how to draw a camel cartoon illustration

Learn how to draw a camel cartoon illustration featuring a fascinating animal filled with unique features and challenges! Indeed, camels are visually interesting. Drawn with a long neck, a particular head and thin legs, this adorable creature is easily recognizable, but also a real treat for someone looking to illustrate a strange character! :)

That's why it can be a good idea to take a few minutes to study this cartoon animal carefully before proceeding with the step-by-step drawing tutorial.

The neck of the camel is long and narrow.
A perfect curved line is needed to represent the jaw.
Notice the tip of the mouth which is narrow and made from irregular lines.
The nose is made from a small curved line.
The eyelid is partially closed.
Some hair can be seen on top of the head.
The ear is short and pointed.
The hump is hairy and darker.
Darker colors are also needed for the tail of the animal.
Notice the particular shape of the back leg.
Feet are simply made from two curved lines (to form toes).
The body is large, round and strong.
Front legs are thin and knees are easy to see.

That's great! Now that this part of the lesson is done, let's start with the drawing aspect of the tutorial. As usual, creating a simple guideline is a good way to start our journey!

step 1 - Circles, rectangles and squares ...

These are the shapes needed to draw our basic template. The head is made from one circle (to represent the jaw), another one to form the head and a small square to illustrate the mouth. The neck is done using a long rectangle and the body is created from a large oval shape. Don't forget to sketch all four legs using more long and thin rectangles.

step 2 - Let's draw this cute camel cartoon picture!

Using mostly short and long curved lines, it's now time to draw our lovely camel cartoon. Pay attention to areas like the jaw, the mouth, the top of the head (full of hair), the hump, the neck and the back legs. Yes, it's a lot of work, but like I said earlier this cartoon animal is pretty unique and different from most wild animals we have drawn so far.

step 3 - sketching the tail and adding the eyes

The previous step was a huge one, but fortunately this one is much easier. Inside the ear, create a simple patch using two small curved lines. The eye is made from another curved line, just like the pupil.

Another broken line is needed to illustrate the eyelid. Finally, you can draw the tail using more small curved lines as shown in the image below.

step 4 - adding beautiful plain colors

Cartoon camels are often filled with a bright brown color (created with a touch of yellow). This simple version is not different. First, add a dark brown color to all strokes. Then, make sure that the hump, the patch found inside the ear and the tip of the tail are filled with a darker version of the same color. Both legs located behind the character are also slightly darker. Finally, you can use a brighter brown color for the pupil.

step 5 - gradient fills to create depth

If you are using a vector application, then using the gradient fill tool to create volume is definitely a good (and simple) idea. Notice how the hump is now darker on the bottom and brighter on top? You can also use this tool to change the color of the hair found on top of the head of this cute camel cartoon image.

step 6 - More shadows for more realism

It's true that our goal is not to create a realistic camel. However, adding more shadows can help us end up with a more interesting cartoon version of this character. All these new shapes (found below with a blue outline) are also partially hidden to create an effect that is subtle and relevant. As you can see, these shapes are drawn in areas not affected by the light source (which is located above the animal for this example).

step 7 - highlights to complete this simple lesson!

Our (fictional) light source can also produce areas that feel brighter on top of the character. That's why it's also a good idea to create highlights using new shapes that are colored in white and partially transparent. These new shapes can be drawn on the jaw, the neck, the tail, the top of the hump, the back of the camel cartoon and the top of the legs.

a simple and colorful camel is the result!

Below you can see the cartoon character once all colors and effects are added. All these highlights added on top of the legs, inside the body and near the jaw are now visible. Combine with all dark shapes sketched in step number six, you can now see the importance of adding dark and bright elements to make the illustration more appealing. These are simple tips that can turn any basic image into a masterpiece! :)

Let's start all over again!

Why not? This time, try to create a different posture, draw more details or simply drawn another camel cartoon using your own style. Practicing is the key and you can draw many different versions before creating the perfect one. Just don't give up! More cartoon animals are also available here if you feel like working on something different. Have fun and never stop drawing! :)