In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Tiger Roaring 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 Roaring 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.

Below you can watch a step-by-step video tutorial with the instructions

 

Below you can watch a time-lapse 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 so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

 

Step 1: Draw a big circle near the right side of the paper as a guide for the growling tiger's head. First draw four small marks to indicate the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. If you do want to draw a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a cup, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. Place the circle on the right side so that you have enough room on the left for the rest of the tiger's body.

 

Step 2: Inside the head, draw a horizontal line that's slightly above the middle. This is a construction line that will help you place the tiger's facial features later. Add a vertical line right above the horizontal line for another construction line.

 

Step 3: Below the horizontal construction line, draw a small oval as a guide for the top part of the tiger's muzzle. Pay attention to how far apart the initial marks for the width are in relation to the marks for the height. Also pay attention to the amount of space left between the bottom of the oval and the bottom of the head.

 

Step 4: Under the oval, draw a curved line similar to the letter U as a guide for the tiger's lower jaw. The lowest part of the curved line should stick out of the head just a little bit.

 

Step 5: On top of the head, draw two small arcs as guides for the ears. The tiger's ears should be pretty small relative to the rest of the head.

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Step 6: To the left of the head, draw another big circle as a guide for the first part of the tiger's body. The right side of the circle should be behind the head, so don't overlap the lines. Just like with the other shapes, pay attention to the size and position of this circle in relation to the head. Use small marks at first to determine the size and position of this circle.

 

Step 7: To the left of the tiger's head, draw a line similar to the letter U as a guide for the top part of the front leg. The right side of the line should be close to the head , and the left side should be slightly outside of the body.

 

Step 8: Now draw the guide for the middle section of the front leg as another U-shaped line. Tilt this line so that it has a diagonal orientation. It should also be thinner than the U-shaped line above it.

 

Step 9: Now add the guide for the tiger's foot by first drawing two diagonal lines below the tilted U-shaped line. Then draw a short vertical line on the right and close the shape with a long horizontal line at the bottom. Pay attention to the size of the guide for the foot relative to the guides for the leg.

 

Step 10: On the left side, draw an arc for the rest of the tiger's body. First make a small mark. Now use curved lines to connect the mark to the body and complete the arc. The back portion of the body will be receding into the distance, so don't draw it too big.

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Step 11: Below the arc, to the left of the front leg, draw a small U-shaped line as a guide for the tiger's hind leg. This will be the top part of the hind leg. This line should be small when compared to the front leg.

 

Step 12: Draw another small U- shaped line below as a guide for the middle part of the hind leg. This line should tilt in the opposite direction to indicate the leg's joints.

 

Step 13: Now add the foot at the bottom by first drawing two diagonal lines. Then add a curved line at the bottom as a guide for the tiger's toes.

 

Step 14: Draw an angled line under the head and another to the left of the hind leg to indicate where the other legs will be. To the left of the body, draw a long J-shaped line as a guide for the tiger's tail.

 

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

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Step 15: Lightly sketch the tiger's eyeballs inside the head as two small circles. Use the construction lines as guides for the placement of the eyeballs. When you get the placement and size right, darken the lines. Above each eye, draw a diagonal line for the top part of the eye shape. As you draw these lines, use quick, short strokes to represent fur.

Now draw the bottom portion of the eye shape by using a series of dark lines. On either side of the eyeball, draw a pointy triangle-like shape to represent the eye's corners. Add the rest of the eye shape to the eyeball on the right using the same technique. Use small, dark, triangle-like shapes on either side of the small circle to create the eye's corners. The outer corners of the tiger's eyes should point up, while the inner corners should point down toward the muzzle.

 

Step 16: Now draw the detail inside the eyes. First draw a small dot inside the middle of each eye. Next to each pupil, draw a very tiny circle to represent glare. Shade the inside of the eyeballs except for the tiny circles that represent glare. As you shade the tiger's eyeballs, use a value that's lighter than the pupils. You can also add a dark value at the top and a lighter value at the bottom for a gradient effect.

 

Step 17: Draw the tiger's nose near the bottom edge of the muzzle by first lightly sketching a triangle. When you get the size and position of the triangle right, darken the lines. Use a series of quick, short strokes to draw the furry top of the nose. Add a vertical line on either side of the nose that points to the eyes. Draw the sides of the nose and add the nostrils using a few curved lines. Draw the bottom part of the nose using a few short lines.

 

Step 18: Use the bottom part of the initial oval as a guide to draw the top part of the growling tiger's open mouth. Use quick, short strokes as you follow the path of the oval to create the furry muzzle. Now draw a series of curved lines within the oval to represent the wrinkles on the face. These wrinkles should start on the outer edges of the initial oval and curve in toward the nose. Don't add too many of these curved lines, just a few to emphasize the growling face. Keep the wrinkles near the top, close to the eyes, and within the nose. Don't draw them at the bottom.

 

Step 19: Draw the top row of teeth using triangle- like shapes under the muzzle. First draw a long, thin triangle-like shape on either side of the mouth for the tiger's canines. Now closer in toward the middle, draw two more triangle-like shapes for the smaller teeth. Add the rest of the teeth in the middle using very small oval-like shapes.

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Step 20: Under the canines, draw a long curved line for the tiger's tongue. Add a few lines in the middle of the tongue to represent texture.

 

Step 21: Add the bottom row of teeth below the tongue the same way as the top row. Start by drawing the canines on the sides. This time, the triangle-like shapes should be pointing up. Then fill the gap with the remaining teeth using smaller oval-like shapes. Notice the distance from the tongue.

 

Step 22: Using a series of curved lines, draw the rest of the tiger's mouth and gums. The gums basically consist of a series of curved lines that surround the teeth and tongue. The gums should follow the basic shape of the teeth and tongue and should extend to the muzzle at the top. Make sure that all these lines stay within the initial U-shaped guide line.

 

Step 23: Use the initial curved line under the muzzle as a guide to draw the tiger's lower jaw and chin. Follow the path of the guide as you draw a series of quick, short strokes to give it a furry texture. Add a few extra strokes on the sides of the tiger's jaw for extra detail.

 

Step 24: Darken the arc on the top left side of the head but make the lines curvier to create the shape of the ear. Now add a few strokes within the shape to give it more structure and to represent the fur inside. Draw the tiger's other ear the same way. Darken the arc, then add a few strokes within the shape.

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Step 25: Use the initial big circle as a guide to draw the shape of the tiger's head. Use quick, short strokes to represent fur as you follow the basic path of the circle. The bottom part of the head should be up higher than the lower edge of the initial circle guide. Don't close off the shape of the head at the top. Just add a few strokes on the upper right side.

 

Step 26: Use the U-shaped lines to the left of the head as guides to draw the top part of the tiger's front leg. Darken the outer edges of the guides to create the thick shape of the front leg coming forward. Use quick, short strokes mainly on the left side, to indicate the fur on the front leg.

 

Step 27: Use the angled shape at the bottom as a guide to draw the foot coming forward. Follow the basic path of the guide as you darken the lines and create the shape of the foot. Use curved lines instead of straight lines as you draw the foot for a more organic, less rigid feel. Now draw the tiger's toes and claws across the bottom part of the initial guide. Draw the first claw close to the left side as a small triangle that has curved sides. Draw a short vertical line on the right to separate the toes and continue to the next claw.

This claw should be a tiny bit bigger , but keep it thin and pointy at the bottom. Add the vertical line to the right to separate the toe and add a curved line on top for extra detail. Add another short vertical line to separate the last two toes and add the last two claws too. The claws on either end should be smaller than the middle ones. The tiger's paw should be big because it's in the foreground.

 

Step 28: Use the circle behind the head and the arc to the left as guides to draw the shape of the body. Follow the basic path of the guides as you use quick, short strokes to create the fur on the underside. As you draw the top part of the growling tiger's body, follow the path of the circle but add a few extra curved lines above the head. These curved lines at the top are the shoulder blades. They should look like a couple of short hills. The back portion of the body should slope down to the left side. The bottom part of the body is shaggier, so use quick, short strokes at the bottom and smoother strokes on top.

 

Step 29: Use the small, angled line under the tiger's head as a guide to draw the other front foot. Follow the path of the guide as you draw the shape of the foot around it. Most of the leg will be behind the head and body, so only draw the visible bottom part. Use the other front leg as a template to duplicate the toes and claws but make them smaller.

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Step 30: Use the initial shapes on the left side as guides to draw the tiger's first hind leg. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the leg. Add a few short lines at the bottom to separate the toes and a few more lines within the leg for extra detail.

 

Step 31: Use the short, angled line on the lower left side as a guide to draw the tiger's other hind leg. Draw the shape of the leg around the guide and add a couple of curved lines at the bottom for the toes.

 

Step 32: Use the J-shaped line on the left as a guide to draw the tiger's tail. Make the shape of the tail thicker as you follow the path of the initial guide.

 

Step 33: 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: Hmm, something's missing... the stripes! Start by adding a few stripes under the eyes. To draw tiger stripes, first sketch a thin, curved shape that's pointy on both ends, then shade it in. The pattern above the eyes should consist of thick, short shapes. The stripes get longer the farther back they go. The face should be symmetrical, so whatever you draw on one side, try to duplicate its mirror image on the opposite side.

To draw the longer stripes, use a series of quick strokes that form the shapes of the stripes to give them a furry texture. It's a good idea to look at reference images to accurately depict the tiger's stripes. Or pause the video often to get them right. Notice how the chin doesn't have any stripes and the top of the muzzle only has a few on the sides.

Adding the tiger's stripes can be very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. You can add the stripes on a certain section, then take a break and do another section later so it's not too overwhelming.

The stripes on the body are basically random curved vertical lines made up of quick, short strokes. Notice how the stripes curve and bend to conform to the shape of the torso, legs and tail. The stripes on the tiger's body should be thin and close together because of the perspective. There's really no trick or shortcut for adding the stripes. You just have to be patient and add them one at a time.

Add more value to your growling tiger drawing for extra detail. Don't add value to all of the face. The lower half, the muzzle and the area around the eyes should be white. As you shade, use a value that's lighter than the stripes. If you make it too dark, then make the stripes even darker. Don't worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the tiger's coat a furry texture. Use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur as you add the value. Just like drawing the stripes, drawing can be very time-consuming, so take a break every once in a while. Continue adding the value until the appropriate sections of the tiger's body are covered.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the tiger so it doesn't appear to be floating. Use a darker value near the middle of the shadow and a lighter value along the edge for the shadow's diffusion.

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