Step 15: Use the big circle as a guide to draw the rest of the jaguar's head. Follow the top edge of the circle but curve the line more to make the top of the head a bit taller. Follow the right edge of the circle for the side of the head but draw the line closer to the eye. Follow the right edge of the circle for the side of the head but draw the line closer to the eye. Follow the basic path of the circle on the lower, left side to create the big cat's powerful jaw. Curve the line for the jaw so that it extends outside of the initial circle slightly.

Step 16: Draw a series of short strokes on the jaguar's forehead for detail on the fur. Draw a couple of lines on the right side and bottom of the head for a bit of the neck. Add a few more short strokes to the left of the muzzle to emphasize the cat's head structure.

Step 17: 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 you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Add the distinctive jaguar spots all over the head using a dark value. Use thin, long spots over the eyes and smaller spots between the eyes. The spots between the eyes should be small near the bridge of the nose and then gradually get bigger higher up. Jaguars don't have perfectly circular spots so just draw circle-like shapes and fill them in using a dark value. More important than the shape is the size. Make sure that the markings are small near the middle of the big cat's head and big near the outside. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

Draw thick, dark, curved lines under the eyes for the spots that join together in that area. On the left side, draw a bigger circular shape with a couple of dots inside for the distinctive rosette marking. Jaguar rosettes have spots inside them whereas leopard rosettes don't. Add rows of smaller dots on the sides of the muzzle and a bigger dark area on the cat's bottom jaw. Black panthers are melanistic variations of jaguars and leopards. You can use black value all over your drawing for a black panther.

Shade the jaguar's nose using a medium value and the nostril with a dark value. Use a dark value for the eyes but leave the tiny highlight circles blank. Use a light to medium value to shade the rest of the head. Leave the area around the eyes, the ears, the muzzle and the lower jaw blank for now. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks.

Use a slightly darker value inside the rosettes. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Use a dark value for the middle of the jaguar's ears and lighter strokes for the fur inside. Add the values very lightly at first, and then gradually build up to darker values. Add a bit of light value along the white areas for some shadows. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for a more accurate depiction of a jaguar. Add longer strokes for whiskers. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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