In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to draw a hippopotamus head front view in 12 steps. The design is straightforward but includes enough details to make the animal recognizable. I’d call this one medium in complexity since it has more attention to facial proportions than a simple cartoon sketch.
Main Features of the Hippopotamus Head
- Head Shape: Wide and rounded with strong jawlines.
- Ears: Small and upright on top of the head.
- Eyes: Positioned high, with heavy lids.
- Nostrils: Large and oval, sitting on the top of the snout.
- Mouth: Wide with thick lips.
- Details: skin folds around the eyes and muzzle.
Once you finish this one, you could also try drawing other animal heads like an elephant, rhino, or lion to practice different proportions.
Step Colors in the Guide
- Red Color: The lines for the current step.
- Black Color: The lines already completed.
- Grey Color: The initial sketch that guides proportions.
One trick that actually works is coming back to this hippopotamus head drawing a few days later and trying it again from scratch, since that second attempt is usually where the shapes really start to click. New wild animal guides like this one show up regularly on SketchOk’s Pinterest, and if you prefer watching the process, video versions of some guides appear on the YouTube channel over time. Searching ‘how to draw Hippopotamus Head Drawing Tutorial’ can help you find this one again whenever you’re ready for that practice round.