Use the step-by-step instructions below to learn how to draw a Bobcat. Follow along with the video, or use the images in this article. By the end of this tutorial, even beginners will have a completed drawing of this wild feline!

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To draw this bobcat step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to go at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step images below the video. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods.

Materials You'll Need Before starting, gather these basic drawing supplies from Blick Art Materials. If you choose to purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Pencils (an HB lead pencil is best for light sketches)	Kneaded Eraser	Drawing Paper

Step 1: Create the Initial Sketch

Use basic shapes and lines to create guidelines for the rest of your sketch.

• Head Circle: Start by drawing a circle as a guide for the head. An easy way to draw a circle is to first make a couple of small marks to indicate the circle's height. Then on the sides, make a couple more small marks to indicate the circle's width. Connect the small marks using curved lines to finish the shape of the circle. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. You don't have to draw a perfect circle, but if you're having trouble drawing one, just trace the outer edge of a coin or a bottle cap or anything else with a circular edge.
• Front Body: To the right, draw a bigger circle as a guide for the front part of the body. Draw this circle using the small marks method, too. Make a few small marks to indicate the sides of the circle, and then just connect the small marks using curved lines to finish the shape of that circle. This circle should be about twice as big as the head circle. The body will be behind the head, so don't overlap the head circle as you draw this bigger circle. It almost surrounds the head circle completely.
• Rear Body: Farther to the right, draw another circular shape as a guide for the back portion of the body. A big portion of this circle will also be blocked, so only draw the visible section. The two body circles should be roughly the same size, but don't overlap them.

Step 2: Finish the Initial Sketch

Continue to add basic shapes to finish up the guidelines.

• Facial Guides: Now draw a curved horizontal line inside the head circle for a construction guide, and place this line close to the center of the circle. At the top, draw a curved vertical line for another construction guide, and draw this line slightly to the right of the center of the circle.
• Muzzle: On the bottom half of the head, draw another small circle as a guide for the muzzle. This circle should fit between the space of the horizontal construction guide and the bottom edge of the head circle. Make the circle a bit wide so that it's similar to an oval.
• Ears: On top of the head, draw two big triangular shapes as guides for the ears. Don't draw the ears too far down on the sides of the head; draw the ears kind of high up on the head. Curve the lines, too; don't make them too straight. The ears should be pretty big in relation to the head
• First Leg: Under the front part of the body, draw a long vertical line as a guide for the front leg. Bend the middle part of the line to indicate a joint, and at the bottom, draw a short horizontal line to indicate the foot.
• Second Front Leg: To the right, draw an angled line as a guide for the other front leg. This leg will be stepping forward, so bend the line a bit more to indicate the joint. Pay attention to how long these lines are in relation to the body.
• First Hind Leg: Under the back portion of the body, draw another long vertical line as a guide for the hind leg, and bend the line near the middle to indicate a joint. At the bottom, draw a short horizontal line for the foot.
• Final Hind Leg: To the left, draw a shorter vertical line for the other hind leg. Make this line short because the bobcat is stepping forward, so this leg is going to be slightly raised. On top of the body, draw a short vertical line for the small tail.

Step 3: Draw the Facial Features

That's it for the guidelines; now let's start on the final drawing.

• First Eye: Inside the head, lightly sketch two small circles for the eyes, placing them on top of the horizontal construction guide and on either side of the vertical guide. The eyes should be pretty small in relation to the head; don't draw them too big. When you get the sizes and positions right, darken the shapes. Draw an angled line above the eye on the left to create a heavy brow, and then darken the basic shape of the circle for the eyeball. Add a couple of angled lines on the sides for the corners; the inner corner points down toward the muzzle, and the outer corner points to the side of the head.
• Second Eye: Darken the eye on the right the same way. Draw a curved line across the circle to create a sort of closed look for the eye, and add a couple of angled lines on the sides to create the corners. The shape of the eye should be thinner than the initial circle. Add a short curved line at the bottom for a bit of bare skin, and extend the lines on the sides to emphasize the corners. Inside the eyes, draw small thin shapes and shade them in for the pupils, making them similar to thin ovals with pointy bottoms close to the middle of each eye. On the sides of the pupils, draw tiny circles for highlights. Add a couple of short strokes above the eyes for the fur on the brow.
• Nose: Inside the muzzle, lightly sketch a small triangular shape for the nose, drawing it close to the right edge of the small circle for the muzzle. Notice how big the nose is in relation to the small circle; it's pretty big and takes up a lot of room inside the muzzle.
• Mouth: When you get the size and position of the nose right, darken the lines. Use a wavy line to darken the top part of the nose, and draw short curved lines on the sides for the nostrils. Darken the bottom part of the nose and draw a short vertical line inside for a crease.

• Muzzle: Below the nose, draw a short line that splits into two at the bottom to create the shape of the mouth, extending the line further to the sides so that it touches the edges of the small initial circle for the muzzle. Add a couple of short curved lines on the sides of the initial circle to create the sides of the muzzle, drawing them slightly farther away so that the shape is wide. Darken the line for the mouth, and below it, draw a curved line made up of short strokes to create the furry chin along the path of the initial circle. Add a couple of short lines on the sides of the nose that point up toward the corners of the eye.
• First Ear: Darken the triangular shape on the top left side of the head to create the first ear. Draw a few extra curved lines on the bottom left side to give the ear structure, and add a series of short strokes along the bottom part of the shape for the furry base of the ear. Inside the shape, draw longer strokes for the fur that's inside the ear, and on top of the ear, draw a few long strokes for the tuft of fur.
• Second Ear: Draw the ear on the right the same way. Darken the guide, but add a few extra curved lines to give the ear structure. At the bottom, draw short strokes for the base of the ear. Inside the shape, draw longer strokes for longer fur, and on the tip of the ear, draw a few more long strokes to create the tuft of fur.
• Head Shape and Texture: Lightly sketch a couple of long curved lines on the sides of the initial circle to create the wide head; the bottom part of the head should be a lot wider than the initial circle. Use angled lines at the bottom for the pointy bottom tips of the head, creating sort of triangular shapes. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. As you darken the sides of the head, use a couple of angled lines and short strokes along the paths to create a furry texture.

Step 4: Draw the Legs

Now move on to adding the legs around the guidelines and finalize the rest of the body.

• First Front Leg: Use the angled line that's under the front part of the body as a guide to draw the front leg. First, lightly sketch the shape of the leg around the guideline. Don't draw the edges of the leg too close to the guideline or the shape of the leg will be too thin; bobcats have wide legs, so make the shape of the leg wide. Draw the top part of the leg high up on the body. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Curve the shape of the leg along the path of the guide to create the joints, and add a couple of curved lines along the way to create the muscle structure. Make the bottom part of the shape curved, similar to the letter U for the foot, and draw a couple of short vertical lines on the bottom part of the foot to separate the toes.
• Second Leg: Use the line on the left as a guide to draw the other front leg. First, lightly sketch the shape of the leg around the guideline, making sure not to overlap the first front leg as you draw this shape. At the bottom, draw a small rectangular shape for the foot. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Darken the top part of the foot using wavy lines to create the top edges of the toes, and draw a couple of vertical lines inside the foot to separate them.
• Hind Legs: Use the long angled line on the far right side as a guide to draw the hind leg. First, lightly sketch the shape of the hind leg around the guideline; the top part of this shape should be slightly wider than the bottom. Notice how the bottom half of this shape slopes slightly to the left, and draw a small rectangular shape at the very bottom for the foot. When you get the shape right, darken the lines and darken the top edge of the small rectangular shape using a wavy line for the toes. Draw a couple of short lines inside the rectangular shape to separate the toes.

Step 5: Finish the Body

Now move on to adding the legs around the guidelines and finalize the rest of the body.

Use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the body. Draw the top part of the body slightly higher than the initial circle, creating a shape similar to a small hill behind the ear. Use lines that are more angular than the initial guides, and draw a curved line along the bottom to create the underside of the body. Below the head, draw a short angled line for the chest. Draw the shape of the tail along the short line at the top, using a series of short strokes to create a rounded tip. Use the vertical line under the body as a guide to draw the other hind leg; just draw a long curved line similar to the letter U to create the lifted hind leg, and add a couple of short strokes at the bottom to separate the toes.

Step 6: Cleaning Up the Drawing

Erase the initial guidelines for a cleaner drawing. You don't have to erase all of the guidelines. It's okay if you leave some behind. If you want to get all of them between the final lines, you can use a thin eraser like a click pen eraser, or use a kneaded eraser to lighten your drawing so that you don't smudge it as you're shading. In the next step, lightly redraw any of the final lines that you may have accidentally erased.

Step 7: Shading and Pattern

Now, shade your drawing. Use a medium value to shade, but leave the bottom half of the head and the underside of the body blank for the white fur. Leave a few thin sections around the eyes blank for a bit of white fur, too. Shade lightly at first and gradually build up to darker values; push down very lightly on your pencil and then push down harder to create darker values. Use a darker value to create shadows across the body to give the figure more dimension and volume. Pick a light source as you shade so that the shadows are consistent throughout the body; here the light source is coming from the top, so most of the shadows will be on the undersides of the shapes.

Coat Details and Texture

• Head Stripes: Add a couple of long stripes on the sides of the head using a dark value.
• Spotted Pattern: Add a spotted pattern across the body using a dark value, applying the spots with short strokes and making them slightly smaller the farther down you go on the legs. (Not all bobcats have spots, so you can skip this for an easier drawing and add a solid medium value instead).
• Graphite Choices: For darker values, pencils with graphite grades like 2B, 4B, or 6B work great. Darken the final lines, the outer edges of the spots, and the shadows to emphasize the shapes, and continue adding more value across the body.
• Ground Texture: At the bottom, draw a series of short strokes and a few longer strokes to create a grassy texture, and keep shading until you're happy with the result.

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