How To Draw Simple Animal Faces (Dog vs Cat vs Bunny) (Patreon)

Hello my arty friends! 

I wanted to show you how I draw some super simple animal faces and the differences between them. When your art style is as simple as mine then the small differences in things like face and nose shape can make all the difference in whether your animal looks like a dog, a cat, or something totally unintentional!

So let's look at how to draw a straight-on face for a dog, a cat, and a bunny. Sometimes I draw more detailed versions of these but these shapes are always the starting point. I've cross-haired in pink where the nose of each face is centred.

Dogs

There are of course loads of dog breeds with all sorts of face shapes, but for a pretty 'average' looking dog, I usually start with quite a round face shape which is a little wider at the top. I'll pop the nose pretty much straight in the middle of the face, and dogs noses can sometimes be quite big! Instead of full whiskers I give them three little dots on either side of their nose to act as the little whisker folicles (they also kind of look like cute freckles!).

Cats

For a simple cat face I'll start with almost a semi-circle shape, maybe a little pointed at the bottom. I put the nose and eyes a little higher on the face, and always give them three cute whiskers extending over the edge of the face.

Bunnies

Bunny rabbits have quite big cheeks and a different face form to cats and dogs (which can be quite similar), so I draw their faces wider at the bottom than they are at the top. I centre the nose a little lower on the face, and of course give them tall pointy ears. I also give them three whiskers just like cats.

Different noses

One of the biggest things that will make a difference in which animal your drawing looks like is the nose/whiskers/mouth combo. You can see here the different nose shapes I use for dogs vs cats vs bunnies:

Dogs usually have quite big oval shaped noses (with a bit more weight at the top) 

Cats have more of a rounded 'T' shaped nose and are usually quite small on the face

Bunnies can have a super simple 'Y' shape nose

Of course there are different ways you can draw these animal shapes and these are in a very simplified style, but they can be a starting point to understanding how much difference a small change in nose or face shape can make.

I've definitely drawn animals in the past and wondered why on earth my squirrel looks like a cat or why my bunny looks like a koala, so hopefully these tips can help you avoid being in that situation too often! 😄

Thanks for reading!❤