In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Velociraptor with Feathers step-by-step.

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To draw this Feathered Velociraptor step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

The 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 right side of the paper as a guide for the front part of the feathered velociraptor's body. First make four marks to determine the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a circular object like a coin or a lid. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: To the left, draw another circle using the four-marks method again as a guide for the back of the dinosaur's body. Make this circle slightly bigger than the first. The bottom edge should be lower than the first circle. Don't place these circles too far apart, otherwise velociraptor's body will be to long.

Step 3: On the top, right side, draw yet another circle as a guide for the velociraptor's head. Place this circle diagonally from the first one. It should be smaller than the first circle too. Don't place the circle too far away, otherwise the dino's neck will be too long.

Step 4: On the right side of the velociraptor's head, draw an arc on its side as a guide for the top part of the velociraptor's muzzle. Place the arc high on the circle and make the bottom edge flat.

Step 5: On the bottom, draw a small arc that's similar in shape to the letter V as a guide for the velociraptor's lower jaw.

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Step 6: Under the circle on the left, draw a long, angled line as a guide for the dinosaur's first hind leg. The middle of the leg should slope to the left in the middle before angling back down. Bend the bottom to the right for the foot. To the right, draw another line that bends in a similar way as a guide for the velociraptor's other leg.

Step 7: Draw a series of lines that connect the three circles together to finish the guide for the velociraptor's body. Draw two short lines at the top for the neck and two longer lines in the middle for the torso.

Step 8: Below the middle circle, draw a shorter angled line as a guide for the velociraptor's wing. Bend the line at the top and curve the bottom to the left. In the middle, draw an extra line for the digit. On the top, left side of the dino's body, draw a very long horizontal line that curves up as a guide for the tail.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 9: Inside the head, on the upper, right side, lightly sketch a small circle for the dinosaur's eye. When you get the position and size of the circle right, darken the shape. Draw small, angled lines on the sides of the circle for the corners of the velociraptor's eye. Draw a long line at the top for the overlapping brow. Inside the eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle for a highlight. In the middle of the eye, draw a big dot for the pupil. Use a light value to shade the eye but don't overlap the highlight circle.

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Step 10: Darken the initial top arc to create the shape of the muzzle. Stretch the bottom line toward the inside of the head, past the eye for the long open mouth. Draw a line inside the muzzle, near the open mouth, for a wrinkle and a smaller line at the top for the nostril. Draw a series of small, V-shaped lines along the bottom edge for the top row of teeth.

Step 11: Use the arc on the bottom as a guide to draw the dino's lower jaw. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the lower jaw a bit thinner when you darken the line. Draw a long, sloping line inside the shape for the lower part of the velociraptor's open mouth. Add a small line on the left side.

Step 12: Draw a couple of curved lines inside the mouth for the velociraptor's tongue. Draw a series of small, triangular shapes along the bottom for teeth. Add some teeth behind the tongue too.

Step 13: Above the eye, draw a curved line that's made up of short strokes for the dinosaur's thick, feathery brow. Draw short strokes along the top edge of the guides for the feathers on the head. Nobody is exactly sure what velociraptors looked like, so you can draw longer or shorter feathers if you'd like. Draw a few short strokes below the eye for the area where feathers meet the skin. Add more strokes on the muzzle for structure and for more feathers and skin. Along the bottom, draw short strokes that curve to the left and then up for the feathery lower jaw.

Step 14: Draw the top edge of the wing along the path of the initial angled guide line in the middle. Draw the small digit around the short guide line. On the tip of the digit, draw a curved, spiky shape for the dino's claw. Follow the bottom part of the guide to draw the curved part of the wing. Draw a series of thin, curved shapes on the left side for the feathers. Make the shapes of the feathers shorter the farther up you draw them. The velociraptor's feathers should curve closer to the right at the top and almost meet the other side of the wing.

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Step 15: To the right, draw a curved line with another digit for part of the other wing peeking from behind the velociraptor's body. Add the claw at the end. Use the dinosaur's first wing as a template. Inside the first wing, draw a few curved lines for feathers.

Step 16: Use the angled line on the far left side as a guide to draw the velociraptor's first leg. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. Make the top part wide and the bottom narrow. Use short strokes to indicate the feathery texture. Close off the base of the leg. Use smooth lines for the lower half of the featherless leg like see in modern-day raptors. At the bottom, draw a couple of thin shapes for the dino's toes. At the end of each toe, draw a pointy claw. Peeking from behind the foot, draw a bigger toe with a curved pointy shape at the end for the famous velociraptor claw.

Step 17: Use the line on the left as a guide to draw the velociraptor's other leg the same way. The top part will be blocked by the wing. Draw the bottom shape of the leg around the guide. Add a small, curved line on the side for a toe. Lightly sketch the big toe on the inside of the foot. Add the thin, curved pointy claw at the top. When you get shape of the dinosaur's toe and claw right, darken the lines. At the bottom, draw the other visible toe along the guide. Draw the thin, pointy claw at the tip.

Step 18: Use the main initial shapes as guides to draw the rest of the body. Darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the velociraptor's body. Use short strokes along the way for feathers.

Step 19: Darken the long guide line on the left for the top part of the tail. Draw a series of thin, long, pointy shapes along the bottom of the guide for the feathers on the tail. Change the orientation of the feathers along the way so that they have a diagonal orientation at the bottom. You can draw your velociraptor's feathers bigger or smaller. You can also just use short strokes like the ones on the head. If you're sticking with this look, make the feathers smaller until they turn into short strokes the closer they are to the base.

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Step 20: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guides. 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 dinosaur drawing for extra detail. Nobody is exactly sure what velociraptors looked like, so shade yours any way you'd like. You can even color it! For this look, add a speckled pattern by alternating between dark values and blank sections. Alternate between a dark value and a blank spot on the dinosaur's individual feathers for a striped pattern For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Use a medium value for the legs and underside of the body. For an easier drawing, just use a medium value for the whole body. You can use modern-day birds of prey and raptors as reference when you shade for inspiration. Add the values lightly at first and slowly build up to darker levels. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks.

Add extra value to the velociraptor's body for some shadows. Use a dark value for the claws but leave a thin section blank for shine. Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps to ground the dinosaur so it doesn't appear to be floating. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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