Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Honey Badger" 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 two circles as guides for the honey badger's body. First draw four small marks for 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 don't worry if the circles aren't perfect. They're just guides. If you do want perfect circles, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. The circle on the right should be a bit bigger and placed lower than the one on the left. Don't place them too close together either.

 

Step 2: Draw another circle on the left side as a guide for the honey badger's head. This circle should be about half the size of the first one and placed a bit lower. Their edges should almost touch.

 

Step 3: Draw a curved line inside the head, near the middle, to help you place the honey badger's facial features later on.

 

Step 4: Draw a small circle on the lower left side of the head as a guide for the honey badger's muzzle. This circle should be about one-fourth the size of the head. The lower left side should stick out of the head.

 

Step 5: Draw four lines under the body (two below each circle) as guides for the honey badger's legs. Bend the lines to indicate where the joints will be. The badger is stepping forward, so the line on the left should point down. The hind legs are short, so draw the guide lines shorter too. The guide line for the leg on the other side will be hidden from the body, so draw the line even smaller.

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Step 6: Draw a series of curved lines that connect the major shapes to form the rest of the body. Draw two lines that connect the head to the first circle to create the honey badger's neck. Then add two more lines that connect the two main circles to form the rest of the torso.

 

Step 7: Add a short, curved line on the right side as a guide for the tail.

 

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

 

Step 8: Lightly sketch the eyeball inside the head as a small circle on top of the guide line. When you get the placement and size of the eyball right, add some darker lines around it for the actual eye shape. Make the left side of the shape pointy for the corner of the eye. Add a small dot in the middle for the pupil. Shade the eyeball except for a tiny circle to represent glare. Use a value that's slightly lighter than the pupil. Draw a few quick, short strokes around the honey badger's eye for the extra detail on the fur.

 

Step 9: Lightly sketch a small oval inside the muzzle on the left side for the honey badger's nose. When you get the shape and placement of the oval right, darken the lines. Use quick, short strokes at the top for the fur. The sides of the nose come in toward the middle to form the nostrils. Add a small line at the bottom too. Draw a couple of lines at the bottom of the nose to complete the overall shape.

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Step 10: Follow the basic path of the small circle as you darken the lines to create the shape of the honey badger's muzzle. Draw a line under the nose that extends to the right toward the head for the mouth. Use quick, short strokes as you draw the line for the mouth to represent fur. Follow the bottom edge of the small circle as you use quick, short strokes to create the chin.

 

Step 11: Use quick, short strokes to draw the ear inside the head on the right side, where the construction line ends. The honey badger's ear should be small, and the shape should be similar to a backward letter C. Add some strokes wthin the shape for the fur.

 

Step 12: Use the main circle as a guide to draw the shape of the honey badger's head. Use quick, short strokes as you follow the basic path of the circle to give the head a furry texture. The forehead should be big. The top part of the head should be a bit flatter than the original circle.

 

Step 13: Use a series of quick, short strokes to create a line on the forehead to represent the fur's color separation. Use strokes of different sizes and set them apart from each other randomly to emphasize the fur. Add a few more quick, short strokes around the eye to add more detail to the fur. Add some strokes to the muzzle too. The honey badger's other eye is hidden at this angle, so don't worry about drawing it.

 

Step 14: Use the lines on the left side of the body as guides to draw the honey badger's front legs. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg as you follow the path of the guide line. When you get the basic structure of the leg right, darken the lines. Use quick, short strokes that are slightly longer on the right edge of the leg because the fur moves in that direction. At the bottom of the legs, on the left side, draw the claws as curved spike-like shapes. The shape of the claws are also similar to a curved less-than sign (<). Honey badgers have long claws, so don't draw them too small.

Draw the front leg on the other side the same way. Sketch lightly as you follow the guide and darken the lines when you get the shape right. Use quick, short strokes to represent fur. Make the strokes longer on the right edge of the leg because the fur turns that way. The badger is stepping forward, so the claws should point down. Their shape should be similar a curved letter V.

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Step 15: Use the lines under the body on the right side as guides to draw the honey badger's hind legs the same way as the front legs. Follow the path of the guide as you lightly sketch the leg. When you get the shape right, darken the lines using quick, short strokes.

The claws of the hind feet are a lot smaller than the front feet, so don't draw them too long. Draw the hind leg on the other side of the body using the last angled line as a guide. Most of this leg is hidden by the honey badger's other leg and the body, so only draw the visible portion.

 

Step 16: Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the honey badger's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Use longer strokes for longer fur. Draw a series of strokes around the curved guide on the right to create the tail.

 

Step 17: Draw a line that's make up of quick, short strokes that extends from the head to the tail for the fur's color separation. Add a parallel line of fur above the first to further emphasize the honey badger's color separation.

 

Step 18 (optional): 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 that you may have accidentally erased.

 

Final Step(optional): Add some shading to your drawing for extra detail. Honey badgers are basically black and white, so just shade the bottom half of the body darker than the top half. As you shade the honey badger's body, use a darker value in certain sections, like inside the ear, above the muzzle and under the eye, to add more structure.

To get different degrees of tonal value, vary the pressure on your pencil. Try not to shade the honey badger's claws as you add the value to the body. As you shade, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur, basically left to right. Don't worry about shading too smoothly. The rough value gives the coat a furry texture. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. As you add value to the top section, use very light strokes because the fur here is basically white. Add slightly darker strokes in certain sections to give the body more dimension and volume.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the honey badger 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.

You can add more value to the honey badger's body if you'd like. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Remember to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

Thanks for watching! Subscribe to the How2DrawAnimals YouTube Channel for a new tutorial every Tuesday.

To learn how to draw popular cartoon characters, visit EasyDrawingTutorials.com.

 

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