Use the step-by-step instructions below to learn how to draw a Cow. Follow along with the video, or use the images in this article. By the end of this tutorial, even beginners will have a completed drawing of this animal!

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To draw this cow step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to go at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step images below the video. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. 

Materials You'll Need Before starting, gather these basic drawing supplies from Blick Art Materials. If you choose to purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Pencils (an HB lead pencil is best for light sketches)	Kneaded Eraser	Drawing Paper
Black Ink Pen (or Fine-Line Marker)	Colored Pencils (or Markers)	Markers (or Colored Pencils)

Step 1: Create the Initial Guidelines Sketch, Starting with the Body

Start by drawing a circle as a guide for the front part of the body. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Proportional Circles

• Front Body Guide: Make a couple of small marks to indicate the height, then on the sides, make a couple more marks to indicate width. Connect the marks using curved lines. If you're having trouble, it's okay to trace the outer edge of a cup or lid.
• Back Body Guide: To the right, draw another circle using the same small marks method. This circle should be about 2/3 the size of the first circle.
• Head Guide: On the bottom left side, draw a smaller circle for the head. The cow will be grazing, so place this circle slightly below the other two. It should be about 1/4 or 1/5 the size of the first circle.

Step 2: Sketch the Facial Guides

With the main body shapes in place, now you can establish the basic structure for the head details.

Facial Features

• Muzzle: Below the head circle, make a small mark for the first part of the muzzle. Pay attention to the distance from the head, then connect the mark to the circle using a couple of curved lines.
• Construction Line: Draw a long vertical line across the entire head to help place the facial features later.
• Ears: On the top right side of the head, draw a small arc as a guide for the first ear, making it pretty big in relation to the head. To the left, draw another arc tilted slightly to the left for the other ear.

Step 3: Sketch the Legs and Feet Guides

Now sketch out the cow's limbs!

• Front Legs: Under the front part of the body, draw a long vertical line for the front leg, bending it slightly near the top to create a joint. The bottom tip should be somewhat level to the bottom edge of the muzzle. To the left, draw another vertical line for the second front leg.
• Hind Legs: Below the back portion of the body, draw another long vertical line for the hind leg. The legs should be very long in relation to the body. To the left, draw a tilted vertical line for the other hind leg.
• Torso and Neck: Connect the two body circles using a couple of shorter lines to finish the guide for the torso, curving the bottom line to create a big barrel-like shape. Connect the head to the body using a couple of sloping lines to form the neck guide, making the top line longer than the bottom line.

Step 4: Draw the Facial Details

It's time to work on the specific details of the face.

• The Eye: Inside the head, lightly sketch a small oval to the left of the construction guide. Keep the eye small in relation to the head. Once the size and position look right, darken the shape so it resembles a football. Inside, draw a tiny circle for a highlight and add a couple of curved lines around the eye for skin creases. Emphasize the brow shape with a slightly longer curved line above, and add a small curved line at the bottom.
• The Muzzle: Draw the shape of the muzzle along the path of your initial guideline at the bottom, making the left side slightly more angular for the nostril. Inside the muzzle, draw a thin pointy shape for the nostril itself. Curve the line up on the right side to create the mouth, then add a shorter angled line to the right for the visible section of the lower lip.
• The Ears: Darken the arc on the top right side of the head to finalize the first ear, making it slightly narrower at the bottom than your guideline. Draw a couple of short lines within the shape for the opening and furry texture. Repeat this process to darken the arc on the right for the other ear, adding short lines inside for its furry opening.
• Head Structure: At the top, draw a small rectangular shape for the crest of the head, noting that it sits higher than the initial circle. Bend the sides of this shape down toward the ears, and add a few short lines along the bottom of this section for a bit of fur.
• Jaw and Brow: Darken the left side of the head following the path of the guidelines, curving the line a bit more to define the brow structure and keeping it thinner than the initial guide. Connect the bottom part of this line to the muzzle. On the right side, darken the edges of the guides to finish the lower head, curving the line toward the ear to define the strong jaw muscles. Add a couple of lines inside the head for additional structure.

Step 5: Add the Limb Details

With the head complete, we will move down to build the front legs and hooves.

• First Front Leg: Use the second line from the left under the body as a guide. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg around the guideline, keeping the edges close to the guide so the leg remains thin. Make the bottom shape flat for the hoof. Once correct, darken the lines. Add a couple of angled lines at the top to create muscle structure, a curved shape near the middle for a joint, and another small curved shape near the bottom for the lower joint. Finish the flat, square-like hoof at the bottom with a small triangular shape to split it.
• Second Front Leg: Use the line on the far left as a guide to draw the other front leg. Sketch the shape around the guideline to keep it thin, then darken the lines, curving them to build the joints. Since a big part of this leg stays hidden behind the body, only draw the visible section. Add a small triangular shape at the bottom to split the hoof.
• Hind Legs: Use the long line on the far right side as a guide for the main hind leg. Lightly sketch around the guideline, making the top of the leg wider than the bottom. Darken the lines when you are happy with the shape and add a small square-like hoof at the bottom. For the other hind leg, lightly sketch a curved horizontal line near the top to indicate the udder first. Then, follow the path of the sloping line to create a thin leg shape around the guide.

Step 6: Finish Up the Sketch

Now we will complete the sketch of the cow. You can stop here for a super sketchy look, or continue for a more completed drawing.

• Body Outline: Draw the bottom edge of the front part of the body slightly lower than the initial circle to form a big chest. Darken the line on top of the head for the upper neck, extending it inside the big circle before bending it up to create the top part of the body. Make this section slightly higher than the circle to form a hump-like shape. On the right side, draw a couple of angled lines to define the bony section on the back of the body, extending slightly farther away from the initial circle to make the shape wider. Darken the underside of the body and connect the top part to the leg.
• Udder and Tail: Between the legs at the bottom, draw a couple of small U-shaped lines for the teats, then darken the initial line for the rest of the udder, keeping the hidden section out of view. On the right side, draw a couple of sloping lines for the visible section of the tail, finishing with a couple more curved lines at the bottom for the hair at the tip.

Step 7: Ink Final Lines and Erase Leftover Guides

The final stages of this drawing will involve cleaning up the sketch lines and adding realistic colors and value.

• Cleaning Up: Use a kneaded eraser to lighten and clean up your lines, redrawing any lines you may have accidentally removed.
• Inking: Go over the final lines carefully with permanent ink to avoid any accidents. Draw a few short vertical strokes at the bottom to create some grass.
• Erasing: Once the ink dries completely, erase all remaining pencil guidelines.

Step 8: Create the Cow's Pattern

Grab your favorite colored pencils or markers, and start coloring!

• Outlining the Patterns: Use dark gray to outline the pattern across the body. The spots can be added randomly across the body, so they don't have to look exactly like mine.
• Coloring Patterns: Fill in these spot sections using gray. Add a few shadows across the pattern using a darker gray to provide dimension, volume, and to emphasize the muscle structure. Continue adding darker gray to deepen the pattern.

Step 9: Add Final Details, and You're Done!

Keep working until you're happy with your drawing. But be sure not to overwork it! You can always step back and assess your drawing later on with fresh eyes.

• Using Pink and Brown: Apply a bit of light pink on the muzzle and the udder, and add a light brown on the tail.
• Shading and Final Touches: Use light brown across the white sections of the body for additional shadows, starting with light shades and gradually building up to darker ones. Slowly add darker gray to create deep shadows on the body. Keep your shadows consistent by picking a light source. In this drawing, the light is coming from the top, so most shadows sit on the undersides of the shapes.
• Coloring the Green Grass: Finish the ground by drawing a grassy texture with different shades of green, and darken the final lines to wrap up your drawing!

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