Drawing a Cute Giraffe in Photoshop

I’ve also made a few smaller sizes you can use if you like

Drawing the basic shape

To begin open a new document, I used a 800x800px size with a white background. Create a new layer and name it body. Draw the shape in the image below:

In case you’re having a problem drawing the shape above you can download that shape and another shape that is used later in this tutorial. The second shape normally comes with Photoshop but I’ve provided it anyway.

These are the two shapes:  (Click image to download shapes)

Fill the shape with the color code: #ff8d04

Create a new layer, name it ear. Draw the shape as shown in the image below:

Create a new layer, name it ear. Draw the shape as shown in the image below:

Create a new layer, name it front horn. Draw the shape as shown in the image below:

Fill the shape with the color code: #faed27

Hope you’re enjoying this fun tutorial on drawing a cute giraffe in Photoshop, if you’re having a problem or need some help, let us know.

Duplicate the layer, rename it back horn. Go to Edit – transform – Flip horizontal. Then move it to the other side of the body shape:

Grab this layer and put it right above the background layer so it is behind the body shape:

Create a new layer, name it outer eye. Create a small white circle using the ellipse tool:

Create a new layer, name it eye. Create a black very small circle using the ellipse tool:

Duplicate the body layer. Put it below the original body layer. Apply a color overlay using the layer styles with the color code #e13b0b and nudge it using forward and downwards a couple of time till it looks like :

Duplicate the ear layer, name it inner ear. Press ctrl+t to enter the transform menu and transform this shape to 75% of its size, then apply a color overlay using layer styles with the color code: #e13b0b:

Create a new layer, name this back foot 1. Draw the shape as shown:

Fill the shape with the color code: #e13b0b

Drag this layer below the original body layer.

Create a new layer, name it front foot 1. Draw the shape as shown

Fill this shape with the color code: #ff8d04

This layer should be above the body layer.

Duplicate the front foot 1 layer, name it back foot 2 and move it as shown:

Drag this layer below the original body layer:

Apply a color overlay with the color code: #e13b0b

Duplicate the front foot 1 layer again. Rename it front foot layer 2, and move it as shown:

Making the Patches

Add a gradient overlay using layer styles to the body layer, here is what you have to do:

The middle gradient as shown is at 47%.

This is how it should look:

Remember that second shape I was talking that will be used in this tutorial, its going to be used now. Use that shape and the color code: #faed27 to draw small shapes gradually from smaller to larger as shown in the following images:

Once done. Select all the shapes you just drew and merge them into one layer. Apply a gaussian blur filter on this layer with a setting of 3.8 pixels:

You should get this result:

Now that we have made the giraffe’s patches, lets draw a small shadow. Create a new layer, name it shadow. Draw this shape:

Fill the shadow with the color code: #ececec

Touching it up a bit

Duplicate the front foot layer 1. Drag the duplicate layer below the original layer and nudge it front and downwards to get the following result:

Do the same thing with the front foot layer 2. Duplicate it, drag the duplicate layer below it and nudge it to get the same kind of result:

Apply the following layer to the inner ear layer:

You should see a little depth inside the ear with the inner glow:

When I was this far through making this thing and the tutorial I realized the eye was not really at the best place so lets move it into place, this is where it looks good:

Apply the following layer styles on the eye layer:

This should be the result:

Apply this layer style to the outer eye layer:

This should be the result:

Apply this layer style to the front horn layer:

This should be the result:

Apply the same layer style to the back horn layer, you can do this by copying the layer style and pasting it or applying it again.

This is the result:

Apply the same layer effect to the ear layer as well, you will get:

The final result

I hope you found this tutorial on drawing a cute giraffe in Photoshop interesting and useful. If there are any questions please let me know through comments.