Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Grizzly Bear" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

 

Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

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 left edge of the page as a guide for the growling grizzly bear'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 circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, bottle cap or any other object with a circular edge.

 

Step 2: Draw a curved horizontal line across the head. This is a construction line that will help you place the grizzly bear's facial features later. Add a curved vertical line on the top right side of the head for another construction line.

 

Step 3: Draw a shape similar to a half-circle directly under the horizontal line as a guide for the bear's muzzle. First draw a curved line similar to a wide upside-down letter U. Then draw a short horizontal line for the bottom part.

 

Step 4: Draw a long, curved, U-shaped line under the muzzle as a guide for the growling bear's open mouth. The line should touch the lower edge of the head, and the bottom portion should be narrower than the top.

Step 5: Draw two short arcs on top of the head as guides for the grizzly bear's ears. The arcs should be round and small in relation to the head. They should be similar to an upside-down letter U.

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Step 6: Draw two big circles to the right of the head as guides for the grizzly bear's body. The first circle will be behind the head, so don't draw the left edge. First draw three small marks to indicate the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Draw the second circle the same way: first the small marks, then the curved lines that connect them. Remember that you can always trace the outer edge of circular objects like coins if you have a hard time with circles. The circle on the right should be slightly smaller than the one on the left. The edges of the circles should touch.

 

Step 7: Draw a vertical line that bends at the tip on the lower, right side of the first body circle as a guide for the growling grizzly's first front leg. Add another curved vertical line under the head as a guide for the bear's other front leg.

 

Step 8: Draw another two vertical lines that bend at the tips under the circle on the right as a guide for the grizzly's hind legs. Pay attention to the height of the lines for the legs in relation to the body. Bears don't have very long legs.

Step 9: Draw two curved horizontal lines that connect the two big circles to complete the guide for the growling grizzly's body. It's okay if these lines overlap the guide lines for the legs a bit.

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 10: Lightly sketch the grizzly's eyes inside the head as two tiny circles. Use the initial lines as guides for placement. When you get the placement and size of the eyes right, darken the lines. Darken the outer sides of the circles a bit to create the corners of the eyes.

Add a series of lines around the eyes for the surrounding fur. Use quick, short strokes as you draw the fur to give it a more fuzzy look. Inside each eye, draw a tiny dot for the pupils. Shade in the eyes except for a very tiny circle that represents glare. As you shade the eyes, use a value that's slightly lighter than the pupils. Darken the lines a bit more or add more value if you need to.

 

Step 11: Draw the grizzly's nose inside the muzzle by first lightly sketching an oval. The top edge of the oval should touch the top of the guide, but the bottoms shouldn't touch. When you get the oval's placement and size right, darken the top edge using a wavy line. Add a couple of small curved lines inside the shape for the nostrils. Darken the sides of the bear's nose using curved lines as well. Darken the bottom edge of the nose by using a couple of lines and shade the inside of the nostrils.

Step 12: Use the initial shape around the nose as a guide to draw the growling grizzly bear's muzzle. Use quick, short strokes as you follow the basic path of the guide to represent fur. As you draw the bottom part of the shape, make sure the lines on the sides dip down lower than the guides.

 

Step 13: Draw the top row of teeth directly under the muzzle. Draw the grizzly bear's canines on either side of the mouth as long triangle-like shapes. The teeth in the middle are a lot smaller and more square-like. Draw the row of teeth straight across. Don't follow the curved upper lip. Don't place the canine on the right too close to the outer edge of the muzzle.

Step 14: Draw the bottom row of teeth by first lightly drawing a curved horizontal line slightly above the U-shaped guide line. To the left of the line, draw a tall triangle-like shape as a guide for the grizzly's first canine. Then draw the smaller teeth along the edge of the curved line. Finally draw the other canine on the right as another triangle-like shape.

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Step 15: Follow the basic path of the initial U-shaped line to draw the rest of the growling grizzly bear's mouth. When you draw the bottom portion, extend the line all the way outside of the head for the big lower lip. The right edge of the mouth should be farther over to the left than the guide. Add a few extra lines around the mouth to emphasize the folds of skin.

 

Step 16: Inside the mouth, draw a long curved line for the bear's tongue.

 

Step 17: Darken the small arcs on top of the head to create the grizzly bear's ears. Use quick, short strokes to represent fur. Add a few more quick, short strokes within the shape of the ears for a more furry look.

 

Step 18: Use a series of quick, short strokes along the edge of the initial circle to create the shape of the grizzly bear's head. Draw the bottom portion of the head a bit farther up than the initial guide. Add a few more quick, short strokes inside the head to make it furrier. These lines don't have to be perfect. Just add a few random squiggles inside the head to represent fur.

 

Step 19: Use the second line from the left under the body as a guide to draw the front leg that's on this side. Draw the shape of the leg using quick, short strokes as you follow the basic path of the guide. The top part of the leg should be wide and the bottom part narrow. Curve the shape to the left to create the foot. Add four small, curved, triangle- like shapes at the tip for the claws. Grizzly bears have feet with five claws pointing forward, but from this angle only four should be visible.

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Step 20: Use the line on the far left side as a guide to draw the grizzly bear's other front leg the same way. Follow the path of the guide and draw the shape of the leg around it using quick, short strokes. Curve the end of the shape to the left to create the foot and add the five claws at the tip. Each claw is made up of a small, curved triangle-like shape along the bottom edge of the foot.

 

Step 21: Now use the line on the far right side as a guide to draw the grizzly bear's first hind leg. Remember to use quick, short strokes to draw the leg, and to make the top wide and the bottom narrow. Add the claws at the top on the left, but only four of the five should be visible from this angle.

 

Step 22: Use the last line as a guide to draw the grizzly bear's other hind leg. The top part of the leg will be behind the body, so don't worry about drawing that section.

 

Step 23: Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the grizzly bear's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Use quick, short strokes as you follow the guides to create a fur-like texture.

 

Step 24: 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 some shading to your grizzly bear drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. As you add the shadows, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the bear so it doesn't appear to be floating.

You can add even more value throughout your drawing for extra detail. Grizzly bears don't have any kind of pattern on their coats, so just use a medium value throughout the body. Use shorter stokes when you add the value to the head as opposed to the longer strokes you will use for the body. As you shade the head, use strokes that radiate outward from the nose. Darken the shadows as you add the value for the coat to emphasize the form.

Don't worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the coat a furry texture. The strokes within the body should have a horizontal orientation, while on the legs the strokes should mainly be vertical. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Continue adding the value until the entire body is covered in a fur-like texture. 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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