How to Draw a Hedgehog

In this quill-tastic tutorial, we will take you step-by-step through how to draw a hedgehog. Hedgehogs are cute, prickly, nocturnal animals that are loved by many and make great pets. Fascinating to draw, a cute hedgehog will add character to any project or design. From baby hedgehogs to adults, you can learn how to draw one in a few easy steps.

Before we get started with this tutorial, collect your supplies together. You can use anything you have on hand from drawing pencils, watercolor paints, sketch pens to digital programs like Procreate, Affinity or Photoshop.

In this drawing tutorial, we are using Procreate with these ink brushes to create the outlines, add color, and the final details.

Step 1 - Sketch the Hedgehog Base Shape

Start drawing your hedgehog by making rough sketches for the base shape of the hedgehog. Use a pencil or other medium that is easy to remove or hide. Sketch a rough oval for the body shape, at a slight angle with the right end a little higher for the head.

Next, sketch a triangle underneath the right side of the oval shape. The triangle should be about one-third the length of the oval. The shape will be our hedgehog's head. You can follow our example sketch below.

Step 2 - Define the Rough Hedgehog Sketch

In this step, we are going to add definition to the base sketch by filling out the shapes and adding details. Continue using the same sketch medium from Step 1.

Add the Front and Back Paws

We are going to sketch the front and back paws of the hedgehog. For the front paws, sketch two curved bean-like shapes close to the head at the bottom of the oval shape. For the back paws, sketch two shapes close to the back of the oval, following the oval curve.

Sketch a Curve for the Ear

Next, we are going to decide where to place the hedgehog’s ear. Start by drawing a curve outwards from the top of the forehead. Then, draw a half circle inward near the middle of the triangle and carry on following the oval shape of the body. You can use our example image below for a visual guide.

Add the Face Details

Now we can begin sketching the details of the hedgehog's face. At the very end of the triangle point, sketch a small oval for the nose. Draw a small circle for the eye and place it in the middle of the face, halfway between the nose and ear.

Sketch a short curved line for the mouth at the bottom of the triangle shape, close to the nose.

Step 3 - Outline the Hedgehog Rough Sketch

We have completed our rough sketch for the hedgehog, and we can now move on to outlining and adding details. You can switch to a dark or defining medium like a pen to draw the outlines.

Outline the Head

We will first outline the head and paws of the hedgehog. Be careful to only outline the lines you want to keep, as you don't want to include overlapping sketch lines. Use the example image below as a guide.

Outline the ear, head, face, and paws with your permanent medium. For the hedgehog's belly, we placed the bottom line a little lower than the oval.

Outline the Quills on the Hedgehog Body

To give our hedgehog definition, we are going to outline the body by adding quills. Following the oval sketch, outline the body with a zig-zag line to create the "quills".

Lastly, add short zig-zag lines in the center of the hedgehog's body. With the outline complete, you can go ahead and remove the rough sketches.

Step 4 - Add Color to Your Hedgehog

In the final step, you are going to color in and add shading to your hedgehog drawing. Use a light tan color for the face, belly, and paws and select a brown color for the quills.

Apply shading using a darker brown color with a textured brush. We added shading to the lower part of the "quills". Do the same with the belly, face, ear, and quills to add depth. Keep in mind the "direction of light" when adding shadows to your drawing.

Great job on drawing your adorable hedgehog illustration! We hope you enjoyed following along with this tutorial and drawing a hedgehog with us. Why not create a few friends for your adorable little creature? You can use this drawing for stickers, book illustrations, card projects and many more creative ideas.