In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw the head detail of a Jaguar step-by-step.

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

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To draw this Jaguar Head step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

The Written step-by-step video tutorial:

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

Step 1: Draw a big circle as a guide for the jaguar's head. First make four marks to determine the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. Space out the marks evenly at the beginning. The farther apart the marks are, the bigger the circle will be. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a circular object like a bowl or a lid. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: Draw a long, curved, horizontal line across the circle as a guide to help you place the jaguar's facial features later. Draw this line slightly higher than the middle. Add a curved, vertical line on the top, right for another guide.

Step 3: Draw a small circle on top of the horizontal line and to the left of the vertical line as a guide for the jaguar's first eye. To the right of the vertical line, draw another small circle as a guide for the big cat's other eye. Use the lines as guides to determine the size and placement of the eyes in relation to the head.

Step 4: Draw another circle below the horizontal line as a guide for the muzzle. Use the four-marks method again to draw this circle. Place the right and bottom marks outside of the head. Connect the marks using curved lines to form the circle. The lower, right side should stick out of the head. Pay attention to the size of this circle in relation to the jaguar's head. Sketch lightly at first to get the size right.

Step 5: Inside the muzzle, near the right edge, draw a small V-shaped line as a guide for the jaguar's nose. The right side of the V should be very close to the edge of the head. Add a line on top to form a triangle.

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Step 6: On the top, left side of the head, draw a small arc as a guide for the first ear. Draw a slightly thinner arc on the top, right side of the head as a guide for the jaguar's other ear.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 7: Darken the bottom edge of the circle on the left to start the shape of the first eye. Near the top of the circle, draw a short, horizontal line for the half-closed eyelid. Curve the eyelid down on the right side so that it almost meets the bottom part of the eye. Make the sides of the shape longer to create the corners of the jaguar's eye. Make the lines thick and dark. The bottom, right corner should point toward the nose. The top, left corner should point toward the ear. Darken the lower, right side of the circle on the right to create the other eye. Inside the circle, draw an angled line to the side and top of the eye. Make the lines thick. The big cat's head is slightly turned, therefore this eye should be a bit smaller than the eye on the left.

Step 8: Inside each eye, near the top, draw a tiny dot for the jaguar's pupils. You can make these dots bigger for more dilated pupils. Draw a couple of tiny circles on the sides of each pupil to represent highlight. Darken the initial circle inside the eye on the left for the eyeball. Make the exterior lines thicker. Draw a curved line under each eye for some detail on the fur. Above each eye, draw a curved line made up of short strokes for more fur.

Step 9: Use the triangle inside the muzzle as a guide to draw the nose. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the top edge of the jaguar's nose wavier. Sketch lightly at first to get the wavy line right. Use a curved line for the right edge of the nose. Draw a short line at the bottom. Draw a curved line on the left side for the nostril. Darken the left edge of the triangle. This big cat's other nostril isn't visible because the head is turned.

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Step 10: Under the nose, lightly sketch a line that curves to the left for the first half of the jaguar's mouth. The line should stretch all the way to the left edge of the muzzle circle. When you get the shape right, darken the line using a series of short strokes for the fur. Draw a shorter curved line on the right side for the other part of the mouth.

Step 11: Darken the bottom edge of the initial muzzle circle to create the jaguar's chin. Use a series of short strokes as you follow the path of the circle to create a furry texture. Curve the line on the left so that it ends slightly outside of the muzzle circle.

Step 12: Darken the right side of the initial circle to create the side of the jaguar's muzzle. Curve the right side of the mouth up to the side of the muzzle. Add some lines above the nose for the top of the muzzle. Break up the lines for a furry texture. Add a curved line made up of short strokes on the left to complete the big cat's muzzle.

Step 13: Darken the arc on the top, left side of the head to create the big cat's ear. Make the lines longer at the bottom. Draw a series of short strokes within the arc for the furry ear opening. Use longer strokes to create the longer fur found inside the jaguar's ears.

Step 14: Draw the jaguar's other ear the same way. First darken the initial arc to create the shape of the ear. The add a series of short strokes within the arc for the fur inside the cat's ear.

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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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