How to draw: A Triceratops

Dinosaurs weren't as commonplace as they are today, when I grew up. I think for this reason, these giant creatures that once roamed the earth, still hold such fascination for me. Stephen Spielberg did nothing to squash this fascination either! In today's blog, I share the steps for drawing a Triceratops with you. We then use soft pastels to colour it. These can be slightly messy and tricky to work with, but I'll show you how to do so without too much hassle.

You will need a sheet of paper and a pencil for today's drawing.

Start with a big oval to represent the body. Draw a large circle for the top of the hind leg, and a smaller circle for the top of the front leg, inside the large oval.

Add a curved triangle for the head. Connect the body to the head with a neck.

Start shaping the legs.

Continue working on the legs and add the beginning of a tail.

Continue working on the tail and add the feet.

Work on the facial detail.

Add the detail and textures to the rest of the body.

Redraw the triceratops in pen. I used a green all-surface marker with a fine point.

Erase all the pencil marks.

My soft pastels consist of numerous sets that have been conveniently arranged in these handy drawers. Some are more expensive than others, but generally speaking, all soft pastels are good value for money.

I start with the bright colour on the belly.

Then I add the lightest colour where the light reflects off the triceratops.

Then I add the lightest green.

This is followed by the middle green.

This is followed by the darkest green.

I then use a cotton bud to blend the pastels a little. Pastels will not blend to form a third colour, but when you smooth it out like this, it creates interesting nuances where the particles sit next to each other on the page, creating the visual illusion of 'new' shades and colours.

This much better than the patchy coloured version!

Any smudges on the page can be erased.

I use 4 different colours to create the impression of foliage in the background. Note how some colours are used to draw lines with, while others are simply dotted or smeared.

I use three colours in the foreground. Remember to add a dark colour for the triceratops's shadow.

Spray your drawing with fixative or hair spray to prevent it from smudging.

The final picture.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
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