In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Sleeping Fox step by step. Red Foxes have a long tail that is longer than half their body length! They often wrap their fluffy tail around their bodies when they sleep to keep warm.

 

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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.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

To draw a sleeping Fox 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 on the right side of the paper as a guide for the sleeping fox's head. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. 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: Draw a curved, horizontal line across the fox's head, near the bottom, to help you add facial features later. On top of that, draw a short, vertical line for another construction guide.

 

 

 

Step 3: Draw a small circle on the bottom part of the head as a guide for the sleeping fox's muzzle. The bottom edge of this circle should be outside the larger circle. Pay attention to the size of this small circle in relation to the rest of the head.

 

Step 4: On top of the head, draw two small, triangle-like shapes as guides for the fox's ears. Don't draw the ears too close together at the top. There should be a pretty big space between them.

 

 

 

Step 5: Now add the guide for the fox's body by first making a small mark far off on the left side. Draw a line that starts at the ear and then stretches to the left and curves down to meet the small mark. The farther left you made the initial mark, the longer the body will be. Now draw a longer line at the bottom. Curve the line and continue to draw it to the right. Continue drawing this line until its tip is around the right edge of the head. Now angle the line back up toward the muzzle to finish the guide for the sleeping fox's body and tail.

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

 

Step 6: Draw the sleeping fox's closed eyes inside the head as small, dark, slit-like lines. Use the construction lines and the small circle as guides to determine the position of the eyes. Place the eyes above the horizontal line, on either side of the vertical line and right on the edge of the small circle. Don't draw the lines for the closed eyes too long or too far apart.

 

 

 

Step 7: Lightly sketch a U- shaped line directly below the main circle for the fox's nose. This line should be confined inside the smaller circle. Pay attention to its size relative to the head. When you get the shape right, darken the sides and curve them inward to create the nostrils. Darken the bottom edge and add a small vertical line at the bottom. Use a series of short strokes to darken the top edge and simulate fur.

 

Step 8: Under the nose, draw a line that's somewhat parallel to the small circle for the muzzle. The line should end directly on the edge of the main circle. Below that line, draw a shorter curved line for the fox's chin/lower jaw.

 

 

 

Step 9: Use the triangular shape on the top, left side of the head as a guide to draw the fox's first ear. Use a series of short strokes along the path of the guide to create the furry shape of the ear. Add longer strokes within the shape for the inner ear structure and fur.

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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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