How to Draw a Hyena

In this drawing guide, we will tell you how to draw a hyena. This is a fairly simple drawing, but to develop the proper skill, we advise you to draw many times, redrawing lines, studying shapes and volumes.

Follow the sequence of steps in our tutorial and you will get a really great result.

How to Draw a Hyena

Step 1 – Sketch the Head and Torso

Firstly, draw three circles of different sizes. The largest circle is located in the center, the smaller circles are located laterally. Use light strokes with minimal pencil pressure.

Step 2 – Depict the Limbs of the Hyena

Secondly, draw the spine of your hyena. Depict a line at a slight angle, connecting all three circles. From the central (chest) draw a line downward, from the right (pelvis) draw a line of the hind legs.

Step 3 – Sketch the Abdomen of the Hyena

Connect the circles using two smooth lines from below. As you can see, these lines are slightly diagonal. So the second line has a bend that looks like an angle.

Step 4 – Draw the Front of the Hyena’s Face

Draw a slightly tapered part of the hyena’s face. It looks like a truncated cone that continues smoothly into the contours of the neck.

Step 5 – Draw the Nose and Mouth of the Hyena

Place the eyes of the hyena very close to the outer line of the head. Draw a nose in the place of the protrusion on the muzzle, and draw a long mouth below.

Step 6 – Draw the Ears of the Hyena

Draw the ears at the very top of the head. Sharpen the ears to create something that looks like a dog’s ears. Due to the peculiarities of the angle, the ear closest to us looks larger.

Step 7 – Draw the Front Legs of the Hyena

Add volume to powerful forelegs. So the wide part of the paw begins at the chest and tapers smoothly downward. Note the gradual thickening around the middle of the paw.

Step 8 – Draw the Front Feet of the Hyena

Draw a paw, outline three toes. Round off their outline and heel. There is a small tubercle on the ledge. Rounded figures are located on the front of the paw, and angular shapes prevail on the back of the paw.

Step 9 – Draw the Hind Legs of the Hyena

Draw the wide thigh of the back leg. So start a line from the tail and imagine that the tail is there as a guide. A sharp protrusion follows from the knee to the lower leg.

Step 10 – Draw the Tail of the Hyena

Draw the tail using a few oblique lines. You can give the tail any position, in our case the tail simply hangs parallel to the legs. By the way, in animals, the position of the tail, as a rule, indicates a certain mood.

Step 11 – Erase the Guidelines

So, check the correctness of all proportions and lines, as well as the symmetry of the basic shapes. If everything is in order with this, go to the final stage and remove all guidelines from your hyena drawing.

Step 12 – Color the Hyena Drawing

Сolor the hyena with different shades of brown and gray. Darker shades of base colors will help you paint shadows. Small details, such as a highlight inside the eye contour, will make the hyena look more realistic and lively.

So, our hyena is ready. African animals are always exotic and right now you are convinced that even in a hyena you can find harmony. Write to us about the difficulties you encountered, and also give examples of those animals that you already had to draw.