How to Draw Mosasaurus
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw Mosasaurus" 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 two circles as guides for the first part of mosasaurus' body. First draw four small marks for 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 circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. The circle on the right should be smaller and should be placed lower than the one on the left. The farther apart you place your circles, the longer your mosasaurus will be.
Step 2: Draw an arc on the left side of the circle on the left for the second part of the guide for the body. The resulting shape of the arc and the circle combined should look similar to an egg. Now draw another similar arc to the right of the circle on the right. The resulting shape should also be similar to an egg but pointing in the opposite direction. Draw two lines that connect the two egg-like shapes to complete the guide for the mosasaurus' body.
Step 3: Draw a thin, long arc on the top left side of the body as a guide for the first part of the mosasaurus' head. Sketch lightly at first to get the size and position of the guide right. Pay attention to the size of this arc in relation to the rest of the dinosaur's body.
Step 4: Draw another thin, long arc under the first one as the guide for the dinosaur's open lower jaw. This arc should be a bit thinner than the top one. The resulting shape of the mosasaurus' head should be similar to a greater-than sign (>).
Step 5: Draw a curved line on the top right side of the body as the first part of the guide for the tail. The shape of the line should be similar to an imperfect letter S. Sketch lightly at first to get the curvature right. The longer you make this line, the longer the mosasaurus' tail will be.
Step 6: Draw another curved, S- like line under the first one to complete the guide for the mosasaurus' tail. The tip of the tail should come to a point. The middle section should be thinner than the base and the section just before the tip.
Step 7: Draw a small U-shaped line that's tilted diagonally under the first circle as a guide for the front flipper. Add a smaller curved line to the right of it as a guide for the other front flipper. Draw another U-shaped line under the body on the right side near the base of the tail as a guide for the mosasaurus' hind flipper. Add a smaller curved line to the right as a guide for the hind flipper on the other side.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 8: Draw a tiny circle near the middle of the arc at the top for the eye. Darken the sides of the circle to create the corner of the eyes and draw an even tiner dot in the middle for the pupil. Shade the inside of the mosasaurus' eye. Use a value that's ligther than the pupil. Draw a curved line close to the eye at the top and bottom for the eyelids. Draw a longer line above the eye for the thick brow. Add another line at the top to make the brow even thicker. Add a few more curved lines under the eye to give the dinosaur's skin more texture.
Step 9: Draw a series of V-shaped lines along the bottom part of the top arc for the row of teeth. Separate the mosasaurus' teeth a bit. Don't draw them all the way to the right side where the arc ends.
Step 10: Use the initial thin, long arc as a guide to draw the mosasaurus' muzzle. Follow the basic path of the arc but make the shape bumpier as you darken the line. Make the bottom part bumpy too, especially where the mouth meets the teeth. Add a few lines above the teeth to give the dinosaur's skin extra rough texture.
Step 11: Use the arc on the bottom as a guide to draw the mosasaurus' lower jaw. Make the top line less bumpy than the head but a bit more wavy. Make the bottom line wavy too and add an extra curved line on the right for the skin folds.
Step 12: Add a row of small triangle-like shapes across the mosasaurus' bottom jaw for the teeth. Space the teeth apart and add a few lines below them within the jaw to give the skin more texture.
Step 13: Draw a few short vertical lines for the bit of skin that connects the mosasaurus' jaws. Add a couple of curved lines above the teeth for the tongue and the other side of the jaw. Draw a series of small triangle- like shapes on top of the curved line for the teeth on the other side.
Step 14: Add a series of lines within the shape of the mosasaurus' head to give the skin more texture. Add some lines to the right of the eye to emphasize the shape of the cranium. Don't overdo it with the lines, otherwise they'll start to look like fur. Add some at the bottom too.
Step 15: Use the U-shaped lines on the left side as guides to draw the dinosaur's front flippers. Follow the path of the guides as you darken the lines but make the bottom part wavier. Add a few curved lines above the base of the flippers for the folds of skin. Darken the curved line on the right to create the mosasaurus' other front flipper.
Step 16: Use the U-shaped line on the right side as guides to draw the mosasaurus' hind flippers. Follow the path of the guide but make the top part thinner and add some curved lines at the base for the skin. Darken the last U-shaped line to create the other hind flipper.
Step 17: Draw a series of triangle- like shapes across the top part of the body to create the jagged spikes. Don't make the mosasaurus' spikes too tall. Keep them pretty close to the body. The spikes don't all have to look exactly the same. It's okay to have some size variation. Stop drawing the spikes at about the base of the tail. We'll continue drawing them in the next step. Darken the bottom guide to create the underside of the dinosaur's body.
Step 18: Continue drawing the triangle-like spikes across the top part of the body toward the mosasaurus' tail. When you get to about the middle part, cut across the tail with the spikes instead of following the top path of the guide. Continue adding the spikes on the right edge of the guide, and then cut across the tail to the left edge again. When you get to the left edge of the tail again, continue adding the spikes there. Drawing the spikes this way helps emphasize the flatness of the dinosaur's tail. Make the spikes near the end a bit bigger.
Step 1: Darken the remaining curved guide lines to the right of the body to finish the rest of the mosasaurus' tail.
Step 20 (optional): 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 that you may have accidentally erased.
Final Step (optional): Add some shading throughout your mosasaurus drawing for extra detail. Use a medium value all over the body. Wherever there are detail lines, like around the eyes, use a darker value. Use a slightly lighter value above the brow and on top of the body to create highlights. The mosasaurus from Jurassic World was gray, but no one really knows what they looked like, so you can shade yours any way you want! Don't worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the skin a gritty texture.
Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Make the flippers on the other side of the body darker. Add a few more triangle-like shapes on top of the dinosaur's body for more spikes. Use a darker value on the underside of the body to give it more dimension and volume. Remember to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.
Thanks for watching! Subscribe to the How2DrawAnimals YouTube Channel for a new tutorial every Tuesday.
To learn how to draw popular cartoon characters, visit EasyDrawingTutorials.com.
RELATED TUTORIALS
 |
 |
 |