Step 20: Darken a few sections at the top of the body to create the base for the sail. Draw a series of lines inside the sail for the neural spines that are holding it up. Follow the shape of the dimetrodon's sail as you draw the lines. They should fan outward from the bottom. The lines should be disconnected. The path of the lines should be long in the middle and shorter on the sides.

Step 21: Darken the outer edges of the remaining guides to finish the shape of the dimetrodon's body and tail. As you darken the lines for the body, don't overlap the legs that are on this side.

Step 22: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Add some shading to your dimetrodon drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps to ground the dimetrodon so it doesn't appear to be floating.

You can add even more value throughout the body for extra detail. No one is exactly sure what dimetrodon looked like, so you can give your drawing stripes, spots or whatever you'd like! For this look, just cover the entire body in medium value. Don't worry about shading too smoothly. The gritty value gives the skin a rough texture. If you make the value for the body darker than the shadows, make the shadows darker too.

If you'd like, you can add some splotches of dark value to the dimetrodon's sail and body for some spots. As you add the value to the sail, use strokes that go in the direction of the neural spines. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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