Step 15: Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the cheetah's body and tail. Simply follow the basic outer path of the initial guides and darken the lines to create the shape of the body. Use a few quick, short strokes on the underside of the body for the furry texture. Now follow the path of the wavy line on the right to create the thick shape of the tail. Cheetahs use their long, muscular tales as rudders to steer their bodies to turn sharply as they run and chase prey.

Step 16 (optional): For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Add some shading to your cheetah drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.

Add a cast shadow underneath to emphasize that the cheetah is off the ground as it runs.

It can't be a cheetah without spots! Start by adding the coat pattern on the head. Use a dark value for the back portion of the ears and on the nose. Add the tear-like streaks that start on the left side of the eye and end on the right side of the mouth. Make the streak thicker at the bottom and add a dark value to the bottom lip too.

Draw a shorter, thinner streak on the right side of the eye too. Start adding small spots on the head. Avoid drawing any directly in front of the cheetah's face, especially above the nose. Make the spots bigger the farther back toward the body they are.

There's no trick or shortcut for adding the coat pattern. You just have to add A LOT of spots all over the cheetah's body. Make the spots different sizes. Draw a few big ones spread out, then add a lot of little ones in the spaces between. Adding each spot is very time- consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Draw the spots smaller the closer they are to the paw.

Consider drawing the spots on a certain section, say the legs, then taking a break and doing another section later. That way it's not too overwhelming. Make the spots bigger the closer they get to the end of the tail until they become bands instead of spots near the tip. Add a few more smaller spots in any gaps you see between the bigger spots.

You can add even more value throughout your cheetah drawing for extra detail. As you shade the body, use a value that's a lot lighter than the spots. As you add this value to the body, you can also darken the shadows created earlier. As you shade, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur. Cheetahs' fur isn't too long, so use shorter, smooth strokes to convey this. Remember to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw for a more accurate cheetah.

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