Step 10: Use the triangular shape on the top, right side of the head as a guide to draw the fox's other ear the same way. Use short strokes along the path of the guide and longer strokes on the inside of the ear.
Step 11: Draw a few short strokes along the top edge of the main circle to begin defining the fox's head. On the left side of the circle, draw a long line that bulges outward and that's made up of short strokes for the left half of the head. Don't make the short strokes bulge out too much. Just curve them to create the cheek's shape. Use a series of short strokes to add the right side of the fox's head the same way.
The bottom sides of the head should end at the muzzle. Use the initial circles as guides for placement. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. When you get the shape of the fox's head right, darken the lines. Add a few more short strokes inside the head, along the muzzle, to emphasize the fur's color separation.
Step 12: Draw a series of short strokes along the path of the guide below the head to create the sleeping fox's fluffy tail. To the left of the head, draw a line that's made up of short strokes for the top edge of the tail. Continue adding the short strokes along the guide on the left side to finish the shape of the tail.
Step 13: Use the rest of the initial curved line as a guide to draw the rest of the body. Simply use short strokes along the path of the initial guide line to create the shape of the body. The longer you make these strokes, the shaggier the fox's fur will appear, so don't draw them too long. Above the head, draw a curved line that's made up of short strokes for part of the back. To the left of the head, draw a curved, vertical line for the top part of the folded hind leg.
Step 14: Carefully go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Don't push down too hard with your pen. Ink lightly for less pronounced lines.
After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing. Erase as much as you can of the pencil marks so that the graphite won't muddy the colors in the next step.
Final Step: Color your sleeping fox drawing! Use black for the outer edges of the ears and the nose. Leave a thin strip along the top of the nose blank to represent shine. Use dark brown throughout the body to create shadows. Most of the shadows will be along the bottom.
Now use different shades of red, orange and brown right on top of each other for the fur. For a more fur-like texture, use individual strokes to color instead of big solid blocks of color. Also use strokes that go in the general direction of the fox's fur. Leave the lower half of the head and the tip of the tail blank for the white fur found there. Add color lightly at first and gradually build to the level of darkness that you like.
Use red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, brown, dark brown, light brown etc., right on top of each other to build up the sleeping fox's fur. This process can be quite time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Use a bit of gray on the white section of the fur for more shadows. You can actually stop here if you want a more sketchy drawing, otherwise continue adding the colors on top of each other. Vary the pressure on your pencils to get different shades from an individual color.
You can break up the coloring process by coloring different sections at a time. Do the fox's head now, and then come back later and do the tail and so on. Notice how the strokes curve to create a circular pattern along the left side of the body and toward the tail. As the color starts to build, keep the darker colors closer to the shadows and the lighter colors closer to the highlights.
At the bottom, use a bit of gray and dark brown to create a shadow and ground the fox. Use different shades of brown in the shadow. Use a bit of purple too. Make the edges of the shadow lighter. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.
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