How to Draw a Pachycephalosaurus
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Pachycephalosaurus" 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 small circle as a guide for the pachycephalosaurus dinosaur's body. First make four small marks to indicate its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. If you're struggling drawing the circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge.
Step 2: Draw another circle on the right the same way. This will be a guide for the back of the pachycephalosaurus's body. This circle should be slightly bigger than the first one, and their edges should touch. Don't draw the circles higher or lower. Draw them at the same level.
Step 3: Draw yet another circle on the left side as a guide for the pachycephalosaurus's head. This circle should be smaller than the others. There should also be a small space between it and the first circle.
Step 4: Draw two intersecting lines inside the head. These construction lines will help you place the dinosaur's facial features later.
Step 5: Draw two small arcs under the head as guides for the pachycephalosaurus's muzzle. They should be similar to the letter U. The inner line of the arcs should be flat. The arc on the right should be smaller.
Step 6: Under the first circle, draw two short lines as guides for the dinosaur's front limbs. The first line should bend a bit.
Step 7: Under the second circle, draw two longer lines as guides for the hind legs. Pay attention to where the lines angle and bend. This indicates where the joints will be later. The second line should be shorter because the pachycephalosaurus will be stepping forward charging.
Step 8: Draw two short lines that connect the head to the body to form the guide for the neck. Connect the first two circles with longer lines to form the guide for the rest of the dinosaur's body.
Step 9: Starting on the top, right side of the body, draw a long, wavy line for the first part of the tail. Then draw another line that starts on the lower, right side and meets the first line to form the bottom part of the tail. Notice how long the tail is compared to the pachycephalosaurus's body. Be sure to make the base thick and the tip narrow and pointy.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 10: Inside the head on the lower, left side, draw a small oval for the pachycephalosaurus's eye. Use the initial lines as guides for the eye's placement. Inside the shape, draw a curved line for the eyeball and a tiny dot for the pupil. Shade the eyeball and use a value that's lighter than the pupil.
Step 11: Draw a few curved lines around the eye for the skin's wrinkles. Add the thick brow above the eye by first lightly drawing a curved line. Then darken the brow using a series of curved lines along the path of the lightly sketched line. The pachycephalosaurus's brow is spiky, so use semi- circular shapes to emphasize it. Add a few lines within the brow to represent the pointy shapes.
Step 12: Use the small arcs below the head as guides to draw the muzzle. Darken the path of the guides but don't draw all the way to the top. This will make the muzzle shorter. Add curved lines at the top for the skin that's attached to the open mouth. The lower jaw should be smaller. Darken the insides to emphasize the open mouth. Draw a short, curved line in the open mouth for the pachycephalosaurus's tongue.
Step 13: Draw a series of spike- like shapes along the top part of the muzzle. The base of these shapes should be round and the top part pointy. Follow the basic path of the guide as you draw the bony shapes of the pachycephalosaurus's muzzle. Stagger the shapes so that they're not too uniform.
Step 14: Continue drawing a series of spike-like shapes across the dinosaur's head. The shapes are basically short triangles with a round bottom. Use the initial construction lines as guides to place the crown of horns. Make the spiky shapes bigger the farther back on the head they are. Add more spikes on the sides to make more rows. Stagger the shapes so that they're not too neat and orderly.
Step 15: Use the remaining shapes and lines as guide to draw the rest of the head. Darken the path of the initial circle to create the bony top part of the head that was likely use as a battering ram. Add a few more spike-like shapes inside the pachycephalosaurus's head to emphasize the armor.
Step 16: Use the first line from the left under the body as a guide to draw the first arm. Follow the path of the guide as you draw the shape of the arm around it. Sketch lightly at first. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. Use curved lines for the dinosaur's muscles. At the end of the arm, draw a series of short V-shaped lines for the digits.
Step 17: Use the short line on the right as a guide to draw the other arm the same way. Draw the shape of the arm around the guide and add the digits at the bottom.
Step 18: Use the rightmost line as a guide to draw the first hind leg. Follow the basic path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. Make the top part of the pachycephalosaurus's leg thick and then gradually make it thinner toward the bottom. Bend the shape of the leg where the guide is bent for the joints. Use curved lines for the muscle definition. When you get the structure of the leg right, darken the lines. At the bottom, draw a couple of shapes similar to less-than signs (<) for the toes.
Step 19: Use the final line under the body as a guide to draw the pachycephalosaurus's other hind leg. Follow the path of the guide as you draw the leg around it. Pay attention to the joints and how the leg bends. The dinosaur is charging forward, so the leg is raised. Therefore, only draw the visible bottom half.
Step 20: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the pachycephalosaurus's body and tail. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body and tail. If you made your initial guides too thin or wide, now is the time to correct them to give your dinosaur the proper body shape. Add a few quick, short strokes inside the body for extra detail.
Step 21: 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 pachycephalosaurus 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. Don't worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the skin a rough and bumpy texture.
Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the pachycephalosaurus so it doesn't appear to be floating.
You can add even more value throughout your pachycephalosaurus drawing for extra detail. For a rough, scaly texture, draw random tiny, squiggly lines throughout the body. This process may seem more intricate than it actually is. Don't overthink it. Just add the squiggly lines randomly all over the dinosaur's body.
No one is exactly sure what a pachycephalosaurus looked like, so you can shade yours however you'd like. You can even color it! If you'd like, you can leave the top part of the head blank to emphasize it. Add stripes using a darker value. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.
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