How to Draw Simple Cute Animals in Chibi Style (With Videos!) | Envato Tuts+ (2024)

Realistic drawing is difficult, but luckily there are other, more forgiving styles out there. For example, the chibi style has clear rules, and you can use it to draw literally everything.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to draw five simple chibi animals, and you'll learn how to create more just by applying the same rules to your own drawings.

What You Will Need

• A sheet of paper
  
• A pencil
• Anything darker than the pencil (a thin marker, a gel pen, a ballpoint pen, etc.)

Before you start, keep a few things in mind:

• The smaller the drawings, the easier it will be for you to keep the correct proportions. Draw all the animals on one sheet and treat them like small practice sketches rather than artworks on their own.
• The illustrations in this tutorial are clear so that you see what you're supposed to draw—yours don't need to and even shouldn't be so perfectly drawn.
  
• Don't try to draw the shapes with a single continuous line. Watch the videos to see how I build the shapes out of curves, connecting them only when I see what I was trying to draw.
• The base for each drawing should be drawn with a pencil, with subtle lines, without pushing the tool too hard. This way the lines will not be visible when you finish the drawing with dark outlines. Watch the videos to see both phases of drawing.
  

1. How to Draw a Cute Wolf

Watch the video first to see the exact technique of drawing.

Step 1

Start with an oval that will be the body. Remember: draw it lightly, don't press too hard. This is just a sketch!

Step 2

Let's add the head now. It should be round and about twice as big as the body.

Step 3

Add the legs. The forelegs can be drawn with simple straight lines, but in the hind legs draw the lines in the feet only. Add simple "paws" at the end of each line.

Step 4

Add some volume to the forelegs and the feet. They should be quite puffed.

Step 5

Time for the thigh. Make it very round, connecting directly with the foot.

Step 6

Now we're going to create a cute face for our wolf. Draw an oval muzzle at the bottom of the head. It must be much, much smaller than the head to achieve a proper "cute" feeling.

Step 7

Cross the muzzle with a wide smile.

Step 8

Add an oval nose.

Step 9

Time for the eyes. Draw the lower part right next to the muzzle.

Step 10

Make the eyes big, but leave a lot of space for the forehead—a huge forehead will make it look younger and cuter.

Step 11

Add the pupils.

Step 12

The ears can be either huge or tiny—both extremes will add to the cute feeling.

Step 13

Now the tail. If you can draw it all with one shape, go ahead. If not, here's a trick: start with a circle...

... add an oval...

... and finish with a triangle.

Step 14

Take your darker tool now and finish the details. This time you're allowed to press harder, but be careful—these are the final lines! You don't need to copy me—just look at your base and add some wolf features to it. It will look cute no matter what you do!

2. How to Draw a Cute Deer

Step 1

Let's start with an oval again. Remember to draw it subtly!

Step 2

Add the round head. It must be above the body, because we'll add the neck later.

Step 3

Draw the legs. They must be longer than in the wolf, but still use the same rule: straight lines for the forelegs, shorter lines for the feet.

Step 4

Add the muzzle...

Step 5

... and the mouth.

Step 6

Time for the eyes. Draw them on the sides of the muzzle again.

Step 7

Because the legs are so long, we need to add some details to them to keep them interesting. Add a circle to each to create an outline of the joint.

Step 8

Lead a line from each side of the circle to the hoof.

Step 9

Finish the legs, attaching these new parts to the circles as well.

Step 10

Add a gentle neck, making it an extension of the body.

Step 11

Add the huge ears—exaggeration is very important in this style!

Step 12

Add the tail, drawing a teardrop shape.

Step 13

Time for "inking" again! Feel free to add little stubs of antlers if your deer is male. They should be as small and cute as the rest of the body.

3. Draw a Cute Roaring Tiger

Step 1

Start with the oval body once again—nothing new here.

Step 2

Add a huge head, just like in the wolf.

Step 3

Add the legs. As you can see, you can fully control the position just by adding these four lines.

Step 4

The mouth is open, so place the oval muzzle somewhere in the middle, and the lower part of it at the bottom.

Step 5

Add a pair of lips—one for each part of the mouth.

Step 6

Add some facial features. Normal, cute eyes wouldn't fit here, because the tiger wants to look dangerous. Keep them cutely closed instead.

Step 7

Fill out the legs...

... and finish the hind legs.

Step 8

Connect both parts of mouth with subtly curved lines.

Step 9

Add the teeth inside.

Step 10

Our "dangerous" tiger is still cute, so don't be afraid to add that huge ear!

Step 11

To make sure the tail has an equal width on all its length, start with a line with a circle on top...

... and then copy the inner line on the sides.

Step 12

Ink it!

4. How to Draw a Cute Lying Giraffe

Step 1

Let's try something different this time. Draw the body as a half of a circle—an oval flattened by the weight of the body.

Step 2

Now the head—big and "levitating", because the neck will be long.

Step 3

Add the muzzle. Make it round for a change.

Step 4

Give your little giraffe a big smile.

Step 5

The legs can be very simple:

Step 6

Let's draw the eyes!

Step 7

Don't forget about the huge ears!

Step 8

The neck is not very long for a real animal, but long enough for a chibi!

Step 9

Add the details: the little horns and the tail.

Step 10

Finish the drawing.

5. How to Draw a Dangerously Cute Shark

Step 1

All these animals were fluffy mammals, let's try something different this time. Sharks can be cute as well! This time, start with the head.

Step 2

Add a tiny muzzle.

Step 3

Make the smile toothed and sinister.

Step 4

Sketch the tail—look how short it is in comparison to the head!

Step 5

Connect the tail with the rest of the body.

Step 6

Let's add the fins now. Treat them as reversed legs.

Step 7

Make the muzzle sharp to mix "cute" with "dangerous".

Step 8

Start the eye the same way as usual.

Step 9

To make the shark look dangerous, keep its eye half closed with a wrinkle of anger.

Only then add the pupil inside.

Step 10

Finish the drawing!

So Cute!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Would you like to see more like this? Let us know in the comments! In the meantime, try one of the other drawing tutorials from our site:

• How to Draw a Flower
• How to Draw Feathers
• How to Draw Trees

And if you're thinking seriously about learning how to draw, try this article—it will tell you everything you need to know!

• How to DrawMonika Zagrobelna22 Feb 2016