Caroline
The African buffalo is not an animal you want to mess with. They may seem like gentle and docile a lot of the time, but when push comes to shove they can be quite deadly!
They are part of the legendary “Big Five” in Africa, a list that also includes lions, leopards, elephants and rhinos.
This reputation along with their unique appearance has made buffalos very popular worldwide, and many fans love to try their hands at learning how to draw a buffalo.
By the end of this guide, you will be able to create your own buffalo artwork.
We hope you have a fun time taking this artistic safari in this guide on how to draw a buffalo.
How to Draw A Buffalo – Let’s get Started!
Step 1
This first part of our guide on how to draw a buffalo may not seem like much on its own, but it will form an important part of the drawing later. We will be starting the outline for the buffalo, specifically the back and first leg of the animal.
For the back, we will be using a horizontal line that is slightly curved and a bit jagged and bumpy. Then, we will be drawing another bumpy vertical line for the first leg of the buffalo. We will be adding to these lines soon, so it’s on to step 2!
Step 2 – Draw the first horn and the belly of the buffalo
One of the most distinguishing features of a buffalo are its large and unique horns, so we will draw the first of these in this part of your buffalo drawing.
The horns are connected together at a central point, and we will be drawing the one on the right for now.
The horn has a rounded bulge at the top and then curls down into a sharp point before coming up again, as shown in the reference picture.
Finally, we will finish off by drawing a smooth, curved line for the belly of the buffalo before we go on to step 3.
Step 3 – Start drawing the other horn and face of the buffalo
A buffalo with just one horn would look a bit odd, so we shall add another one in this step of our guide on how to draw a buffalo. To do this, simply draw a horn that is basically a mirror image of the other one.
Then, we can draw the head beneath this. A buffalo’s head is quite square in shape, and then it has two small eyes on each side of the face.
Finally, you can add to more vertical lines for two more legs and then draw a curved tail coming out to the left with a clump of hair at the end of it.
Step 4 – Draw the ears and finish off the back legs in this part
In this part of your buffalo drawing, we will be drawing the start of the ears while finishing off the back legs. For the ears, simply extend some slightly curved lines from the sides of the head.
Then, you can finish off the outlines of the back legs and draw two large nails at the base of them. You can also draw the large toenails of the other legs, and we will finish them off in the next step.
Step 5 – Finish off the face and front legs in this step
Now, we shall draw some more of the face and finish off the outlines of the front legs in this step of our guide on how to draw a buffalo.
You can use a rounded shape for the nose, and it will be quite large in relation to the rest of the face. Then, you can use a rounded line beneath the nose for the mouth.
Then, you can finish off the outlines of the front legs and use a sharp line for the chest between them.
Then, once you have it looking as it does in our reference image you’ll be done with this step and are ready for some final details in the next part.
Step 6 – Now, add the final details of your buffalo drawing
We will be adding some colors to your buffalo drawing soon, but first we have a few final touches to add to it.
With all of the outlines complete, we shall be adding some lines throughout the buffalo to give it a more realistic appearance.
Most of these details will go on the face, but we will also be adding some other lines on the body.
You could also add more details of your own, and if you’d like then you could draw a background or even add some more animals to hang out with this buffalo.
What cool ideas can you think of to finish off this buffalo for the final step?
Step 7 – Finish off your buffalo drawing with some color
This is the seventh and final step of our guide on how to draw a buffalo, and this is where you can finish it off with some incredible colors!
In our example image, we kept it more subdued and realistic with various shades of greys.
Even if you went with a more muted scheme like this, you could still add some more color variation by coloring in the background, any extra details you drew or with some art mediums.
This is a step where you can really let your creativity flow, so have fun with it and see how awesome you can make this drawing!
Here’s how you can make your buffalo drawing even better…
These tips for your buffalo sketch will help to make it even more incredible!
Buffalos are social creatures that live in large herds, so you could add some more to this drawing of a buffalo!
Now that you have finished the guide, you have everything you need to create as many as you like.
It could be one or two more buffalo, or you could create an entire herd of these magnificent creatures. You could change a few details on each one to make them all unique to one another.
Buffalos will often hang out with other grazing animals, and you could also add these to the picture. Some common examples would include zebras, giraffes and various small gazelles.
If you find the idea of drawing these new animals to be intimidating, then you could look up some images online to help you.
You don’t need to stick to African animals if you wanted to include something like a moose, for example.
What are some animals you could have hanging out with this buffalo?
Adding herbivores to your buffalo drawing is one way of populating it, but it’s not the only way! You could also create some tension in the scene by adding some predators.
There are a few predators that buffalo have to be wary of, and these could include lions, leopards or cheetahs.
Once again, you will find many photos and pictures of these animals online if you need help including them.
Finally, it would be great to finish off this buffalo sketch with a background. Even if you stick with its natural environment, you would have many stunning landscapes in Africa to choose from.
Some examples would be a lake, a field of grass or maybe a more desert environment. You could also go in a different direction and draw the buffalo in a zoo or other place.
This is yet another tip that would be made much easier if you were to look up some images online of buffalos in various environments.
Your Buffalo Drawing is Complete!
You have successfully reached the end of this guide on how to draw a buffalo, and you have an incredible drawing to show for it!
Our aim with this guide was to make it fun and easy for you to draw this incredible animal, so we hope that these steps made it an enjoyable experience for you.
Our website is full of incredible guides like this one for you to enjoy, so be sure to visit us tehre for more drawing fun! We upload new guides all the time for you, so make sure to visit often.
When you have finished your buffalo drawing, we would love to see how you finished it off! Please remember to share it on our Facebook and Pinterest pages for us to admire.
