How to Draw a Cheetah
Please PAUSE the video after each step to draw at your own pace (scroll down to see the final cheetah drawing).

For the first few steps, don’t press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Draw two circles as guides for the cheetah’s body. They don’t have to be perfect. They’re just guides. The second circle should be a bit smaller than the first.

Step 2: Draw an even smaller circle above and to the right of the first as a guide for the cheetah’s head.

Step 3: Draw an arched line to the right of the head as a guide for the muzzle and another inside the head for the cheetah’s ear.

Step 4: Using a series of curved lines, connect the major shapes to form the cheetah’s body.
Step 5: Draw four angled lines below the body as guides for the cheetah’s legs.

Step 6: Draw a curved line on the left side for the cheetah’s tail.

That’s it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

Step 7: Draw the eye on the upper right side of the cheetah’s head. The eye consists of a small half circle with a smaller circle inside for the pupil.

Step 8: Draw the nose on the upper right side of the cheetah’s muzzle. The nose is just an upside-down triangle that’s shaded in.

Step 9: Draw the rest of the muzzle. The cheetah’s mouth is a line under the nose that curves in toward the head. Draw a small line below the mouth for the chin.

Step 10: Using quick, short strokes, draw whiskers around the cheetah’s mouth.

Step 11: Use the initial curved line as a guide to draw the cheetah’s ear. Use quick, short strokes within it to represent fur.

Step 12: Use the circle as a guide to draw in the rest of the cheetah’s head. Draw the head using quick, short strokes to represent fur.

Step 13: Draw the trademark “tear mark” below the cheetah’s eye. Simply draw a squiggly line that connects the lower eye to the mouth and shade it in.

Step 14: Draw the rest of the spots throughout the cheetah’s head. Draw the spots by drawing circles of different sizes all over the face and shading them in.

Step 15: Use the initial lines as guides to draw the hind legs. Make the leg thicker and use quick, short strokes for the fur. Use curved lines at the bottom for the toes. Draw lightly at first. When you like what you have, go ahead and darken it. Draw the cheetah’s other leg the same way.

Step 16: Draw the front legs using the same technique. Use quick, short strokes around the guide and draw the toes at the end. Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal, so draw the legs slender and long.

Step 17: Use the initial shapes as guides to draw the rest of the cheetah’s body. Use quick, short strokes to represent fur. Draw a small waist and a big chest.

Step 18: Draw the cheetah’s tail using the initial line as a guide.

Step 19: Erase as much of you can of the initial guide lines for a cleaner sketch. Don’t worry about erasing all of the guides. It’s okay to leave some behind. Also re-draw any of the final sketch lines that you accidentally erase.

Step 20: He looks nekkid! Draw the spots! Add different-sized circles all over the cheetah’s body and shade them in. Drawing the spots can be time-consuming, so be patient as you draw them or take breaks. Spread the spots out randomly and don’t forget to make them different sizes. Pause the video or use reference if you need further help in drawing the spots.

Step 21 (Optional): Add some shading to give your cheetah drawing more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it.

Step 22 (Optional): Draw a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the cheetah so it doesn’t appear to be floating.

Step 23 (Optional): You can add more value throughout your cheetah drawing for extra detail. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.