How to draw a pig
How to draw a pig
How to Draw Animals: Domestic Pigs, Wild Boars, and Warthogs
Pigs are a big family of characteristic animals with short legs and special snouts. Domestic pigs, also called hogs, are a popular theme of many childish drawings, yet few adults can draw them properly.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to draw a domestic pig, a wild boar and a warthog. You’ll learn about their basic anatomy and all the details of theirs. Even if you’re not interested in pigs in particular, you can use these lessons to create some new kind of beast.
Draw the Domestic Pig
Skeleton
The most important thing about pigs’ skeletal structure is that they’re longer than they are tall. The head can’t be raised higher than the shoulders, so the body has a characteristic, simple line.
Skeleton of the domestic pig
Muscles
Since pigs are quite fat, an accurate drawing of muscles isn’t something we’ll need. However, if you’re feeling like drawing a muscular pig, here’s a diagram for you:
Muscles of the domestic pig
Body Features
The color of the skin depends on the breed. The classic farm pig has a pinkish skin covered with sparse blond hair.
Body features of the domestic pig
You can use the steps from below to draw a pig’s head. It’s important to see them as they really are, without trying to convert the snouts to more doggy manner. Don’t focus on the details at this point, as we’re only going to take care about them later on.
Draw the Wild Boar
Skeleton
The silhouette of a wild boar is very similar to the domestic pig (in fact, they’re the same species!). To stress the difference, you can draw them with the head raised as high as possible, what creates a kind of shoulder hump, but what makes a real difference in the silhouette is a stiff mane along the back.
Skeleton of the wild boar
Body Features
The fur is dark, grayish brown.
Body features of the wild boar
Using pig’s head structure can be risky here, since the wild boar has a longer snout and the fur changes the overall appearance.
Draw the Warthog
Skeleton
Warthogs are the only pig of these we’ve discussed that can raise their heads so high. Because of their muscular body and lack of fur the legs seem longer, the head bigger, and the silhouette more slender.
Skeleton of the warthog
Body Features
The skin of the warthog is hard, wrinkled, covered with sparse dark hair all over the body and whitish, more thick hair on the lower part. The skin is brownish gray or black.
Body features of the warthog
The head of a warthog is very specific. The most important here are highly placed eyes, but also characteristic «warts» that we’ll talk over later.
Details of a Pig’s Body
Hooves
First, we need to notice that pigs’ hooves, though cloven, aren’t the same as cows’ hooves. Instead of simple «dew claws», they have full fingers that can also be used to walk. For a clarification, there are two main toes (true hooves) and two inferior ones (dew claws).
The difference between cow hooves (1) and pig hooves (2,3)
To draw the hooves, follow the process below:
Step 1
Draw the «wrist» ball and find the spots on the ground where the hooves will be standing. Also, add the visible dew claws.
Start with the wrist and toes
Step 2
Stress the line between the hoof area and the rest of the foot.
Start the hoof area
Step 3
Add simple balls to define the characteristic roundness over the hooves.
Define the over-hoof roundness
Step 4
Use the guide lines to outline the shape.
Outline the shape
Step 5
Shade the feet and add some details.
Add details
The eyes of pigs are quite small, with apparent wrinkles around.
The process of drawing a pig’s eye
The actual look of the eyes depends on the species. Warthogs tend to have more wrinkles because of their thick skin, and at wild boars the eyes can be partially hidden under the fur. The eyes of every species tend to be dark, brown, black or reddish, but blue eyes may also occur at domestic pigs.
The eyes of domestic pig, wild boar and warthog
The ears are big and wide.
The process of drawing pig’s ear
Domestic pigs have the ears covered with sparse hair, while wild boars’ ears are as fluffy as their whole body. Warthogs are a kind of compromise—their ears are fluffy inside and covered with sparse hair on the outside.
The difference between ears of domestic pig, wild boar and warthig
Snout
The snout of every pig is very sensitive, usually light in color and slightly wet.
The process of drawing the snout of a pig
When observed from the side view, the «nose» part looks strongly defined. We can also observe it’s not flat, but rather made of two pillows.
Pig’s snout isn’t simple in shape
Tusks
Domestic pigs’ males may have tusks, but never as big as wild boars. The latter have two pairs of them, one in the upper jaw and one in the lower jaw. They’re so big that they don’t fit into the mouth and protrude outside, wrapping the upper lip. Again, don’t make a dog out of a boar—odd curves are something normal for them.
We’re Done Here!
That’s all for today! I hope you enjoyed the lesson and learned a lot about these grunting animals. Make sure to check out my other animal-based tutorials!
How to draw a pig
Please PAUSE the «How to Draw a Pig» 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 pig’s body. The circles don’t have to be perfect. They’re just guides. The circles should be placed so close to each other that their edges touch. The two circles should be about the same size. Leave enough room on the right side so you can draw the pig’s head.
Step 2: Draw another circle on the right side as a guide for the pig’s head. This circle should be about half the size of the others. This circle should also be touching the other.
Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines inside the head to help you place the pig’s facial features later on.
Step 4: Draw an arc on the right side of the head as a guide for the pig’s snout. The arc is a bit angular on the right and curves at the bottom.
Step 5: Draw a small triangle-like shape on top of the head as a guide for the pig’s ear.
How to Draw A Pig in minutes using a cute template
Before learning how to draw a pig: some fun facts before starting sketching!
Step 1
So you want to learn how to draw a cartoon pig! This adorable animal has big ears (1), a big round nose (5), a large trunk (2) and a small curly tail (3). Don’t forget the legs composed of 3 digits each (4). This animal is very well-known for his pink skin and his strange habit of taking a bath in the mud! Now let’s get those hand dirty and start analysing our friend a little more.
Step 2
The most obvious shape I think when we first look at the pig are the ears. They are made of big triangles. The nose is made of a rectangle and the eyes are represent by a circle. The legs are made of many rectangles and they do look a little fragile. The body is made of a big oval shape, so is the head.
Step 3
In this tutorial, we will draw a pig using mostly circles. Start by sketching a circle for the head and one for the body. Then, you can add details to the face like eyes and the nose.
Next, add the ears and the legs. Finally, draw another triangle inside each ear and add the tail. You can add color to your masterpiece to give it a more professional look.
Step 4
Don’t be afraid to use your imagination to develop new ways to draw your pigs. You can be really original (3), conservative (1) or go for something a little crazier (4)! It’s up to you to create your own style and draw a very cool pig in only a couple of minutes! Want more tutorials featuring this adorable character? You can try this simple cartoon pig to start with, this other pig made from basic shapes or this one created with complex effects that are visually fascinating! Enjoy these additional resources and happy drawing! 🙂
How to draw a pig
Step 10: Draw the pig’s nose on the tip of the initial arc. The nose consists of a thin ellipse and a smaller ellipse inside for the nostril.
Step 11: Draw the rest of the snout by following the basic path of the initial arc. Darken the top part of the pig’s snout and draw the line a bit lower than the guide. Draw the mouth near the middle of the arc as a wavy line. The bottom of the snout should be curvy.
Step 12: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the rest of the pig’s head. Darken the top line and draw a few curved lines at the bottom to indicate the folds of skin.
Step 13: Using the lines on the right side as guides, draw the pig’s front legs. Lightly sketch the shape of the first leg as you follow the basic path of the line. Bend the leg forward. When you get the structure right, darken the lines. Add the toes and the nails at the tip of the foot as a series of short, curved lines. Draw the front leg on the other side the same way. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg by following the path of the guide. Then darken the lines when you get the structure right.
Step 14: Use the lines on the left side as guides to draw the pig’s hind legs using the same technique. Start sketching the leg on the very left lightly and only darken when you have the structure right. The top of the leg should be thicker than the bottom. Give the leg curves and different thicknesses to indicate the joints. Draw the toes at the bottom. Draw the hind leg on the other side using the last line as a guide. The pig is stepping forward, so point the leg toward the front for a wide stride.
How to draw a pig
Step 6: Draw a series of lines that connect the major shapes to form the pig’s body.
Step 7: Draw four lines under the body for the pig’s legs. Bend the lines a bit to indicate where the joints and feet will be.
That’s it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 8: Draw the pig’s eye inside the head using the lines as guides for placement. Lightly sketch the eye as a flat ellipse, then darken the lines. Draw a few lines around the eye for the wrinkles and extra detail. Shade the inside of the eye except for a tiny circle to represent glare.
Step 9: Use the triangle-like shape on the head as a guide to draw the ears. Follow the basic path of the guide and make the ear curvier. Add a line inside for the opening and a few at the bottom for the base. Draw a similar shape on the right to indicate the pig’s ear on the other side.