This step by step tutorial shows how to describe a lion's face and caput going from a bones shape sketch to a finished line drawing.

Lion face drawing step by step
Lion face up drawing stride by step

Equally a lion's confront is adequately complex this is a very detailed tutorial with many steps. If you are going to be post-obit forth using pencil and paper please be sure to brand light lines for the initial steps of the cartoon and then that you can hands erase them later.

Step 1 – Draw the Major Shapes of the Lion's Face & Head

Lion face proportions drawing
Panthera leo face proportions drawing

Outset the cartoon of the lion's face up by start breaking it downwardly into more basic shapes.

For an caption of why you should depict this way run into:

Beginner Guide to Learning to Describe

Lion basic head shape step by step drawing
Lion basic caput shape step by step drawing

Construct the lion'south head every bit in the example to a higher place:

  1. Describe a straight vertical line through the middle of your drawing area followed by an intersecting horizontal line towards the upper cease of the kickoff line
  2. Make a circle around the intersection to get the rough width and shape o the upper part of the head
  3. Draw two circles to indicate the basic shape and size of the ears
  4. Towards the bottom end of the large face circle depict two more circles (slightly overlapping the big one) to represent the end of the snout
  5. Draw a half circumvolve below the ii "snout" circles (slightly narrower in with) for the bottom jaw
  6. Project a set of lines from the large confront circle towards the lesser jaw one-half circle to act as construction lines
  7. Draw ii curves staring from slightly beneath the horizontal line towards the "snout end" curves to create construction lines for the snout
  8. Depict the outer shape of the mane equally ii sets of curves

Pace 2 – Depict the Facial Features

Lion facial features drawing
Lion facial features drawing

Draw the bones shapes of the major facial features and erase some of the construction lines from the previous footstep and so that your drawing does not get cluttered.

Add cheek bone shapes on the sides going from the area around the outer corners of the eyes and eventually curving inwards towards the nose.

Adjacent add together more than details of the snout area starting from some small curves effectually the nose to the larger curves that first get in and and then outwards around the optics.

Lion eye shape drawing
Panthera leo heart shape drawing

Draw he eyes directly above the horizontal line (with the inner corner going below the line) from step one with the shape as in the above example.

Lion nose shape drawing
Lion nose shape drawing

Draw the shape of the olfactory organ equally the instance above.

Footstep 3 – Refine Shape of the Face

Lion face shape lines
Lion confront shape lines

Now refine the outer construction lines of the face from step ane to a more than precise shape of the lion'southward head.

Lion face shape drawing
Lion face shape drawing

Pace 4 – Describe the Smaller Details of the Confront

Lion face detail drawing
King of beasts confront particular drawing

At present work on the smaller details of the lion'southward face.

Add the inner curves of the ears pretty much following the outer curves.

Draw the bottom part of the oral fissure with the outer corners sort of "hanging downwards".

Lion eye details drawing
Panthera leo eye details cartoon

Add the pupil, reflection area and indicate the upper shaded expanse inside the center. Likewise draw the curves of the upper and lower eyelids as in the higher up instance.

Lion nose details drawing
Lion nose details cartoon

Add a tiny "split" towards the lesser of the nose as in the above example.

Footstep 5 – Add Some Basic Fill/Shading

Lion facial features details drawing
Lion facial features details cartoon

Fill in/shade the areas of the eyes nose and oral fissure every bit in the to a higher place example. You can too start going over some of your low-cal sketch lines with a more solid stroke to finalize the cartoon.

Step 6 – Describe the Inner Mane & Chin Fur

Lion inner mane and chin fur drawing
Panthera leo inner mane and chin fur drawing

Depict the inner function of the mane fur as well the fur on the mentum.

You tin pretty much indicate each petty fur clump with just 1 or two lines. Try and brand each clump of slightly unlike shape, size and length to make the fur look natural.

Step 7 – Describe the Mane

Lion mane drawing
Panthera leo mane cartoon

Draw the rest of the panthera leo'southward mane. Mostly the fur clumps will be smaller around the tiptop area and larger around the lesser where the fur is longer.

Step eight – Draw the Whiskers

Lion face drawing
Lion face drawing

Finally add some whiskers to cease the drawing.

Lion whiskers drawing
Lion whiskers drawing

Lions generally have a ready of tiny blackness dots around the upper area of their mouth that the whiskers grow out of. Depict a few rows of these before drawing the whiskers.

Draw the whiskers thicker towards the base and thinner towards their outer tips. Also be sure to draw them of various length and curving in slightly different directions to make your drawing wait more natural.

When the whiskers are washed you lot should have a finished line drawing of the lion'due south head.

Conclusion

A lion's face and caput tin be very complex to depict but you can get in easier by first breaking it downwards into more basic shapes so refining your cartoon step past step downwardly to the smaller details.

For drawing the full trunk of a king of beasts from the side view see:

How to Depict a Panthera leo Full Body Step by Step

For other similar tutorials see:

  • How to Draw a Wolf Face up & Head Step by Step
  • How to Depict a Tiger Face up & Head Stride by Step
  • Canis familiaris's Head Front View Cartoon – Step by Stride
  • How to Draw a Fox Step by Step