How to Draw Scooby Doo Step-by-Step for Beginners

Scooby Doo is one of the most iconic and beloved cartoon characters of all time. With his goofy grin, lovable personality and distinctive voice, Scooby is fun to draw for cartooning beginners and experts alike. This easy, step-by-step drawing tutorial breaks down how to draw Scooby Doo into simple shapes and lines, making it accessible for kids and adults.

Supplies You‘ll Need

• Paper – use thicker paper like cardstock for beginning artists. This prevents indentations from erasing.
• Pencil – standard #2 pencils are best. Softer pencils create darker lines.
• Eraser – kneaded erasers can erase pencil lines without damaging paper.
• Black marker – liquid ink or permanent markers make lines crisp and clean.
• Coloring supplies – colored pencils, crayons, or markers allow you to add vibrancy.

Step 1: Draw a Circle for the Head

Start by drawing a large circle near the top of your paper using a light pencil line. This will be the basic shape of Scooby Doo‘s head. Keep the circle fairly round and even for the best results. Make sure to leave plenty of room at the bottom for the body.

Tips for drawing the perfect circle:

• Use a compass or circular object as a guide.
• Draw slowly and deliberately for smooth lines.
• Outline lightly at first, then go over clearer.
• Keep your wrist steady and pivot at the elbow.
• Use gridlines to properly position the circle on the page.

Step 2: Add the Facial Guidelines

To correctly place Scooby‘s facial features, lightly sketch a vertical and horizontal line intersecting in the middle of the head circle. The vertical line will help you center the nose and face symmetry, while the horizontal line marks the eyes‘ placement.

Keep these initial guidelines faint so they can be easily erased later. Use a ruler or straight edge to keep the lines straight. The intersecting point is the focal point for Scooby‘s facial features.

Common mistakes:

• Placing lines off-center
• Angled or crooked lines
• Pressing too hard when drawing guidelines

Step 3: Draw the Snout and Chin

Below the horizontal guideline, draw an upside down triangle extending from the vertical line. Make sure the triangle‘s top point touches the horizontal line. This forms the basic shape of Scooby Doo‘s distinctive snout.

Under the snout, draw a subtle curved line that connects the bottom points of the triangle. This completes the shape of Scooby‘s chin. Keep the curved line smooth.

Tips for getting the snout right:

• Use a ruler or straightedge for clean triangle lines
• Make the triangle wide enough to fit the nose
• Keep the snout proportionate to the head size
• Reference photos of Great Danes for realistic shaping

Step 4: Add the Eyes, Nose and Mouth

On the horizontal guideline, draw two large oval shapes spaced evenly apart for Scooby‘s eyes. Make sure they overlap the vertical line. Halfway down the vertical line, draw a smaller oval for Scooby‘s nose, centered between the eyes.

Under the nose, draw a wide curved line for his mouth. Add some subtle angles at the ends to hint at a smile. Keep the eyes, nose and mouth along the same horizontal axis.

Techniques for clean facial features:

• Use smooth, continuous lines for the ovals.
• Draw the eyes first, then line up the nose and mouth.
• Keep facial features aligned and properly spaced.
• Outline lightly then darken for finished lines.
• Make eyes large and nose proportional to head size.

Step 5: Draw the Ears

On each side of Scooby‘s head circle, draw two pointed oval shapes for his signature floppy ears. Place the ears slightly above the horizontal guidelines.

Use clean lines and make the ears a comparable size. Draw a few curved lines inside each ear to add detail. Add some faint lines around the ears for fur texture.

Tips for getting the perfect ears:

• Draw ears aligned with each other at equal heights
• Make ears wide and bending downwards
• Add lighter interior lines slowly and carefully
• Check proportions with reference photos as you work
• Erase guide lines as you darken finished ear outlines

Step 6: Add the Neck and Body

Extend two parallel lines downward from Scooby‘s chin to draw his neck. Make these lines smooth and similar in length. At the bottom, draw a large horizontal oval shape for Scooby Doo‘s body.

Keep the lines for the neck and body proportional. The body should be significantly bigger than the head and neck. Remember to leave room for the tail.

Techniques for the neck and body:

• Use straight vertical lines for the neck with no bumps
• Make the neck wide enough to connect the head smoothly
• Draw the body oval to the left to allow space for the tail
• Check proportions by measuring head vs. body sizes
• Consider lightly sketching the limbs first to properly place the body

Step 7: Draw the Legs and Tail

Draw two wide ovals extending from the bottom left of Scooby‘s body oval for his front legs. Add slightly angled lines for his back legs behind these. Then draw a long, curved tapering line from the center back of his body for his tail.

Make the front legs bending different directions and the back legs wider apart to show movement and energy. Keep all lines for the limbs smooth and organic.

Tips for dynamic limbs:

• Vary leg angles and poses for a sense of motion
• Make front and back legs different sizes
• Draw the tail with a sharp tip tapering wider at the base
• Imagine the direction of movement to inform leg poses
• Lightly sketch limbs first before darkening outlines

Step 8: Add Details and Customize

Now it‘s time for the fun part of personalizing your Scooby Doo! Go over your pencil lines with a black marker to make them stand out. Draw ovals or circles on his paws to create toes. Consider adding spots, a signature collar, or other accessories to make your Scooby unique.

Get creative with patterns, costumes, props, speech bubbles, backgrounds, and other decorative details. Add color using pencils, markers or crayons. Include Shaggy, the Mystery Machine, or other characters from the show. The possibilities are endless, so have fun making your Scooby drawing your own!

Ideas for Customizing Your Scooby Doo:

• Spots, stripes, plaid patterns, argyle etc. on fur or collar
• Draw him holding a Scooby snack, clue, or toy bone
• Add a background like a haunted house, beach, or temple
• Dress him up like a king, pirate, astronaut or other fun costume
• Have him sniffing out clues or displaying other antics
• Draw him running, dancing, leaping or in action poses
• Create a full scene with the Mystery Inc. gang, their van, and ghosts
• Make him cute, ferocious, silly or any mood you desire!

Tips for Drawing Scooby Doo

• Use light, smooth strokes for sketching the outlines.
• Look at reference photos to accurately capture Scooby‘s likeness.
• Keep proportions in mind, as his head is quite large compared to real dogs.
• Don‘t press too hard or outline too darkly until the final steps.
• Add zigzags, strokes and texture to make fur look more realistic.
• Draw him in fun poses like running, jumping over obstacles, etc. for dynamic drawings.
• Include props or backgrounds related to mysteries, travels, and hijinks from the show.
• Use warm browns and blacks for coloring his fur, spots, and collar.
• Practice makes perfect! Drawing Scooby gets easier the more times you do it.

Scooby Doo has been an iconic cartoon character for generations, and now you can draw him too! With a little practice following these steps, you‘ll be able to draw this lovable Great Dane with ease. Soon you‘ll even be ready to draw the whole Mystery Inc. gang and create your own fun Scooby Doo adventures. Believe in yourself and let your creativity and personality shine through. Drawing should be fun, so have a groovy time cartooning with Scooby Doo!