Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Spinosaurus" 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 spinosaurus' body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. The circle on the left side should be a bit bigger than the one on the right and fairly close to it.
Step 2: Draw a circle that's about one-third the size of the first circle on the right side as a guide for the spinosaurus' head.
Step 3: Draw two triangle-like arcs on the right side of the head as guides for the spinosaurus' open mouth. The longer these arcs are, the longer the muzzle will be. The farther apart they are, the wider the mouth's opening will be.
Step 4: Draw a series of curved lines that connect the major shapes to form the spinosaurus' body.
Step 5: Under the circle on the left, draw a couple of lines as guides for the spinosaurus' legs. Bend the lines to indicate where the joints will be.
Step 6: Under the middle circle, draw a couple of lines as guides for the spinosaurus' arms. Bend the lines to indicate the joints and add a few smaller lines at the end for the dinosaur's digits.
Step 7: Draw two long, curved lines that come to a point on the left side as a guide for the spinosaurus' tail.
Step 8: Draw a wide arc on top of the body as a guide for the spinosaurus' distinctive spines.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 9: Draw the spinosaurus' eye inside the top arc and to the right of the circle. The shape of the eye is similar to a half circle. Add a line inside for the actual eyeball and a dot for the pupil. Shade the inside of the eyeball for a more detailed look. Add an arc above the dinosaur's eye for the brow and another arc to the right of it for the nasal crest between the spinosaurus' eyes.
Step 10: Use the top arc as a guide to draw the spinosaurus' upper jaw. Follow the path of the guide and make the shape bumpier as you darken the line. The line that makes up the mouth stretches to the left and inside the circle. Draw a series of small, triangle-like shapes that line the mouth for the teeth. The spinosaurus was mainly a fish-eater and had a crocodilian skull, so space the teeth apart and make them different sizes. Draw a few lines in between the teeth to indicate some indentation.
Step 11: Use the arc on the bottom as a guide to draw the spinosaurus' lower jaw. Draw a few lines to show the tissue that connects the jaw. Lightly sketch out the shape of the lower jaw by following the path of the guide but making it thinner and curvier. Add the dinosaur's teeth as small, triangle-like shapes across the mouth. Make them different sizes and space them out. Darken the shape of the spinosaurus' jaw and make it wider on the left. Draw a line inside the mouth for the tongue.
Step 12: Use the initial circle shape as a guide to draw the rest of the spinosaurus' head. Draw a series of curved lines on the left side.
Step 13: Using the lines on the right as guides, draw the spinosaurus' arms. Sketch lightly at first as you follow the basic path of the guides. Use curved lines to indicate the muscles in the arms and add the digits at the end. Darken the lines when you get the structure of the dinosaur's first arm right. Draw the claws at the end of the digits. Use the other line to draw the arm on the other side the same way. Sketch lightly as you follow the basic path of the guide lines. Darken the lines when you get the structure right. Add the digits and claws at the end.
Step 14: Use the lines on the left as guides to draw the spinosaurus' legs. Lightly sketch the shape of the first leg as you follow the basic path of the guide. Darken the lines when you get the structure right. The top of the leg should be thicker. Use curved lines to indicate the muscle structure and joints. Draw the claws at the tip of the spinosaurus' feet. Use the other line to draw the leg on the other side the same way. Make the top of the dinosaur's leg thicker. The spinosaurus is stepping forward, so it should have a wide stride.
Step 15: Use the wide arc at the top as a guide to draw the dinosaur's spine. Follow the path of the guide and add a line with a series of points for a jagged spine. Lightly sketch a few lines within the shape of the sail to give the spinosaurus' spine more structure.
Step 16: Use the remaining lines as a guide to draw the rest of the dinosaur's body and tail. Darken the lines and make them wavier for a bumpier texture. Darken the shape of the spinosaurus' tail too. You can also make the tail wavier to indicate motion.
Step 17 (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. Also re-draw any final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.
Final Step (optional): Add some shading to your spinosaurus 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. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Also add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the dinosaur so it doesn't appear to be floating.
You can add more value throughout your spinosaurus drawing for extra detail. You can add an even value throughout the dinosaur's body for a solid pattern. You can also add different values all over. Nobody is exactly sure what they looked like. Some dinosaurs may have even had feathers! So you can add stripes or spots or anything you'd like. You can also add extra dots and random squiggly lines all over for a rougher and grittier texture like crocodile skin. You can pause the video to use this drawing as reference and at any other time you need help.
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