Lamb Drawing Easy Pen for Animals Drawing

In this tutorial, you'll learn to draw a sheep and a lamb, find out if all sheep have horns, and explore the distinctive appearance features that are typical for these animals. You don't need any special knowledge of animal anatomy to complete the drawings!

Did you know that a sheep can not only recognize up to 50 other sheep faces and remember them for two years, but it also recognizes human faces? That's truly incredible! The sheep is a key animal in the history of farming; we can't imagine our culture without this wonderful animal. So get ready to start these realistic sheep and lamb drawings!

You may also be interested in these drawing tutorials:

What You'll Learn in This Drawing Sheep Tutorial

How to draw a sheep
How to draw a lamb

What You'll Need

You will need the following equipment to complete this drawing sheep project:

an HB graphite pencil
a 3B graphite pencil
an eraser
drawing paper

1. How to Draw a Sheep

Step 1

Let's start the drawing of a sheep with the general shape of the head; I outline it, using the HB pencil. Please be sure to leave enough space for the rest of the sheep's body on the sheet of paper.

Step 2

I add an oblong shape for the sheep's body. Don't overthink the process at this stage of drawing; we'll make the refinements later.

Actually, it's useful to see the shapes that we are drawing as something three-dimensional in their core essence. For example, the body can be presented as a shape that has a rounded foundation and a top plane.

You don't have to draw these ovals as I did—this is just an illustration.

Step 3

I add the framework of the limbs to continue with the sketch of a sheep —this is a simple, stylized version that captures just the main anatomical features. I use the small circles to mark the elbows, knees, and ankles of the forelimbs.

The structure of the hind legs is slightly different—the upper bones create a peculiar angle. One of the hind legs isn't fully visible because of the foreshortening, so I'll leave it without the upper round mark.

The feet have circles at the base to create an illusion that the animal is actually standing on the ground.

Drawing the stylized framework of the feet

Step 4

I add rough shapes to add some thickness to the legs, creating the bulk. We'll refine the contours of the sheep drawing later.

Step 5

I add the shapes of the ears to the head; their tips are slightly rounded. Now it's looking more like a sketch of a sheep.

Step 6

I draw the neck. Imagine that this shape is three-dimensional; adding the subsidiary circles may help.

I also erase the lines of the limbs' framework; they can be distracting, and we don't need them anymore.

Step 7

I draw the eyes in the sheep drawing. They are relatively small, located at a distance from each other, and have horizontal pupils.

I also add the inner openings of the ears.

Let's add the details to the bottom part of the face.

I draw the nose and the mouth; sheep have divided upper lips, which makes them different from goats. Also, they don't have a beard (and goats do).

Depending on the breed, domestic sheep may have no horns at all, or horns in both sexes, or in males only. The horns usually are quite large and often form a lateral spiral.

Let's assume that the sheep we are drawing is hornless, but if you are interested in drawing a sheep with horns (or a ram, which is a male sheep), we have an in-depth tutorial on drawing the horns. Just add the shapes of the horns to the top of the animal's head!

Step 8

I refine the contours of the limbs, accenting the elbows and knees of the forelegs and the hocks of the hind legs. Sheep have cloven hooves and dew claws, so I add these features of the limbs' bottom parts, too.

The foreshortening of this sheep doesn't allow us to see its hocks fully; we can add just a hint at them. In the illustration below, you can observe a sheep in a side view.

I recommend paying attention to the tail of the sheep; these animals have tails that hang down. Some breeds demonstrate short tails that don't require docking (this is the name of the process when a tail is shortened); in other cases, the tail of a domestic sheep may be cut.

In the corner of the image, you'll find a sample of the line that I used for drawing the wool. Such scrawl-like lines work perfectly and can also save you much time.

An illustration of a sheep in a side view

Step 9

The drawing of a sheep is looking better. Let's add the outer covering of the sheep's body and refine it. I extend the contours; a sheep's body usually creates a solid impression, partially because of a thick layer of wool, so feel free to make it really bulky.

I also add some folds in the neck area to emphasize the wool covering. Then I draw just a couple of other anatomical details: an udder and a tail.

Step 10

Now we have a line sketch that actually resembles a sheep, but we can make it more realistic and interesting. With the 3B pencil, I add some graphite shading to the head of the sheep, accentuating its sides, and darken the folds of wool in the neck area.

It's important to make the main facial features contrasting, so I emphasize the eyes, the nose, and the mouth in this realistic sheep drawing.

Adding graphite hatching to the head and neck of the sheep

Step 11

I use the HB pencil to add hatches to the upper part of the sheep's body.

If we stylize the shape of the body, the back will demonstrate a top plane—it is spotlit and should be slightly lighter than the sides of the body.

Applying hatches to the back and the sides of the body

Step 12

I work on the bottom part of the sheep's body, including the limbs and tail. I darken the belly and the sides of the legs and body, using the 3B pencil.

As a finishing touch, I add soft graphite strokes to create a blurry drop shadow under the animal. And that's a realistic sheep drawing done! You learned how to draw a sheep.