How to Draw an Elephant Step By Step (4 Steps)

Before anything else, capture the gesture of the elephant. This means drawing the essence of its movement and posture in a few sweeping lines. Imagine the weight of the elephant shifting as it moves—its massive torso rolling forward, its sturdy legs lifting one at a time, and the subtle sway of its ears catching the air. Instead of focusing on a stiff outline, think about how the energy flows through its body and let your pen follow that rhythm.

I like to start with a continuous, flowing line, letting my hand move freely as I explore the overall shape. I keep my strokes light and flexible, adjusting the weight of my line as I see the form emerging. The goal at this stage is not to be precise but to establish the feeling of the elephant’s motion and structure.

This is where a ballpoint pen shines. Unlike pencil, which can encourage hesitation because of its erasability, a pen forces you to trust your marks. If a line feels off, instead of erasing, I simply adjust by layering over it. This builds confidence and teaches you to embrace the imperfections of your sketch.

If you’ve never tried this kind of expressive drawing before, check out my approach to expressive drawing for more insights into loosening up your lines and capturing movement effectively.

Once the gesture is set, start adding structure. Elephants have a heavy, grounded presence, so pay attention to how the legs support that weight. The legs are thick and pillar-like, yet they have subtle curves that hint at the immense muscles underneath. Observe how the joints bend slightly as the elephant walks, rather than drawing them as stiff, straight columns. The body itself is like a flexible barrel—round but not rigid, shifting slightly with each step.

Instead of boxing it into simple geometric shapes, really look at how the forms connect. The belly isn’t just a circle; it sags slightly between the legs. The back has a gentle slope, rising near the shoulders and dipping toward the hips. The skin folds, especially around the legs and neck, add to the sense of mass.

These are all things you can capture with observational drawing techniques like those in my guide on analytical drawing. By slowing down and noticing these subtle relationships, your drawing will feel more organic and lifelike.

An elephant's head is a fascinating challenge and demands close observation. The forehead is broad, with a slight curve that transitions into the trunk, which is one of the most expressive parts of the animal. Unlike a simple tube, the trunk is full of subtle curves and shifting forms. It thickens near the base, tapers slightly toward the middle, and then flares out again at the tip, depending on the movement.

When drawing the trunk, I like to start with a light, gestural sweep to capture its flow before layering in details. Look at how it coils, stretches, or curls depending on the elephant’s posture. Try sketching a few different trunk positions to get comfortable with its flexibility.

The eyes are another unique challenge. They are relatively small compared to the massive skull, often sitting low and surrounded by folds of thick, wrinkled skin. This means the eyes can sometimes appear deeper-set or partially obscured. Instead of outlining them harshly, try using soft hatching to suggest their depth and placement.

If you want to practice refining movement in your drawings, check out my guide on how to draw movement for more techniques to improve fluidity and expression.

Now, let’s talk about skin. Elephants have an incredible texture, full of wrinkles, folds, and subtle shifts in tone that give them their distinctive look.

But here’s the trick—you don’t need to draw every single wrinkle. Instead, focus on suggesting texture with line weight and shading. I like to use a ballpoint pen because it allows for subtle hatching and layering, giving me control over the depth and richness of the form without overwhelming the drawing with excessive detail.

A great way to approach this is to first map out the larger folds that define the structure of the skin, like the deep creases around the legs, the heavy wrinkles near the trunk, and the loose skin hanging under the neck. Once you have these in place, use lighter strokes to add implied texture, letting the eye fill in the details rather than drawing every line. It’s all about balance—too many lines, and the drawing feels cluttered; too few, and it loses realism.

This is where patience comes in—take your time and let the form emerge naturally. I often go over certain areas multiple times, gradually building up tone and texture through layers of cross-hatching.