Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Dilophosaurus" 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 half-circle on the left side as a guide for the top part of the Dilophosaurus' head. First draw a wide arc for the top part of the half-circle, then add a straight line under it for the bottom part. The half-circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. Leave enough room on the sides for the rest of the dinosaur's body.

 

Step 2: Draw two intersecting lines inside the Dilophosaurus' head to help you place the facial features later. Curve the lines a bit so that they contour to the shape of the half-circle.

 

Step 3: Draw a long arc similar to the letter U under the head as a guide for the Dilophosaurus' lower jaw. The height of the jaw should be a bit longer than the height of the half-circle.

 

Step 4: Draw a big circle around the head as a guide for the Dilophosaurus' open frill. First draw four marks around the head for the height and width of the circle. The marks should be about equal distance to the head. Now connect the mark using curved lines to complete the shape of the circle. Sketch the lines lightly at first so that they're easy to erase if you make a mistake. When you get the shape right, darken them. The bigger the circle is, the bigger the dinosaur's frill will be. It doesn't have to be perfect either. It's just a guide. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a glass, a lid or anything else that's circular.

 

Step 5: Draw an angled line that looks similar to the number 7 on the lower right side of the big circle as a guide for the dinosaur's first arm. Pay attention to the size of this line in relation to the frill. Add an extra line at the bottom that makes it look like the letter Z. Draw a smaller angled line to the left as a guide for the Dilophosaurus' other front arm.

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Step 6: Draw a smaller circle to the right of the frill as a guide for the back portion of the body. The front part of the Dilophosaurus' body will be blocked by the frill, so don't worry about drawing a guide for it.

 

Step 7: Draw another pair of angled lines under the circles as guides for the Dilophosaurus' legs. The first line shoud be basically vertical but should bend back near the middle for the joint before going down again. The other line should be similar to a greater-than sign (>). It's okay if the line overlaps with the line for the arm.

 

Step 8: Draw a couple of long, curved lines to the right of the body as guides for the Dilophosaurus' tail. The first line should start on the top right side of the body and curve up until it's at the same height as the frill. The second line should start near the bottom of the body and meet the first line at the top to form a pointy tip. These lines should be about as long as the entire body. The longer you make them, the longer the dinosaur's tail will be.

 

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

 

Step 9: Lightly sketch the Dilophosaurus' eyes inside the head, on the sides. Use the construction lines to help you with placement. The shapes of the eyes should be similar to half-circles that are slightly tilted. When you get the position and shape of the dinosaur's eyes right, darken the lines.

Draw a short, diagonal line over each eye for the Dilophosaurus' heavy brow. Inside each eye, draw a small dot for the pupils. Add a tiny circle off to the side to represent glare. Add a small curved line under each eye for the lower eyelid. Draw a wavy line high above each eye for the bony outer structure. Add a line below each eye too so that the bony structure envelopes the eyes.

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Step 10: Draw the crest on the right by first lightly sketching an arc that's slightly tilted. Pay attention to the angle and the height and width of the arc. When you get it right, darken the lines. Make the outline of the Dilophosaurus' crest a bit jagged and add an extra line within it to indicate the curvature of the shape.

 

Step 11: Lightly sketch another arc on the left side of the head that's tilting the opposite way for the Dilophosaurus' other crest. Draw a line in the middle of the arc, then darken the outline of the crest using a jagged line. Draw a few more lines near the bottom of the arc to indicate the shape turning away from the first arc.

 

Step 12: Draw two small curved lines under the horizontal construction line for the top ridge of the Dilophosaurus' nose. Draw two small triangle- like shapes under the small, curved lines and shade them in for the actual nostrils. Add a few more lines around the dinosaur's nostrils to emphasize the structure.

 

Step 13: Use the bottom part of the initial half- circle shape as a guide to draw the Dilophosaurus' top jaw. Follow the basic path of the guide but curve the section in the middle more and place it a bit higher than the guide. The sides of the top jaw should curve down below the guide. Add a few more lines within the shape of the top jaw to give it more structure.

 

Step 14: Draw a series of long triangle-like shapes directly under the top jaw for the Dilophosaurus' top row of teeth. Follow the path of the jaw as you draw the teeth. Make them different sizes to add variety. The row of teeth shouldn't stretch all the way to the sides of the top jaw.

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Step 15: Use the curved line under the head as a guide to draw the Dilophosaurus' lower jaw. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape of the jaw a bit more jagged as you darken the lines. Inside, draw another line that has a similar shape but smaller for the open mouth. Use the lower jaw as a guide to draw the shape of the dinosaur's open mouth. Leave a big enough space to draw the inside detail.

 

Step 16: Draw a few short lines on the sides of the mouth for the skin in between the jaws. Draw a series of small triangle-like shapes that line the bottom of the Dilophosaurus' mouth for the teeth.

 

Step 17: Draw a series of curved lines inside the Dilophosaurus' mouth for the tongue. The tongue should come to a rounded point at the bottom. Add some lines on the sides for the dinosaur's throat.

 

Step 18: Use the big circle around the head as a guide to draw the right part of the Dilophosaurus' open frill. First draw a diagonal line at the top of the head and a vertical line at the bottom to separate the two sides of the frill. Now follow the path of the circle as you draw a series of small curved lines to give the frill a spiky appearance. You can make the shape of the frill come out of the circle a bit so as to not make the shape too perfect. Vary the size of the small curved lines to make the spikes different sizes for a more organic feel.

 

Step 19: Draw another diagonal line above the head for the top part of the frill on the left side. Then add the series of small curved lines as you follow the path of the circle to make the Dilophosaurus' frill spiky. Make the curved lines different sizes to vary the sizes of the spikes.

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Step 20: Add a few lines within the shape of the frill for the folds of the skin. As you draw these, lines make sure to angle them correctly so that they radiate from the middle of the Dilophosaurus' head. The lines in the middle should be horizontal then become more diagonal as they move up and down on the frill until they're almost vertical.

 

Step 21: Use the angled lines under the frill as guides to draw the Dilophosaurus' arms. Follow the path of the guide shaped like a Z as you make the top part of the arm thicker. The arm is folded back toward the body. The top of the arm will overlap the bottom as it bends at the joint. The three digits also curve backward, so add three short curved lines at the bottom for the dinosaur's knuckles. Most of the digits are hidden behind the hand, but add the small visible one on the right side as a curved line.

Draw the Dilophosaurus' hand on the other side using the other anged line as a guide. The digits should point backward, so add a few curved lines on the right side of the hand for the visible digits.

 

Step 22: Use the angled line on the right as a guide to draw the Dilophosaurus' hind leg that's on this side of the body. Use long curved lines to make the top part of the leg thick. It should take up a big portion of the body. The bottom part of the dinosaur's leg should be thinner and placed off to the right so that the thicker top part appears to be in front of it.

Add a small dewclaw near the middle of the bottom part of the leg and start adding the toes at the bottom. Draw three curved lines at the bottom for the Dilophosaurus' toes. The toe on the right should point to the right while the other two should point down. On the tip of each toe, draw a short, curved spike for the sharp claw.

Draw the visible part of the other hind leg using the initial line as a guide. Draw the long middle toe and claw first. This foot is facing sideways, so not all three toes are visible. Just draw two and the small dewclaw. Don't overlap the lines for the dinosaur's hand and arm. The hind leg should be behind them.

 

Step 23: Use the remaining guides to draw the rest of the Dilophosaurus' body. Start by adding a curved line under the frill for the loose skin or dewlap. Then darken the outer path of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Darken the lines for the dinosaur's tail too. The tail should point up to counter balance the front part of the body and the head.

 

Step 24 (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 to your Dilophosaurus drawing to give it more dimension and volume. The inside of the mouth should be especially dark. As you shade the frill, use strokes that radiate from the center of the head toward the outer edge of the frill. Follow the path of the lines inside the frill as you shade. You can turn the paper around to make it easier. 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 a cast shadow underneath your Dilophosaurus dinosaur. This helps ground the dino so it doesn't appear to be floating. Use a darker value near the middle of the shadow and a lighter value along the edge for the shadow's diffusion.

You can add even more value throughout your Dilophosaurus drawing for extra detail. As you shade, use a series of tiny squiggly lines all over the face to give the skin a rough, scaly texture. Don't overthink it. Just add random tiny squiggly lines all over the face to create texture. When you shade the dinosaur's frill, remember to use strokes that radiate outward from the head to the edge of the frill. If you use strokes that go in different directions, there won't be as much emphasis of the frill fanning out. The pattern on the frill consists of random stripes everywhere. But you can make yours different if you'd like.

This is the Jurassic Park version of Dilophosaurus. There's no evidence that the real dinosaur had a frill. It's purely artistic license. You can do the same and shade your frill differently. Add a lighter value to the background of the frill so that the pattern stands out more. Like the head, shade the dinosaur's body using a series of tiny squiggly lines to give the skin a rough and scaly texture.

Adding the texture to the Dilophosaurus' skin can be very time- consuming, so be patient and take breaks. You can add the texture to different sections of the body at a time to break up the process. You can also add a darker value inside the body to create a striped pattern. Don't forget to pause the "How to Draw a Dilophosaurus Dinosaur" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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