should be positioned in a way that creates a sense of movement and flow in your drawing. This can be achieved by angling the leg slightly and making sure it's not too stiff or rigid.

Now that you've added the first back leg, you can move on to adding a fluffy tail that hangs down at the back of the dog. This will add a nice finishing touch to your drawing and bring it to life.

As you continue to draw your golden retriever's face, don't forget to add the neck and chest details.

To draw the dog's neck and chest, use overlapping and jagged curved lines. This will help create a natural and textured look.

Remember to observe your reference photo closely to see how the fur is arranged and growing. Start drawing the hair around the eyes from the root, working your way outward to create a sharp line at the end of each hair.

Adding details to your picture can make a big difference in bringing it to life.

To start, you can add texture to your background using layered colors. In Step 3 of "Create a Colorful Background", we saw how to create a layered color effect.

Use overlapping and jagged curved lines to draw the dog’s neck and chest, like we did in Step 8 of "Add More Details to Your Golden Retriever Face Picture". This will give your drawing some much-needed depth and dimension.

Remember, adding details is all about building on what you already have. Take a look at Step 2 of "Add More Details to Your Cartoon Character" for some tips on how to add subtle shading and highlights to your drawing.

The eye area is a delicate and intricate part of any portrait. Drawing the hair around the eyes requires careful attention to detail, so take a close look at your reference photo to observe how the fur is arranged and growing.

Start at the root of the hair and draw outward, mimicking the way the fur grows, to create a sharp line at the end of the hairs. This technique makes the hair look more natural and adds depth to the portrait.

You can use a variety of colors to build up the layers, just like in the example, where Prismacolor pencils are used with colors like Cream, Rose Peach, and Sienna Brown.

Related reading: What Does a Golden Retriever Dog Look like