In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Tiger step-by-step. Did you know that the stripes on a tiger are unique in each individual? On rare ocassions tigers can have white fur and black stripes. A pair of white tigers can very rarely produce stripeless white offspring!

 

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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.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

To draw a Tiger 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 circle near the right side of the paper as a guide for the tiger's head. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make mistake. If you're struggling to draw the circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a bottle cap or any other object with a circular edge.

 

Step 2: Inside the head, draw two lines, one vertical and one horizontal, to help you place the tiger's facial features later. The horizontal line should curve a bit to contour to the shape of the circle.

 

 

Step 3: Draw a small circle on the bottom half of the head as a guide for the tiger's muzzle. Draw this circle between the horizontal construction line and the bottom edge of the head.

 

Step 4: On top of the head, draw two small arcs as guides for the tiger's ears.

 

 

Step 5: Below the head, draw a big circle as a guide for the front part of the body. Like with the head, make some marks to indicate the circle's height and width, and then connect the marks using curved lines. Don't overlap the shape of the head. This circle should be behind the head. Pay attention to the size of this circle in relation to the tiger's head. It should be a little to the left of the head.

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Step 6: Add the guide for the second half of the body by first making a small mark on the far left side. Now connect the small mark to the front part of the tiger's body using a couple of long, curved lines to form a big arc. Pay attention to the size of this arc in relation to the front part of the body. Don't make it too small. This guide should be similar to a giant letter U on its side. You can rotate your paper so that it's easier to draw.

 

Step 7: To the right of the body, at the bottom, make a small mark for the first part of the guide for the front leg. Then connect the mark to the body using a curved line to form the guide for the first front leg. Make the tips of the lines longer and stretch them in toward the body. Behind this guide, draw a similar line as a guide for the tiger's other front leg.

 

 

Step 8: On the left side, draw a long line that curves under the body as a guide for the tiger's tail.

 

Step 9: Starting at the tip of the tiger's tail, draw a line that curves up and to the left as a guide for the hind leg. On top of that, draw a longer line that curves toward the top of the body, similar to the number 2. Add a shorter curved line on the lower, left side to complete the guide for the hind leg.

 

 

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

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Step 10: Lightly sketch the tiger's eyes inside the head as two small circles. On either side of each circle, draw a small spiky, triangle-like shape for the corners of the eyes. Use the initial construction lines as guides for the size and position of the eyes. When you get the size and position right, darken the shapes of the eyes. The inner corners of the eyes should point down toward the muzzle. The outer corners of the tiger's eyes should point out to the sides of the head. Draw a tiny circle inside each eye to represent glare and a dot for the pupils. Shade in the corners of the eyes using a dark value. Don't overlap the circles for the eyes as you shade in the corners.

 

Step 11: Add the tiger's nose by first lightly sketching a small V-shaped line inside the muzzle. When you get the placement right, darken the line. Curve the line inward a bit for the nostrils. Draw a wavy line at the top for the edge of the nose. The sides of the nose should curve up above the wavy top edge.

 

 

Step 12: Under the nose, draw a horizontal line for the mouth. Curve the line up toward the sides of the initial circle to create the shape of the muzzle. Use short strokes to represent the furry texture of the tiger's muzzle.

 

Step 13: Draw a series of short strokes along the lower edge of the initial circle to create the chin. The chin should be wide. Add some value to the part of the line that meets the tiger's mouth at the top.

 

 

Step 14: Use the arcs on the head as guides to draw the tiger's ears. Darken the path of the guides but make the lines come in toward the head a bit more. Inside each ear, draw a series of strokes to represent the fur found there.

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Step 15: Use the main circle as a guide to draw the rest of the head. Use short strokes along the edges of the circle to create the shape of the head. As you darken the sides of the head, make the shape wider than the initial circle. Don't overlap the ears or the chin as you draw the short strokes for the head. Don't make these strokes too long, otherwise the tiger's fur will appear to be too shaggy.

 

Step 16: Use the shape on the lower, right side as a guide to draw the tiger's first front leg. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape a bit wavier as you darken it. At the tip of the foot, draw a few short, curved lines to separate the individual toes. Make the overall shape of the leg a bit narrower in the middle to differentiate the top of the leg from the foot.

 

 

Step 17: Use the curved line above as a guide to draw the other front leg the same way. Draw a couple of curved lines at the tip of the shape to separate the individual toes. Follow the basic path of the guide but make it curvier as you darken the line to create the shape of the tiger's leg.

 

Step 18: Use the long, curved line on the left as a guide to draw the tiger's tail. Draw the shape of the tail around the guide line. The tip of the tail shouldn't extend farther to the right than the hind foot. The base of the tail should be slightly thicker than the tip.

 

 

Step 19: Use the curved lines above the tail as a guide to draw the hind leg. Draw a couple of short, curved lines at the tip of the foot for the toes. Darken the path of the guide using short strokes for the tiger's fur. Add some short strokes to the left of the leg too.

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Step 20: Add a few short, curved lines above the hind leg for the toes of the other hind leg peeking out from behind. Most of this hind leg will be hidden behind the first hind leg, so only draw the small visible portion of the tiger's toes.

 

 

Step 21: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the tiger's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the body. Add some short strokes between the front legs for the furry chest.

 

Step 22: Carefully go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

 

 

Final Step: Hmm, something's missing... the tiger's stripes! Using your pencil again, draw the stripes all over the body. Draw short stripes above the eyes and on the forehead. The stripes on the cheeks should be a bit longer. Don't draw any stripes above the nose. Use long, thin stripes throughout the rest of the body. Make sure the stripes follow the contour of the body. It is rare, but tigers can be white with no stripes, so you can skip this step if you'd like. The stripes on the legs are curvier. The stripes also don't extend all the way to the feet.

Just like before, carefully go over the tiger's stripes with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Once again, erase all of the pencil marks using an eraser so that the graphite doesn't muddy the colors in the next step.

Color your tiger drawing! Use orange on the body except for the underside, the chest the cheeks, around the eyes and muzzle. Add color lightly at first and gradually build to the level of darkness that you like. Now use different shades of orange, yellow and brown right on top of each other for the fur. It's not an exact science. Just use orange, yellow-orange, yellow, etc., throughout the body to get a shade that you like for the fur.

Use a bit of dark brown to create shadows and give the figure more dimension and volume. Try not to color over the tiger's stripes too much because the color can make the ink look dull and less vibrant. Coloring can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Use pink for the nose and orange for the eyes. Add some gray to the white parts of the fur to deepen the shadows.

Continue blending shades of orange until the tiger's entire body is covered. Use some black at the bottom for a bit of a cast shadow. As the color starts to build, keep the darker colors closer to the shadows and the lighter colors closer to the highlights. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.

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