The lion, a magnificent creature belonging to the Felidae family, is essentially a large and muscular cat. With its distinctive features such as a thick mane, rounded ears, and a tuft of hair at the tip of its tail, the lion is truly a mighty beast. It prefers habitats like grasslands, savannas, dense scrub, and open woodlands, and is most active at night. Due to the lion’s majestic appearance and impressive hunting skills, there is a high demand for free lion drawing tutorials.
That’s where we come in. We have created a step-by-step tutorial to help you draw a lion easily, using 9 simple steps accompanied by clear illustrations. So, grab a piece of paper and a pencil, and let’s draw together!
Let’s Get Started!
Step 1: Drawing the Lion’s Head
Begin by sketching a sideways oval shape in the middle of your paper. This serves as a rough outline of the lion’s head. Remember to use light strokes and a gentle grip while drawing the outline, avoiding any overlapping lines. To ensure that the lion is centered, you can create reference lines by drawing intersecting horizontal and vertical lines on your paper. The point where these lines meet will be the spot for the oval shape.
Step 2: Creating an Outline of the Lion’s Head
Now, draw the lion’s mane around the oval shape from the previous step. Don’t forget to add clumps of hair to give the mane texture and make it look soft and furry. Once completed, the outline of the lion’s head, along with its majestic mane, should be visible.
Step 3: Drawing the Front Legs of the Lion
Just below the lion’s head, draw two legs side by side, each with three visible paws at the bottom. You can structure the legs by drawing two parallel vertical lines and three curved lines alongside each other to create the paws. Repeat the same step on the opposite side to complete the right leg. At this point, both front legs of the lion should be drawn.
Step 4: Drawing the Lion’s Hind Legs
On each side of the lion’s lower body, draw an angled curve to form the hind legs. Then, draw a semi-circle with another curved line at the bottom of each leg to create the lion’s feet. This completes the hind legs, which will be partly visible as the lion is facing upwards.
Step 5: Drawing the Mane on the Lion’s Head
Next, draw multiple connected, curvy, pointed shapes on the top of the lion’s head. This represents the lion’s thick and long mane. Make sure to erase any overlapping lines within the mane to keep your drawing neat and tidy.
Step 6: Drawing the Pair of Ears of the Lion
Within the lion’s mane, draw an inverted U-shaped figure on each side at the top of its head. Close off the figure by drawing a line on the bottom. This creates the left and right ears of the lion, which are typically rounded and standing upright.
Bonus: Adding Facial Expressions for Variability
Before we move on to the cute facial expression of the lion, let’s explore some possibilities. You can create your own facial designs to make your lion drawing even more unique. For example, you can make the lion look angry or in the middle of a mighty roar by slightly changing the details. You could also consider adding a bone sticking out of its mouth to give it a playful touch. Let your creativity shine and see what you come up with!
Step 7: Adding the Lion’s Tail
Draw a thin, elongated line shape that emerges from the lower right side of the lion’s body. This forms the lion’s tail. Then, draw a piece of thick fur at the tip of the tail to highlight one of the lion’s distinct physical features.
Step 8: Drawing the Lion’s Nose and Mouth
Outline the snout of the lion by drawing a sideways oval shape on the bottom part of its face. Next, draw an inverted triangle shape for the nose. Below the nose, draw a short vertical line with an upward curve on each side to create the lion’s mouth. Add details to the lion’s ears by drawing inner figures along the outline of each ear. This gives the appearance of the inside of the ears.
Step 9: Completing the Look with the Lion’s Eyes
Finalize your lion drawing by adding a pair of eyes. Draw two standing oval shapes above the lion’s snout, and then draw a tiny circle inside each eye. Shade the entire eyes except for the small circle to create a sparkling effect. This adds an adorable touch to the lion’s gaze.
As you can see in the illustration, your lion drawing is now complete. All that’s left is to add some colors to bring it to life! The lion’s coat is primarily yellow-gold, while the mane can range from blond to reddish-brown to black.
So go ahead and unleash your creativity. Have fun and enjoy the process of bringing this magnificent creature to paper!
