This inhabitant of the African swamps seems fat and clumsy. Meanwhile, the hippopotamus is able to cover long distances in a short time, although, of course, it loves to lie quietly in the water more. All parts of his body look powerful and massive, and it is their shape that you should pay special attention to when drawing.
We start with an oval
The hippopotamus has a thick body and a huge head. He has almost no neck - it is so thick and massive that it is almost invisible. Start drawing the hippopotamus with an oval, the long axis of which is tilted to the horizontal side of the leaf at a slight angle. By the way, it is better to lay the sheet horizontally, because the body length of this animal is much greater than its height. The lower part of the oval does not need to be closed, there will be the head and front legs.
You can draw a hippopotamus half submerged in water. Semi-ovals of the body and head are visible above the surface of the bog - the first is longer than the second, but narrower.
Muzzle and legs
The hippo's legs are also very thick and strong, otherwise they would not be able to carry such a heavy body. When the animal is standing, two legs are usually clearly visible, located closer to the viewer, and the lower parts of the legs on the other side. Draw guidelines. The length of the legs is approximately equal to the thickness of the body, but may be slightly less. The leg is about half its length. Sketch out the outlines. Make sure they are symmetrical about the guides. The bottom lines can be slightly rounded. Draw the fingers. They are just short, wide stripes.
The hippopotamus has knee joints, but they are poorly visible, so the legs can be drawn the same along the entire length.
As for the muzzle, it can be drawn in several ways. If you look at the hippopotamus from the front, its muzzle somewhat resembles that of a horse, but much wider. Draw it in the form of a wide horizontal oval, the long axis of which extends beyond the body.
Big mouth and small eyes
The eyes of the hippopotamus are very small. They are just circles framed by folds. Draw the dots, then circle them several times. On the muzzle, draw a mouth - a line parallel to the top outline of the oval. Another characteristic detail is the small triangular ears sticking upward.
Strokes and lines
Trace the main lines with a softer pencil. Draw the folds with it - arcs on the neck, on the legs, on the muzzle. You can convey the shape of the body using shading. The strokes are superimposed in the same way as when drawing any round object - thicker along the contours, less often in the center.
In addition, the hippopotamus has a rather smooth skin, so you can make a light spot in the center of the body without applying any strokes at all. And think about what your hippo is doing and where it lives - in a cage, in a swamp, just under the trees. Subjects of the environment can be sketched with a few free strokes, without unnecessary detailing.
