How to Draw a Mouse – The Best Mouse Drawing Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission from purchases made through them, at no additional cost to you.

Mice are some of the cutest little critters out there. Have you ever wondered how to draw a mouse? If so, then you have come to the right place. Thanks to our resident artist, we have an easy step-by-step mouse drawing tutorial to help you draw a cute mouse in no time! Gather up your drawing supplies, get comfy, and let us dive right in. 

An Introduction to the Little World of the Mouse

Contrary to what people may believe, the mouse is a very intelligent little creature. Mice can communicate with each other in a very sophisticated way using their voice, facial expressions, and smells. Mice are very empathetic with a large capacity for emotion and a serious level of curiosity. Mice are also incredibly neat animals, keeping their intricate underground homes tidy and with distinct areas for sleeping, keeping food, and using the bathroom!

How to Draw a Mouse Step-by-Step

Now that you have a little more knowledge about the humble mouse, we can get down to the business of how to draw a mouse step-by-step. If you have ever completed any of our other animal drawing tutorials, then you will know what you need, but if not, take a look at the supplies we suggest below.

Step 1: Constructing the Mouse’s Body

As always, we begin by drawing the construction of the main body of the mouse. We always begin an animal drawing by using construction shapes and lines, so that we have the correct proportions and perspective. We always want our drawings to be as realistic as possible, and this process is an easy way to ensure that. For the mouse, we are going to use an elongated oval shape that lies horizontally in the middle of your canvas.

The most important thing to remember in this first step is to leave plenty of space around your main body oval, as we are going to be adding onto this shape. 

Step 2: Constructing the Mouse’s Ears

In this step, we are laying down the construction shapes for the ears of our mouse. Begin by drawing an egg-like oval shape that is slightly angled towards the back of your main body oval. Ideally, this oval should be around a third of the way into the main body oval, and only the top corner should extend beyond the main body.

Repeat the same step with a smaller oval at the same angle as the previously drawn oval. You want this smaller oval to sit in front of the bigger one, and more of it should poke out the top of the main body oval.

At the end of this step, you should have two ovals on your main body that represent the ears of our tiny mouse.

Step 3: Constructing the Mouse’s Eye

This third step is another very simple step. All you need to do is draw a small circle just in front of and below the two ears, inside the main body oval. You can make this circle ever so slightly oval, angled in the opposite direction to the ears. This small circle will be the construction shape for our mouse’s eye.

Step 4: Constructing the Mouse’s Nose

For this step, you need to use an even smaller circle to represent the mouse’s nose. Find the very central point at the front end of the body oval, and draw the little circle just below it. You want most of the circle to extend outside of the main body oval.

At the end of this step, you should start to see your little mouse coming to life, and maybe it looks a little something like this. 

Step 5: Constructing the Mouse’s Tail

In this step, we are laying down the construction line for the mouse’s tail. Begin the tail line just below the back point of the main body oval. Ideally, the line should be curved like a “2” shape.

While you want the tail shape to represent a “2,” you want the end of it to taper down.

Step 6: Constructing the Mouse’s Feet

In step six, we start to draw the construction lines for the feet. From this perspective, we can only see three of the four feet. Begin with the back leg, drawing an arched curved line from the bottom of the main body oval. Start the line a little way down from the tail. Add one extra toe to this back foot.

You can carry out the same steps for the front foot, adding on two extra toes. The back front foot will only be two little toes poking out.

Step 7: Outlining the Final Shape of Your Mouse

Now that we have all the construction lines drawn, it is time to use them to create the general outline of your mouse. Using a darker pencil, you can begin to fine line the shape of your mouse. Begin with the front end of your mouse, drawing around the nose circle, and joining it to the main body oval with a slight dip on top of the nose. Take the solid line down from the nose too, taking it into the body oval to create a mouth line. On the edge of the body oval, take the line down again and dip it in slightly. You can follow the ear ovals pretty closely, but do not join up the bottom of the front ear.

Once you have outlined the face in a solid line, the rest of your outlines will be made from short strokes to give the impression of fur. You want these short strokes to follow the direction of the mouse’s body, curving towards the back. The closer to the back you get, the longer you can make these strokes.

Once you have reached close to the tail construction line, leave a similar width on both ends without connecting the fur yet to the tail. Add an additional nose detail by drawing a wrapped curve within the nose circle.

Step 8: Adding More Fine Lining Detail

Now that we have the general shape of our mouse outlined, it is time to fine line the tail and feet. Begin at the gap in the fur you left at the back of your mouse. Outline the tail construction line, leaving equal space on either side. Make sure that your tail finishes at a sharp point.

Using the same practice of tracing around your construction lines, draw around the feet construction lines. Once you have your toes outlined, you can draw a sharp pointy nail on all of the toes. These nails should curve slightly downwards.

At the end of this step, your mouse should be starting to come together nicely and look something like this!

Step 9: Detailing the Mouse’s Facial Features

In this step, we are going to add details to the ears, eyes, and nose. First, start by defining the eyes. Draw around the eye construction circle to create the pupil of the eye. Next, add an additional circle around this inner one, with a slight bulge at the front. For the whiskers, you can freehand draw several slightly curved lines on either side of the mouse’s face.

Tip: The whiskers on the nonvisible side of the face should be drawn facing up so that they are visible from the current angle of the mouse.

For the ears, you can freehand draw a curved line that follows the shape of the inner ear but ends just before it begins to dip down the back. Draw another two little curved lines at the very bottom of the big ear to add more depth. For the back ear, you can simply draw a little line that curves up the center.

Once you have finished with this step, you can erase all of your construction lines. 

Step 10: Giving Your Mouse a Furry Coat

The best way to start the fur coat is at the nose. Begin drawing a mixture of short and long curved line strokes that flow with the general shape of the mouse’s body. You want the fur lines to create a continuous wave, rather than a chaotic cluster.

Tip: use the shape and curves of the mouse’s body to help to figure out the curve of the fur. 

For a more realistic detail, draw fur that is reaching in and around the ear. And curved lines around the tail and feet as additional detail. These details can be both spots, short lines, and long strokes.

Although we are reaching the finishing line with this drawing tutorial, do not rush this detailing process. It is this part of the process that will breathe life into your mouse, so take your time. To help you get the directionality of the fur right, we have put some arrows on this image. Overall, the fur directions on the mouse’s body can be broken up into three parts.

Step 11: Adding the Final Details and Shading

The first thing to do in this final step is to color the iris of the eye black. You can leave three small white sections to act as reflections of light. Next, using a darker pencil or a brush, add some gentle shading to your mouse. When shading, follow the same direction of the fur to emphasize the flow. If you are using a pencil on paper for this tutorial, you can use a cotton swab to blend out your shading. If you are using a drawing tablet, you can simply use a darkening brush.

There are some very important places to shade to add the final touch of realism to your mouse drawing. Add some shading along the outer edge of the ears, on the top of the feet, behind the ears and along the back, and along the tail. Leave the bottom of the mouth, the inside of the ear, and the nose without shading.

You can make the fur appear even more realistic by using the sharp edge of your eraser to erase thin strokes of fur in the same direction as the fur lines. 

Just like that, we have come to the end of our mice drawing tutorial. We really hope that you have enjoyed it, you are happy with your mouse, and you are inspired to keep drawing and creating!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Learn How to Draw a Mouse Easy?

It is very easy to learn how to draw a mouse. If you follow our tutorial, we will help you learn how to draw a mouse step-by-step so that you can follow along. We make learning how to draw a mouse easy for any artist.

Do You Use Construction Lines for Mice Drawing?

Yes. We always use construction lines in all of our mouse drawing and other animal drawing tutorials. Construction lines are great because they help you make sure that you have the right proportions and dimensions in your drawing before you start adding all the details.

Can I Use a Graphics Tablet when Learning How to Draw a Mouse?

Of course you can. Our tutorial is designed so that all artists can follow it easily, regardless of the medium you use. We are proud to make learning how to draw a mouse easy in any medium.