Four thick legs, a curled trunk, and a tail swinging at the left edge give this elephant side view its solid, grounded silhouette, and this tutorial on how to draw an elephant side view walks through the whole form in just 9 steps using clean line art. It sits naturally among the other wild animals guides on the site.
What the 9-Step Walkthrough Covers
This is a full-body side profile build with no background and no shading, so every step goes toward getting the outline right. The proportions of a full-grown elephant from this angle involve a lot of curved masses sitting against each other, and the trunk curling at the tip plus the placement of the ear add the most tricky alignment work. The result is clean line art, which means line confidence and proportion control are the main skills being practiced here.
Key Features of This Elephant Side View
- Full body in side profile view
- Trunk curled downward at tip
- Short tusks near the mouth
- Large ear, small eye with wrinkle lines
- Four thick legs with toenail detail
If you want to work through multiple elephant angles, the front full body guide pairs well with this one, and there is also a three-quarter angle African elephant that adds a different perspective challenge. For a lighter take on the subject, the baby elephant splashing water is worth a look too.
Reading the Step Colors
Each step image uses a three-color system to show what is new and what came before:
- Red Color: lines added in the current step.
- Black Color: lines completed earlier.
- Gray Color: base sketch for structure.
How to Draw an Elephant Side View: Step-by-Step Tutorial
Finished Your Elephant? Share It
Drop your finished sketch in the comments below. Seeing how different people handle the trunk curve and the leg proportions is always useful, and every drawing posted there helps others gauge where they are in the process. New tutorials go up on Facebook and Telegram as soon as they are published, a new YouTube video based on existing guides goes live every day, and Pinterest stays regularly updated as well. If you want to keep practicing elephants from different angles, check out the front view of the elephant head or the alternate side profile version for comparison. Supporting the project on Patreon helps keep new guides coming and gives you access to unique hand-drawn coloring pages as well.