Please PAUSE the "How to Draw an Elephant Seal" 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 on the left side of the paper as a guide for the front part of the elephant seal's body. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're having a hard time drawing the circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge.

 

Step 2: Draw a smaller circle to the right as a guide for the back section of the seal's body. This circle should be about one-third the size of the first one. Pay attention to the distance between the circles.

 

Step 3: On the top, left side, draw another circle as a guide for the elephant seal's head. This circle should be about the same size as the second circle. Don't draw it too high up.

 

Step 4: Connect the circles using a series of curved lines to form the shape of the body. First use two sloping lines on the left side to create the shape of the neck. Then draw two longer, curved horizontal lines in the middle to create the elephant seal's thick torso.

 

Step 5: On the lower, left side of the body, draw a line that is similar to the letter V on its side as a guide for the seal's flipper. On the left side, draw a line that's similar to a long letter U on its side as a guide for the hind flipper.

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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: Inside the head, near the right edge, lightly sketch a small oval for the elephant seal's eye. When you get the placement and shape right, darken the lines. Make the top and bottom pointier. Shade the inside of the eye except for a tiny circle to represent glare. Use a slightly darker value near the middle of the eye for the pupil. Draw a couple of lines around the eye for the wrinkles.

 

Step 7: On the top part of the circle, lightly sketch two small arcs for the top of the elephant seal's unique nose. Pay attention to the placement of these lines in relation to the eye. The lines should be similar to a curved letter M. When you get the shapes and placement right, darken the lines. At the bottom, curve the line back up to form the tip of the nose that will overlap the seal's open mouth. The tip of this line should end very close to the top edge of the initial circle.

 

Step 8: Under the nose, draw a curved line for the open mouth. This line should curve to the left and end at the edge of the initial circle. At the bottom of the line, draw two small triangle- like shapes for the seal's bottom teeth. Above the teeth, draw couple of curved lines for the other side of the open mouth and the tongue. Draw a couple of curved lines under the mouth for the jaw/chin.

 

Step 9: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the rest of the elephant seal's head. Make the right side bulgier. Add a series of lines on the left side for the wrinkles under the chin. These folds of skin should follow the basic path of the initial circle. Add a few more lines around the nose for extra wrinkles. To the right of the nose, draw a few short, vertical lines for a few whiskers.

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Step 10: Use the V-shaped line on the left as a guide to draw the elephant seal's front flipper. Basically darken the shape of the guide but make it curvier. Along the bottom edge of the flipper, draw a series of tiny circle-like shapes for the nails. Add a few tiny lines above the nails for detail on the flipper. Don't draw the top of the flipper too far inside the circle.

 

Step 11: Use the shape on the right as a guide to draw the seal's hind flipper. Darken the guide but make it curvier. Add a few lines on the right side for extra detail.

 

Step 12: Use the remaining lines as a guide to draw the rest of the body. Darken the left side of the guides to create the neck. As you darken the top of the neck, add a few curved lines along the path of the guides for the folds of skin. Now darken the outer edge of the guides to finish the shape of the elephant seal's body. As you draw the body, make sure you don't overlap the lines for the flippers. The top line should extend to the left of the initial circle and end at the top of the hind flipper. Add a few more curved lines on the left side of the neck for more wrinkles.

 

Step 13: Draw the visible portion of the flippers on the other side of the elephant seal's body. For the front flipper, draw a line that's similar to a less-than sign (<) on the left side of the body. For the hind flipper, draw a wavy line that's parallel to the first hind flipper.

 

Step 14: 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 elephant seal 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. Add the value lightly at first, then gradually build up to the level of darkness that you want.

Add even more value throughout your drawing for extra detail. Elephant seals are basically gray, so just add a medium value to the entire body. If the value you're using for the body gets too dark, just make the shadows darker too. Add the value smoothly for a wet, shiny elephant seal or add it roughly for a seal covered in sand.

Use a lighter value in a few sections near the top for highlights. You can also leave larger sections on the body blank to represent wet skin. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Use strokes that go in the same direction. If you use strokes from multiple directions, the shading might look messy. Continue shading until the elephant seal's entire body is covered in value. It's always a good idea to use reference for a more accurate drawing.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the elephant seal so it doesn't appear to be floating. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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