For this drawing, I am using an American bison, the animal commonly called a buffalo in North America. Its most important feature is not the horns or beard. It is the uneven distribution of weight across the body.
A buffalo is large and powerful through the head, neck and shoulders, then becomes noticeably lighter towards the hindquarters. If you capture that relationship, the animal will begin to look recognisable before you add any details.
This tutorial can be followed with pencil, pen, charcoal or another medium. I recommend using a side-view photograph where the complete body and all four legs are visible.
Begin with the buffalo’s silhouette
Before drawing, trace the outer edge of the buffalo with your eyes.
Start at the nose. Move across the forehead, over the dense hair between the horns and up towards the shoulders. Notice how the back reaches its highest point above the front legs before gradually descending towards the hips.
That high shoulder area is what gives the buffalo its front-heavy appearance.
Continue around the hindquarters, down the back legs and beneath the belly. Then look at how the chest rises back towards the head.
Try following this path several times before making a mark. It will help you understand the complete animal as one connected subject.
If you need a clearer photograph, my guide to choosing an animal drawing reference explains what I look for before beginning.
Establish the length and height
Make four small, light marks on your paper:
- The front of the muzzle
- The highest point of the shoulders
- The back of the hindquarters
- The ground beneath the hooves
These marks create a loose boundary for the drawing without enclosing the buffalo inside a collection of construction shapes.
Check the relationship between the height and length. A buffalo has a long body, but the height of its shoulders and depth of its chest give it a compact, substantial appearance.
Leave enough room in front of the head. The face often extends lower and farther forward than beginners expect.
Let the top edge describe the animal
Begin near the front of the head and work slowly towards the shoulders.
Follow the visible edge of the forehead and thick hair around the top of the head. Then allow the line to rise towards the large mass above the front legs.
Do not make this line perfectly smooth. The coat creates irregular edges, especially around the forehead, neck and shoulders. A few overlapping marks can describe this more naturally than a single clean contour.
Once you reach the highest point, follow the back as it gradually lowers towards the hips.
The rear half should feel smaller and less heavily covered than the front. If the back remains the same height from shoulders to tail, the buffalo may begin to look like an ordinary cow.
Hang the head below the shoulders
A buffalo’s head is carried fairly low in relation to its back. Instead of placing the face directly in front of the body, observe how it appears to hang beneath the large shoulder mass.
Draw the upper edge of the muzzle, then the broad nose and lower jaw. The muzzle should feel wide and heavy rather than narrow or pointed.
The eye is relatively small and may be partly surrounded by dark fur. Place it only after you have established the complete profile of the head.
Look at the connection between the jaw, beard and chest. These areas often merge visually, so you do not need to separate each one with a hard outline.
Find the belly between the front and back legs
Move to the underside of the body.
The chest drops deeply behind the front legs. From there, the belly travels towards the hind legs, but much of its exact edge may be obscured by shadow or hanging hair.
Draw only the sections you can clearly see. A broken or incomplete edge can suggest the underside without turning it into a flat enclosed shape.
This is also a good time to check the body’s weight. The deepest part should remain closer to the front legs than the back.
A basic understanding of weight and visible joints can help here. My animal drawing anatomy tutorial explains how I use anatomy while still drawing directly from observation.
Place the legs beneath the weight
Begin with the front leg closest to you.
Follow it down from the shoulder and chest towards the hoof. The upper part may be partly hidden by long hair, so look for changes in value and direction rather than searching for a complete outline.
The front legs should feel capable of supporting the large shoulder mass. Keep them sturdy, but pay attention to how they narrow before reaching the hooves.
Draw the second front leg in relation to the first. It may overlap or sit slightly farther back.
The hind legs are attached to the smaller rear portion of the body. Their joints are often more visible because they are not hidden beneath the same amount of heavy fur.
Compare the position of all four hooves along the ground. Small differences between them will make the stance more convincing.
Add the horns without making them too prominent
It is tempting to begin a buffalo drawing with the horns, but they make more sense once the head is established.
Look at where each horn emerges from the sides of the head. Follow the outward curve before it turns upward towards the tip.
The second horn may appear shorter, narrower or partly hidden depending on the angle. Avoid forcing the horns into perfect symmetry if the buffalo is not facing you directly.
Keep the tips relatively small. Oversized horns can make the animal look more like a stylized bull.
Now add the small ear beneath or behind the horn. It may be partially lost in the surrounding coat.
Keep the face simple
Place the eye beneath the heavy brow. A small dark mark may be enough.
The nose is broad, with nostrils positioned across its darker surface. Observe whether the muzzle catches more light than the forehead and beard.
Instead of outlining the mouth heavily, look for the change in value between the lower muzzle and the hair beneath it. The mouth may be only a short, subdued line.
The face contains fewer obvious details than many beginners expect. Most of its character comes from the broad muzzle, small eye, horns and surrounding mass of dark fur.
Use the coat to reinforce the body
A buffalo’s coat changes noticeably from front to back.
The hair around the head, beard, neck, chest and shoulders is long and dense. Across the rear half, the coat becomes shorter and follows the form of the body more closely.
Use longer, darker and more irregular marks around the front. Let some of those marks travel downward from the beard and chest.
As you move towards the hindquarters, shorten your strokes and allow more of the paper to remain visible. This change in texture will reinforce the buffalo’s proportions.
Avoid filling the entire body with individual hairs. First establish the larger dark areas beneath the head, around the shoulders and between the legs.
If you are working in graphite, my animal drawing in pencil guide has more advice on suggesting fur without drawing every strand.
Finish with the smaller features
Add the short tail near the back of the body. It may hang down with a small tuft at the end or disappear partly against the hind leg.
Refine the hooves, but keep them connected to the weight of the legs. A few angled edges are usually enough to distinguish them from paws.
Finally, add a small amount of ground beneath the feet. Grass, dust, snow or a simple shadow can prevent the buffalo from appearing to float.
Darken only the areas that help the drawing:
- The eye and nostrils
- The underside of the head
- The beard and chest
- The overlaps between the legs
- The darkest parts of the shoulder
- The contact points beneath the hooves
Leave some edges light or unfinished. You do not need to outline the entire animal with the same pressure.
If your buffalo looks like a cow
Do not add more fur immediately. First check the overall proportions.
The shoulders may need to be higher. The head may need to sit lower. The chest may need more depth, or the hindquarters may be too large.
Also check the transition in the coat. A buffalo should feel much heavier and shaggier through the front than the back.
Correcting those larger relationships will make a greater difference than adding extra horns, hair or facial details.
A useful second drawing
After completing the side view, make a smaller drawing of the buffalo facing slightly towards you.
This angle will let you compare the width of the forehead, position of the horns and depth of the chest. Keep the second drawing loose and stop once the pose is clear.
Drawing the same animal from more than one angle is one of the best ways to understand it without memorising a fixed set of instructions.
For more subjects and beginner guidance, explore my complete collection of animal drawing tutorials.