How to Draw a Clouded Leopard
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Clouded Leopard" 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 clouded leopard's body. First draw some marks for the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a glass, a coin or anything else circular.
The circles should be about the same size. The one on the left should be placed a tiny bit higher than the one on the right. Don't draw the circles too far apart, otherwise your clouded leopard will be too long. Leave enough room on the sides and bottom for the head, tail and legs.
Step 2: Draw another circle on the right side as a guide for the clouded leopard's head. This circle should be about one- third the size of the first ones. The edges of this circle and the first one should almost touch.
Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines inside the clouded leopard's head to help you place the facial features later on. Curve the lines to contour to the head. The vertical line should be close to the right side of the head.
Step 4: Draw a smaller circle on the bottom part of the head as a guide for the clouded leopard's muzzle. The bottom part of this circle should extend outside the head. Pay attention to the size and placement of it.
Step 5: Draw two small arcs on top of the head as guides for the clouded leopard's ears.
Step 6: Draw a series of curved lines that connect the major shapes to form the rest of the clouded leopard's body. Draw two curved lines on the right to create the neck and two more in the middle to complete the torso.
Step 7: Draw four lines under the body as guides for the clouded leopard's legs. Clouded leopards have relatively short limbs, so don't draw the lines too long. The leopard will be stepping forward, so space out the front legs. Bend the lines to indicate where the joints and the feet will be. The tip of the last line should point down to indicate the forward motion.
Step 8: Draw a long, curved line on the left side of the clouded leopard's body as a guide for the tail. Clouded leopards have very long tails, so don't draw this line too short. If you have enough room on the left side of your paper, you may want to extend the line to the left instead of in front of the hind legs.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 9: Lightly sketch the clouded leopard's eyes inside the head as two small half-circles. Use the lines inside the head as guides for the eyes' placement. When you get the shape and placement of the eyes right, darken the lines. Use a thick, dark line to draw the outer shape of the eyes. Elongate the sides of the eyes and create a circle inside the shape as you darken the lines for the actual eyeball.
The dark, thick outer edge of the eyes should end in a tip that points down toward the clouded leopard's muzzle. The eyes are almond- shaped and should be made up of a thick outline. Take your time to get the shapes right. Add a tiny circle inside each eye, off to the side, to represent glare. In the middle of each eye, draw a slit for the clouded leopard's pupil. You can add a bit of light value inside the eye if you'd like.
Step 10: Lightly sketch the shape of the clouded leopard's nose on the lower edge of the main circle. The nose should be similar to a triangle. Darken the lines when you get the shape right. Use a wavy line for the top part. The sides of the nose should come inward a bit to form the nostrils. Add a darker value to the sides for the nostrils.
Step 11: Use the small circle under the head as a guide to draw the clouded leopard's muzzle. First follow the basic path of the big circle as you darken a line that curls up on the right to create the mouth. Add a curved line under the mouth for the chin as you follow the bottom edge of the small circle. Use quick, short strokes as you draw the chin and left side of the muzzle for a furry texture.
Step 12: Use quick strokes that are longer on the sides of the muzzle for the clouded leopard's whiskers.
Step 13: Darken the small arcs on the head to create the clouded leopard's ears. Make the shapes of the ears a little bit thinner as you darken the lines. Add some quick, short strokes within the shapes of the ears for the fur found there.
Step 14: Use the main circle as a guide to draw the rest of the clouded leopard's head. Follow the basic path of the circle as you darken the lines but make the right side of the head a bit thinner. Use quick, short strokes on the left side of the head to represent fur.
Step 15: Use the lines on the right side of the body as guides to draw the clouded leopard's front legs. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg as you follow the path of the guide line. The leg should be thicker at the top than the bottom. When you get the structure of the leg right, darken the lines. Draw a couple of short, curved lines at the tip of the foot for the toes.
Use the line on the right as a guide to draw the front leg on the other side of the body. Follow the path of the initial guide and only darken the lines when you get the leg's structure right. This leg should have a more diagonal orientation since the clouded leopard is stepping forward.
Step 16: Use the lines to the left as guides to draw the clouded leopard's hind legs the same way as the front legs. The top part of the leg should be thicker than the bottom. Notice how the leg bends backward near the middle. Remember to first sketch the shape of the leg lightly as you follow the guide. Darken the lines only when you get the structure right.
The hind legs should be a bit longer than the front legs. Add a couple of short curved lines at the tip of the foot for the toes. Use the last line on the left as a guide to draw the hind leg on the other side the same way. Because the clouded leopard is stepping forward, the tip of the foot should point down, and the individual toes won't be visible.
Step 17: Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the clouded leopard's body and tail. Simply follow the basic outer path of the initial guides and darken the lines to create the shape of the body. Clouded leopards have relatively smooth coats, so use smooth lines as you draw the shape of the body instead of the usual quick, short strokes.
To draw the tail, follow the path of the guide line but make the shape thicker. Part of the tail is in front of the hind legs, so it's okay to overlap the lines. Clouded leopards have very long tails in relation to their bodies, so don't draw it short.
Step 18: 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: Something's missing. The clouded pattern of the coat! Add the distinct pattern all over the clouded leopard's body. Draw a bunch of tiny dots on the top part of the head and muzzle. Add some thick, dark stripes on the sides of the face and next to the eyes. Now start drawing the cloud-like shapes all over the back using thick, dark lines. The shape of these "clouds" should basically be wavy, slanted ovals that are made up of broken thick lines.
Add a few thick lines on the neck and across the top of the back. Lightly sketch the basic outline of the "clouds" at first and when you're happy with them, darken them using thick lines. Adding the coat pattern can be very time- consuming, so be patient and take breaks.
The pattern on the tail consists of bigger blotch-like spots. Continue adding these spots of different sizes all over the clouded leopard's legs. Add a few smaller spots inside the "clouds" too. Continue adding these spots of different sizes all over the legs. Add a few smaller spots inside the "clouds" too.
Add a medium value to the inside of the "cloud" shapes and the clouded leopard's head. Leave a space around the eyes and the front part of the muzzle blank. The value that you use inside the "clouds" should be lighter than the outlines and the spots. Add a lighter value to the space between the spots and "clouds." The outline of the "clouds" and the spots should be a dark value. The inside of the "clouds" should be medium, and everything else should be light.
You can add even more value throughout your clouded leopard drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Use a value that's a bit darker than the inside of the "clouds" but not as dark as the spots for the shadows. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it.
Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the clouded leopard so it doesn't appear to be floating. Don't forget to pause the "How to Draw a Clouded Leopard" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
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