How to Draw a Deer (Color) VIDEO & Step-by-Step Pictures

In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw and color a Noble Deer step-by-step.
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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.
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The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:
To draw and this Noble Deer step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.
The 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 circle near the middle of the paper as a guide for the front part of the deer's body. To draw the circle, first make four small marks to determine its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a small, circular object like a coin or a lid. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: Make a small mark on the far left to determine the length of the back part of the deer's body. Connect the mark to the circle using curved lines to create a big arc for the back of the body. Pay attention to the size of this arc in relation to the circle. It should be pretty big.

Step 3: On the top, right side, draw another circle as a guide for the deer's head. This circle should be about one-fourth the size of the first circle. Use the four-marks method to draw it. Don't draw the head too close to the body, otherwise the deer's neck will be too short.

Step 4: Draw a horizontal line across the head to help you place the deer's facial features later. Draw a shorter, vertical construction guide line on the top, right side.

Step 5: Draw a small circle on the lower, right side of the head as a guide for the muzzle. Pay attention to the size of this circle in relation to the deer's head. Part of this circle should be outside of the head.

Step 6: On top of the head, draw a two long, curved lines as guides for the deer's antlers. The lines should curve up and outward away from the middle. The longer you draw these lines, the bigger the antlers will be.

Step 7: On the sides of the head, near the antlers, draw two small arcs as guides for the deer's ears. Don't make these shapes too small. Make them a bit pointy at the top.

Step 8: Draw two curved lines that connect the head to the body to create the guide for the deer's neck.

Step 9: Draw two long lines under the first circle as guides for the deer's front legs. Pay attention the length of these lines in relation to the rest of the body. Sketch lightly so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. The lines should slope inward a bit.

Step 10: Draw two long lines under the back portion of the deer's body as guides for the hind legs. The first line should slope to the left. Bend the line to indicate where the joints will be. The second line should slope more toward the right at the bottom. The bottoms should be far apart.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 11: Draw two small circles inside the head for the deer's eyes. Use the construction lines as guides for the position and size of the eyes. Add a few longer, curved lines around the circles for eyelashes and the corners of the eyes. The eye on the right should be a bit narrower than the one on the left because of the angle of the head.

Step 12: Shade the eyes except for a tiny circle to represent highlight. Use a lighter value near the bottom of the eye to give it a rounder look. Draw a series of short strokes above each eye for the fur on the brow. Draw a couple of lines under the deer's eyes for extra detail.

Step 13: Lightly sketch a small, square-like shape inside the deer's muzzle for the nose. Pay attention to the size and position of this shape inside the original circle. When you get the size and shape right, darken the lines. Curve the sides inward to create the deer's nostrils. Darken the top edge but make it more curved than the initial shape. Make the bottom part narrower than the original sketched shape.

Step 14: Draw a horizontal line under the nose for the deer's mouth. Curve the line up toward the nose on the right side. At the bottom, follow the curvature of the initial circle for the chin. Draw a couple of lines on the top, right side of the nose and on the left to complete the muzzle.

Step 15: Darken the arcs on the deer's head to create the ears. Make the base of the ear on the left longer so that the lines go into the head more. Draw a series of short strokes within the shapes for the fur found inside the ears.

Step 16: Use the bigger circle as a guide to draw the rest of the deer's head. Darken the top edge of the circle but add bumps where the antler guides are. Follow the path of the circle on the right side but make the shape of the head a bit narrower. Add a few lines along the circle's edge on the left side for the deer's jaw.

Step 17: Use the long lines on top of the head as guides to draw the deer's antlers. Follow the guide and darken the lines. Make the shape thick at the bottom and gradually narrower at the top. Don't make the overall shape too thick, otherwise they'll start to look like moose antlers. Draw the antler on the right the same way. Darken the guide and make the shape thicker. Make the bottom part wide. Then gradually make the shape thinner until you end at a pointy tip.

Step 18: Draw three thin, short, pointy shapes along the antler on the left for the branches. Separate the branches apart so that one is near the top, one is in the middle and one is near the bottom. Different species of deer have different antlers, so you can add more branches or branches on the branches if you'd like.

Step 19: Draw three branches on the antler on the right as well. Separate the branches so that they are equally spread along the deer's main antler. For this antler, the top branches are on the right side and the bottom branch is on the left.

Step 20: Use the second line from the right as a guide to draw the deer's first front leg. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. Draw a couple of bumps along the shape of the leg to represent the joints. Don't make the leg too thick. Keep the edges of the leg close to the guide. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. The top of the leg should be wide and the bottom thin. Add a line at the bottom to split the hoof.

Step 21: Use the line on the right as a guide to draw the other front leg the same way. Lightly sketch the deer's leg around the guide. Keep the lines close to the guide to make the leg skinny. Draw a couple of bumps along the leg as you draw the shape for the joints. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Make the bottom of the leg blocky and draw a line through it to split the hoof.

Step 22: Use the angled line on the far left as a guide to draw the first hind leg. Draw this leg the same way. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the deer's leg around it. This leg slopes to the left before angling down near the middle. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. The top part of this leg should be a lot wider than the top part of the front leg. The bottom part should bend downward to create the blocky hoof.

Step 23: Use the line to the right as a guide to draw the deer's last leg the same way. Lightly sketch the leg around the guide and darken the lines when you get the shape right. This leg should bend near the middle and then slope to the right a bit.

Step 24: Darken the lines under the head to create the deer's neck. Use a series of short strokes along the guides to create a furry texture. Add a few short fur strokes inside the shape too.

Step 25: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the deer's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. As you darken the lines, don't overlap the legs that are on this side of the body.

Step 26: Go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Take your time and be careful when you ink to avoid any accidents. After the ink dries, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

Final Step: Color your deer drawing! Use brown as the base for the entire body. Add the color lightly at first and slowly build up to the level of brown that you like. Lightly blend in some dark brown. Leave the area around the eyes, the muzzle, the ears and the underside blank. Slowly build up the color of the deer's coat using different shades of brown, yellow and even red blended together.
This process can be slow, so be patient and take breaks. Use a bit of light yellow on the antlers and face. Use darker brown on the nose and eyes. Leave a strip on the nose blank for highlight. Use dark brown to add some shadows and to emphasize the shapes of the deer's body. Gradually push harder on the colors to blend them in. Keep adding different shades of brown.
It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw for a more accurate depiction of a deer. Use more dark brown throughout the body for shadows to give the figure more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source so that all the shadows are consistent with it. Use a bit of gray under the body for a cast shadow. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.
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