How to Draw a Carnotaurus
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Carnotaurus" 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 circle near the bottom left of the page as a guide for the first part of the carnotaurus' body. First draw four small marks to indicate the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. If you do want to draw a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a cup, a lid or any other object with a circular edge.
Step 2: Draw a half-circle on the left as a guide for the top part of the carnotaurus' head. First draw a slightly tilted horizontal line. Then draw a curved line on top for the top part of the half-circle. Sketch lightly at first to get the shape right. Pay attention to the size of the half circle in relation to the first circle. They should be close together too.
Step 3: Draw a curved line under the half- circle for the bottom half of the carnotaurus' head or jaw. This curved line should be similar to the letter V that's slightly tilted.
Step 4: Use a series of lines to complete the rest of the guides for the dinosaur's body. First draw two lines that connect the head to the body to form the neck. Then draw a big arc on the right side of the first circle for the second part of the body. First make a small mark to indicate the height of the arc. Then use curved lines to connect the body to the mark to complete the arc.
Step 5: Draw an angled line under the body as a guide for the carnotaurus' first leg. Bend the line to indicate where the leg's joints will be. The line should be similar to an angled letter S. Add a couple of short lines at the bottom as guides for the toes. Add another angled line on the left as a guide for the dinosaur's other hind leg.
Step 6: Draw a long curved line on the top right side of the body as a guide for the top part of the carnotaurus' tail. The tail needs to be long to act as a counterbalance to the front part of the body and head.
Step 7: Now draw another curved line under the first one for the bottom part of the carnotaurus' tail. The tail should come to a point at the tip, and it should be wide at the base. Add a short horizontal line inside the body, near the bottom, as a guide for the tiny forelimb.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 8: Lightly sketch a small circle inside the dinosaur's head, on the upper right side, for the eye. When you get the placement of the eye right, darken the circle. Add dark sections on the sides for the corners of the eye. Inside the eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle to represent glare. In the middle, add a dot for the pupil. Draw a long curved line above the carnotaurus' eye to represent the thick, bony brow. Add a few smaller lines around the eye to represent the folds of skin.
Step 9: On top of the head, draw the feature that sets the carnotaurus apart from other dinosaurs: the horns! The horns are basically shaped like triangles but are rounder at the bottom corners and the sides curve more. Place the first horn right on top of the edge of the initial half circle, above the top right side of the eye. Under the horn, draw a series of curved lines to indicate the skin where the bone is protruding from. Draw the second horn the same way but make it a bit smaller and point it in the other direction. Add a few curved lines under it as well for the fleshy base.
Step 10: Use the initial half-circle as a guide to draw the top half of the carnotaurus' head. Follow the basic path of the half- circle as you darken the lines but make the shape of the head more jagged. To create the top part of the dinosaur's open mouth, follow the guide but make the line more wavy. On the left side of the head, draw a slit-like line for the nostril. Add a curved line above it for structure.
Step 11: Use the curved line at the bottom as a guide to draw the shape of the carnotaurus' jaw. Follow the basic path of the guide as you draw the jaw but make the lines curvier. Draw the open mouth as a curved line that follows the same basic path of the jaw. This line shouldn't continue up toward the head but instead should stop on the lower left side.
Step 12: Draw a series of small V- shaped lines along the top part of the carnotaurus' mouth for the teeth. The teeth should vary in size a bit. The row of teeth should stop before it hits the end of the mouth on the right. Now draw a series of small triangle- like shapes along the bottom edge of the mouth for the lower row of teeth. Curve the row of teeth up toward the head along the mouth. The teeth should stay inside the mouth.
Step 13: Draw a small line on the right for the bit of skin that connects the mouth. Use a series of lines inside for the carnotaurus' tongue. The back of the tongue is made up of two curved lines overlapping each other. The front of the tongue comes to a point.
Step 14: Draw an angled line above the eye to give the brow a more bony structure. Add a line to the right of the nostril to emphasize the shape of the carnotaurus' cranium. Draw a few more lines to the right of the eye and horns to complete the shape of the head.
Step 15: Use the line under the body, on the right, as a guide to draw the leg that's on this side. Follow the basic path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. The leg should be thick at the top and thin at the bottom. Use curved lines to indicate the muscle structure. When you get the shape of the carnotaurus' leg right, darken the lines.
The middle section of the leg should be thick on the left and gradually thin as it slopes down to indicate the leg receding back. Use the three small lines at the bottom as guides to draw the toes. First draw a diamond-like shape at the tip for the claw. Then follow the basic path of the guide as you make the shape of the toe thicker. Draw the dinosaur's other toes the same way. Start with a diamond-like claw, then draw the toes around it.
Step 16: Use the short horizontal line inside the body as a guide to draw the carnotaurus' small vestigial forelimb. Simply make the shape of the arm thicker and add a few small, angled lines on the right for the claws.
Step 17: Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the carnotaurus' body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. As you darken the top part of the body, use a series of jagged lines to create a spiky ridge. Make the spikes different sizes. Add a couple of small lines on the neck to indicate a vein.
Step 18: Use the angled line under the body as a guide to draw the leg on the other side. Follow the basic path of the guide as you make the shape of the leg thicker. When you get the structure of the carnotaurus' leg right, darken the lines. The top part should be thicker than the bottom. Draw the claws on the tip of the toes using curved lines that come to a point. Only two of the claws should be visible from this angle. Darken the rest of the leg.
Step 19: Continue to draw the jagged line on top of the tail for the spiky ridge. Then darken the remaining lines to finish up the shape of the carnotaurus' tail.
Step 20: 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 carnotaurus drawing to give it more dimension and volume. The value inside the mouth and under the brow should be extra dark. 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. Shading can be very time- consuming, so be patient and take breaks.
Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the dinosaur so it doesn't appear to be floating.
You can add even more value throughout your dinosaur drawing for extra detail. No one knows for sure what the carnotaurus looked like, so you can add stripes, spots, anything you want! For a striped pattern like this, use a darker value to create spike- like shapes across the back.
Use a medium value for the rest of the body. Don't shade too smoothly. The rough value adds a scaly texture. It's believed that, unlike a lot of other dinosaurs, the carnotaurus may not have had feathers! Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.
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