In just a few steps, you'll learn how to draw this Snow Leopard. All the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are easy to follow and great for beginners and experienced artists alike. Get art basics while sketching your favorite animals step by step. Each free tutorial on this site has a video tutorial option, as well as step-by-step images and written text to follow along with. Have fun creating pencil art!

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All the free art lessons on How2DrawAnimals.com are easy to follow; they teach you the basics while showing you how to render animals step by step. Each tutorial has a video tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow. After you're done here, try another tutorial!

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To create this Snow Leopard step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to work at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step how-to images below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to do next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both art methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

Below you can watch a step-by-step video tutorial with NARRATED how-to steps:

The following is a video tutorial where the steps are WRITTEN out within the video:

Start with Simple Lines and Shapes

Intro: For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your graphite pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 1: Sketch two circles as guides for the snow leopard's body. They're just guides. Pay close attention to the placement of the circles. Don't space them out too much.

DRAWING TIP: To draw a circle, first draw four small marks for the height and width of the circle, and 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.

Step 2: With your graphite pencil, lightly make a smaller circle above the left circle as a guide for this big cat's head. Notice how they overlap a little.

Step 3: Inside the head, sketch two intersecting lines that will help you place this wild cat's facial features later.

Keep Building the Drawing Slowly

Step 4: Right below where the two lines intersect, draw an oval as a guide for the snow leopard's muzzle.

Step 5: Pencil in two small arcs on top of the head as guides for the cat's ears.

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Step 6: Make a series of curved lines that connect the circles to form the snow leopard's body.

Step 7: Draw four lines (two below each circle) as guides for the leopard's legs. The lines in the back should angle a bit.

Finish Up the "Skeleton"

Step 8: Lightly sketch a long curved line on the right side for the tail.

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

Step 9: Draw the eyes using the intersecting lines as guides for placement. The shape of the eye is similar to a football. Inside each eye, make a circle for the eyeball and a smaller shaded circle inside that for the pupil.

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Step 10: Pencil in the nose inside the muzzle. Start with an upside-down triangle, then curve the sides more to make the shape less rigid. Make some dark circles on the lower sides for the leopard's nostrils.

Step 11: Draw the muzzle as a line below the nose that splints in two and curves up. Then make a curved line under it for the snow leopard's chin. Use quick, short strokes to represent fur.

Continue Adding Details

Step 12: Create whiskers inside the muzzle by making quick, short pencil strokes on either side.

Step 13: Use the arcs as guides to create this wild cat's ears. Use quick, short pencil strokes within them to make them furry.

Step 14: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the rest of the leopard's head. Remember to use quick, short pencil strokes for a furry look!

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Work On the Rest of the Body

Step 15: Using the initial lines as guides, create the short, stocky front legs. Press down on your pencil lightly at first. When you like what you have, go ahead and darken it. Surround the initial line with quick, short strokes to give it mass and make some lines at the bottom for the toes. Now do the same for the leg on the other side.

Step 16: Draw the hind legs using the same technique. Surround the line by sketching lightly at first. Then darken it using quick, short strokes. Curve the hind legs back a bit and don't forget the toes!

Keep Going - You're Almost There!

Step 17: Use the initial lines as guides to create the rest of the body. Snow leopards live in cold environments, so use longer strokes to give the coat a fluffier look.

Step 18: Lightly pencil in the tail using the curved line as a guide. Snow leopards have the longest tails of all the big cats that they use to keep warm, so make the tail big and fluffy.

Tidy Up Your Drawing and Add Shading

Step 19 (optional): For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing them all. It's okay to leave some behind. Also re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Something's missing on this snow leopard... the spots and rosettes! Quick, pencil them in now them! Start by adding small spots throughout the entire face. Then move on to the body, making bigger spots and rosettes. Rosettes are like misshapen circles that have openings and don't close all the way. Draw them all over the body. They don't have to be perfect. The sketchier they are, the more it looks like they are part of this wild cat's fur. The rosettes get bigger the further back along the body they are. Drawing the pattern on the fur can be very time consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Pause the video or use reference for accuracy in the placement of the rosettes.

Add some shading to give your graphite drawing more dimension and volume. 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 snow leopard so it doesn't appear to be floating.

You can add more value throughout your rendering for extra detail. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.

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