How to Draw a Wolf Head in Pacific NW Coast Formline Art Style (Digital PDF)

✨ An 8-Step Lesson in Northwest Coast Native Formline Design

Learn how to draw native wolf art in the Pacific Northwest Coast formline tradition.

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🐺 The Wolf in Indigenous Pacific Northwest Coast Culture

The wolf is respected as a symbol of:

• Strength
• Agility
• Intelligence
• Devotion to family

Its language of sound and song reflects Indigenous beliefs in the transformative power of speech and song.

🎨 Recognizing Native Wolf Art

Pacific Northwest Coast wolf designs often feature:

• Long snout with nostrils
• Sharp teeth and prominent fangs
• Tall narrow ears
• Ovoid eyes
• Clawed feet
• Long curled or bushy tail
• Tongue extended, symbolizing communication

📚 Regional Art Styles

This Pacific North Coast Wolf Head lesson is part of Raven Publishing’s Learning by Designing series, which explores:

• North Coast (Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Nisga’a, Gitksan, Heiltsuk, Haisla, Nuxalk) art styles
• Mid Coast art styles
• South Coast art styles
• West Coast art styles

🖌 What is a Formline?

Formlines are swelling, curving lines that outline the main form of a creature:

• Primary formlines create the overall shape
• Secondary formlines define interior design units
• Negative spaces (crescents, trigons, circles) balance the composition

🐺 Step-by-Step Lesson

1. Step 1: Realistic Wolf Head Reference – Draw a realistic wolf head or outline the size of your proposed finished design.
   
   
2. Step 2: Outline Tracing – Darken the outline, trace it onto new paper, and prepare for formline adaptation.
   
   
3. Step 3: Dotted Outline – Create a dotted guideline to prepare for the formline overlay.
   
   
4. Step 4: Primary Formline Ovoid and Muzzle – Draw the head ovoid, extend the muzzle, and add the spiral nostril design.
   
   
5. Step 5: Ear, Eye Orbit, Inside Muzzle and Mouth – Define the eye orbit, muzzle fineline, ear interior, and mouth area.
   
   
6. Step 6: Ear Split, Snout S-Shape, and Eye Details – Add the ear split, draw the eye ovoid with eyelid line, and fill the snout with an S-shape.
   
   
7. Step 7: Teeth – Sketch guidelines for teeth, separate them into rectangles, and refine into U-shaped incisors.
   
   
8. Step 8: Completed Design – Paint or colour the formline. Optional: add red, blue, or green highlights for multi-colour designs.
   
   See product images above for additional visuals.

✅ What You’ll Receive

• Instant access to the PDF lesson via secure download (powered by Pendora)
• A beautifully illustrated, step-by-step guide to drawing a wolf head in Pacific Northwest Coast formline style
• Cultural context and symbolism of the wolf in Indigenous traditions