How to Draw Mammal Ears

Want to draw mammal ears? Here is a step-by-step approach to creating ears that look furry and suggest the texture of hairs in and around the ears. The trick is to focus on creating three areas of value: dark, middle and light. Then to suggest the texture of the hair with strokes from the dark areas into the light. The lines you draw are not individual hairs, but the spaces between clumps of hair.

Predator ears tend to be broad across the bottom  and oriented forward. Hoofed animals have highly mobile ears that are broad near the top but narrow toward the head.

Wolf Ears

Wolves have patterned ears with long hairs inside.

Block in the ear shape. Note that the ear emerges from an elliptical region on the side of the head.

Refine the ear shape and contour.

Block in the shapes of the dark regions in the ear with parallel strokes (if these show through they will suggest hair).

Define the shapes of the light areas in the ear by adding a mid tone. This may seem counterintuitive. You do not draw the light area, but you create it by the shape of the mid tone. Note the pale edge around the rim of the ear.

Cut into the light areas with a few irregular “hair marks” that cut from the outside edge in. These suggest brakes in the fur, not individual hairs. A little texture goes a long way. Stop before you over work it. Deepen the value in the inner ear.

Lion Ears

Lions have short hair on the ear surface and a clump of long hair at the edge of the bowl of the ear.

Block in the basic ear shape. Visualize the ear as coming from the ellipse on the side of the head, not a flat shape.

Refine the shape of the outer ear.

Carve in the dark values of the inner ear, leaving a large pale section on the upper right side where a tuft of long hair will sit.

Define the shape of the lightest areas by blocking in the middle value. Note the white edge at the rim of the ear.

Carve the texture of the long tufts of hair into the mass of hair on the upper right. You are not drawing hairs, but the cracks between clumps of hairs. Add a suggestion of hair detail around the rim of the ear.

Squirrel Ears

Little ears, same principle, just smaller. Notice how this approach can be scaled down to make fast convincing little ears.

Block in the basic ear shape. Note the dumbbell shape of the opening due to a flap of skin in front of the ear.

Block in the darkest areas of the ear. Push these values, you want the ear to feel deep.

Fill in a mid value, leaving a rim of light hair around the ear.

Add a hint of texture to the ear edge.

Hoofed Mammal Ears

Hoofed mammals have  ears set on a little turret, allowing the ear to turn and listen in all directions.

Start with a short turret at the ear base.

Make a leaf shaped opening. Suggest the thickness of the ear tissue by giving width to the near edge.

Let’s try another angle. Start with the base.

Here the opening is turrned away from you. Cup the back of the ear around the opening.

Suggest the thickness of the ear tissue by giving width to the near edge.