In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Leopard Seal step-by-step.

Stay tuned for more free drawing lessons by:

Liking us on Facebook>>

Subscribing on YouTube.com>>

Following us on Instagram>>

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.

RELATED TUTORIALS

To draw this Leopard Seal 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 Narrated 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: Start by drawing three circles as guides for the leopard seal's body and head. To draw each circle, first make four marks to determine its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circles, just trace the outer rim of a circular object like a coin or a bottle cap. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle. Pay attention the size and spacing between the circles. The farther apart you place the circles, the longer the body will be.

Step 2: On the left side of the head, draw two small arcs as guides for the seal's top and lower jaw. Pay attention to the sizes of these arcs in relation to the head. Connect the circles using a series of curved lines to create the guide for the body. The neck should be thin and the torso should be wide. On the right side, draw a small rectangular shape as a guide for the back portion of the body.

Step 3: Below the front part of the body, draw two long, curved shapes as guides for the seal's front flippers. These shapes are made up of a couple of curved vertical lines. On the right side of the body, draw a couple of rectangular shapes as guides for the hind flippers. The hind flipper that's on the other side is hidden behind the first hind flipper, so only draw an angled line for it.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press down harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 4: Inside the head, on the top, left, side draw a small oval for the seal's eye. Sketch lightly at first and when you get the size and position of the eye right, darken the shape. Inside the eye, draw a small circle for the iris. Inside the iris, draw a tiny circle for a highlight and a big dot in the middle for the pupil. Shade the iris using a value that's lighter than the pupil and don't overlap the highlight circle. On the top, left side of the initial top arc, draw a couple of short, thick lines for the nose and nostril. Below that, darken the lower edge of the initial arc to create the open mouth. Extend the line farther to the right inside the head. On the left side of the mouth, draw a couple of small, V-shaped lines for the visible teeth.

---

Step 5: Darken the bottom arc to create the leopard seal's lower jaw. Inside the arc, draw a sloping shape for the open mouth. Draw a few short lines along the bottom part of the mouth for the fur.

Step 6: Inside the mouth, along the sides, draw a series of small, jagged shapes for the seal's molars. In the front of the mouth, draw a couple of small, triangular shapes for the canines. Along the back of the mouth, draw a short, curved line for the tongue. Darken the top part of the initial guides to create the top part of the head.

Step 7: Darken the curved, longer shape under front part of the body to create the seal's front flipper. Draw a series of small, pointy shapes along the right edge of the shape for the claws on the flipper. Add a few lines at the top of the shape for the base of the flipper. Use the rectangular shape that's on the far right side of the body as a guide to draw the first hind flipper. Darken the shape but make the sides wavier. On the right side, draw a series of curved lines for the tip of the flipper. Add a few short lines inside the shape for the grooves on the flipper.

Step 8: Darken the outer edges of the initial lines and shapes in the middle to create the leopard seal's body. The top and bottom edges of the body should be made up of two long continuous lines. Darken the shape under the front part of the body to create the other front flipper. Draw a series of small, pointy shapes along the right edge of the flipper for the claws. Use the angled line on the top, right side as a guide to draw the other hind flipper. Darken the line and draw a series of short, curved lines along the right edge for the tip of the flipper.

Step 9: 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: Shade your drawing for extra detail. Shade lightly at first and gradually build up to darker values. For light values, push down very lightly on your pencil and push down harder for darker values. Leopard seals have coats that are counter-shaded for camouflage. That means that they are dark at the top and light at the bottom. Use a medium value for the top part of the body and leave the bottom part blank for the white fur. Use a slightly lighter value along the top edge of the body for a highlight. Use a dark value for the inside of the mouth and leave the area around the eye blank for white fur. Draw a series of spots using a dark value all over the body for the distinctive leopard pattern. Don't overthink adding the spots; just add dark markings of different sizes randomly all over the body. Add a shadow to the white underside of the body using a light value. Shadows will help give the figure more dimension and volume. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. It's a good idea to use reference as you shade for a more accurate depiction of a leopard seal. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

Thanks for visiting! Subscribe to the How2DrawAnimals YouTube Channel for a new tutorial every week.

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

To learn how to draw Manga, visit How2DrawManga.com.

RELATED TUTORIALS