How to Draw a Giraffe

When you think of a giraffe the first feature that comes to mind is its long neck. Beautiful and elegant, a giraffe is an amazing animal to draw. In this tutorial, we will take you step-by-step on how to draw a giraffe. We will create the outline, add the iconic pattern and breathe life into your drawing with some color.

Before you start, get your supplies ready. You can use any medium you have on hand like pencils, pastels, Procreate, Photoshop, etc to draw your giraffe. As we will be using Procreate, we will also be using a Procreate ink brush for the outlines. If you would rather use a different brush, we have a bunch of other texture brushes available.

Step 1 - Sketch Basic Shapes

Using a pencil or other material that is easy to remove, sketch the basic shapes for the giraffe. Start with an oval for the body, a long rectangle that narrows at the top for the neck, and a rounded triangle for the head.

Now sketch the legs, tail, and ears/bumps on the head. For the legs, sketch rectangles that narrow more to the bottom and another more straight-set below for the bottom half of the leg.

Step 2 - Add Curves to the shapes

Next, you are going to start sketching curves to get a more defined look around the head and neck. While adding curves and combining shapes, remember to use the basic shapes as a guide. They help with sizing, any overlapping lines e.g. at the jaw or where one bump (ossicones) is behind the other.

Now repeat this for the lower half of the body. Combine the basic shapes, then add curves to the body, legs and add a hoof shape. The best part of working with some materials is that you can always make corrections. In the next step, you will add the outlines with a more permanent/opaque medium.

Step 3 - Make the Outlines

In this step, we are switching to a more defined and permanent medium. Using your preferred medium, go over your sketch to make the giraffe outline. You are also going to add the mouth line, nose holes, ear detail, and hair on the tip of the tail.

Step 4 - Adding the Final Details

Now that your giraffe outline is done you can add the rest of the details. Add details to the face, a main, and the most important detail of a giraffe, the pattern. When drawing the pattern, we would recommend starting in the middle of the legs and working your way up to the head. The giraffe’s pattern is much smaller on the legs and gets bigger on the body and neck.

Step 5 - Color in the Giraffe

Now it’s time to add some color to your giraffe using a shader brush or any medium you have on hand. Starting with the lightest color, like cream or off-white, color in the whole giraffe. Next, use a brown to add color to the nose/mouth, middle of the head, and the pattern on the giraffe’s body.



We will use dark brown or black to add some shading for depth. Gradually add some shading to areas where the brown was applied. Use a light hand when shading to give a more realistic look. You can also add some extra shading to the rest of the body with brown or dark brown.

You have now learned to draw a giraffe! Next up, check out our guides on drawing a rose, drawing a pumpkin, or drawing a sunflower.