Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Hare" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
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 hare's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. The circles should be about the same size. The hare will be leaping, so spread out the circles a bit and draw the one on the left lower.
Step 2: Draw a smaller circle on the top right side as a guide for the hare's head. The edges of this circle and the first one should touch.
Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines inside the head. These lines will help you place the hare's facial features later on.
Step 4: Draw an arc on the lower right side of the head as a guide for the hare's muzzle.
Step 5: Draw a long, thin arc on the top left side of the head as a guide for the hare's ears.
Step 6: Draw a series of curved lines that connect the major shapes and form the body.
Step 7: Draw two angled lines under the body as guides for the hare's legs. Pay attention to where the lines bend. This indicates where the joints in the legs will be.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder on your pencil for a more defined sketch.
Step 8: Draw the hare's eye as a circle inside the head on the upper right section. Inside the eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle to represent glare and a big dot in the middle for the pupil. Shade in the rest of the eye except for the tiny circle. When shading, use a value that's lighter than the pupil. Add the sides of the eye as small, dark lines.
Step 9: Draw the hare's muzzle by using the arc as a guide. Draw the nose as a V-shaped line, then add a longer, flatter line under it for the mouth. Add a small curved line under the mouth for the chin. Use quick, short strokes to represent fur.
Step 10: Use the long arc on top as a guide to draw the hare's ears. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape of the ear wider in the middle at thinner at the top. Add the inside part of the ear. Use quick, short strokes for the furry texture. Draw the small visible section of the ear on the other side.
Step 11: Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the hare's head. Follow the path of the guides as you darken the lines to create the head. Use quick, short strokes for the fur. Add a few quick, short strokes within the head for extra detail.
Step 12: Use the lines under the body as guides to draw the body as guides to draw the legs that are on this side. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg as you follow the path of the line. When you get the structure of the leg right, darken the lines using quick, short strokes. Add the toes and the bottom using curved lines and make the leg thick at the top. Now use the line on the left as a guide to draw the hind leg on this side of the body. Remember to sketch lightly as you follow the guide and only darken the lines when you get the structure right. Add the toes at the bottom and a few bumps near the middle to indicate the joints in the extended leg.
Step 13: Use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the hare's body. Add the tail as a triangle-like shape on the left side. Use quick, short strokes to give it a fluffy texture. Draw the bottom part of the hare's body by following the guides. Add the furry texture in this section too.
Step 14: Draw the set of legs on the other side of the body by using the first set as a template. Sketch lightly at first as you duplicate the shape of the leg. Make sure that the lines for the legs on the other side don't overlap with the lines for the legs on this side.
Step 15 (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 drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Add the value lightly at first, then gradually build up to the level of darkness that you want. Keep in mind the contours of the shapes as you add the value. You can add the value to different sections of the body at a time to break up the shading process.
Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps emphasize the jump of the hare. The farther down the shadow is, the higher the jump of the hare will seem.
You can add more value throughout your drawing for extra detail. You can also skip this step altogether if you want a white or albino hare. Hares are a brown, grayish color without any pattern on their coat, so shade most of their body evenly. There is some variation in value on certain sections. For example, it's lighter around the eyes and darker on the tips of the ears.
Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Adding the value can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Add the value by using strokes that go in the general direction of the fur. Don't worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the coat a furry texture. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.
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