Please PAUSE the "How to Draw an Asian Elephant" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

Written step-by-step video tutorial:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Draw a big circle as a guide for the elephant's body. First draw four small marks to indicate the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a glass, a cup or any other object with a circular edge. Elephants are big, so don't draw the circle too small. Leave enough room on the sides for the legs and head.

Step 2: Draw another circle on the right side as a guide for the elephant's head. Pay attention to the size of this circle in relation to the first one. It should be about one-third the size of the first one. This circle is also placed higher than the first one. Don't place them too far apart, otherwise the neck will be too long.

Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines (one vertical and one horizontal) inside the head. These are construction lines that will help you place the elephant's facial features later on.

Step 4: Use a few curved lines around the main circle to finish the shape of the elephant's body. First draw two curved lines that connect the head to the body to form the neck. Then draw a long curved line to the left of the main circle to make the shape of the body a bit bigger.

Step 5: Draw four long lines under the body as guides for the elephant's legs. The first line should be straight, while the second one should bend near the middle to indicate a forward step. The guide line on the leftmost side should bend bit too, but in the opposite direction of the rightmost line. The final guide line should be pretty straight and should have a diagonal orientation.