This footstep by step tutorial shows how to depict a lion's face and head going from a basic shape sketch to a finished line cartoon.

Lion face drawing step by step
Lion face cartoon step past step

As a panthera leo's face up is adequately complex this is a very detailed tutorial with many steps. If you are going to be following along using pencil and newspaper please be sure to make light lines for the initial steps of the drawing so that you lot can easily erase them after.

Step 1 – Draw the Major Shapes of the Lion's Face & Head

Lion face proportions drawing
Panthera leo confront proportions cartoon

Start the drawing of the panthera leo's face up by first breaking information technology down into more than basic shapes.

For an explanation of why y'all should draw this way run across:

Beginner Guide to Learning to Draw

Lion basic head shape step by step drawing
King of beasts basic head shape footstep by step drawing

Construct the lion's head as in the example to a higher place:

  1. Draw a direct vertical line through the heart of your drawing surface area followed by an intersecting horizontal line towards the upper finish of the first line
  2. Make a circle around the intersection to become the rough width and shape o the upper function of the head
  3. Draw two circles to indicate the basic shape and size of the ears
  4. Towards the bottom end of the large face circle draw two more circles (slightly overlapping the big one) to stand for the finish of the snout
  5. Describe a half circle below the two "snout" circles (slightly narrower in with) for the bottom jaw
  6. Projection a gear up of lines from the big face circle towards the bottom jaw half circle to act as construction lines
  7. Depict two curves staring from slightly below the horizontal line towards the "snout stop" curves to create construction lines for the snout
  8. Draw the outer shape of the mane every bit ii sets of curves

Step 2 – Draw the Facial Features

Lion facial features drawing
Lion facial features drawing

Draw the basic shapes of the major facial features and erase some of the structure lines from the previous step and then that your drawing does non go cluttered.

Add together cheek bone shapes on the sides going from the area around the outer corners of the eyes and somewhen curving in towards the nose.

Next add together more details of the snout area starting from some small-scale curves around the olfactory organ to the larger curves that first go inwards and so outwards around the eyes.

Lion eye shape drawing
Lion heart shape drawing

Draw he eyes directly above the horizontal line (with the inner corner going below the line) from footstep one with the shape every bit in the to a higher place example.

Lion nose shape drawing
Lion nose shape cartoon

Draw the shape of the olfactory organ as the example above.

Pace 3 – Refine Shape of the Face up

Lion face shape lines
Lion face up shape lines

Now refine the outer structure lines of the face from footstep one to a more precise shape of the panthera leo'south caput.

Lion face shape drawing
Lion face up shape cartoon

Step 4 – Depict the Smaller Details of the Face

Lion face detail drawing
Panthera leo face particular drawing

Now work on the smaller details of the lion'due south confront.

Add together the inner curves of the ears pretty much following the outer curves.

Describe the bottom office of the mouth with the outer corners sort of "hanging down".

Lion eye details drawing
Lion eye details drawing

Add together the pupil, reflection area and betoken the upper shaded area within the middle. As well describe the curves of the upper and lower eyelids every bit in the above example.

Lion nose details drawing
Lion nose details drawing

Add a tiny "divide" towards the lesser of the nose as in the above case.

Step five – Add together Some Basic Fill up/Shading

Lion facial features details drawing
Panthera leo facial features details drawing

Fill in/shade the areas of the eyes olfactory organ and mouth as in the in a higher place example. You can besides start going over some of your light sketch lines with a more than solid stroke to finalize the drawing.

Step 6 – Draw the Inner Mane & Chin Fur

Lion inner mane and chin fur drawing
King of beasts inner mane and chin fur cartoon

Draw the inner role of the mane fur besides the fur on the chin.

Y'all tin pretty much indicate each little fur clump with just one or ii lines. Endeavour and make each dodder of slightly dissimilar shape, size and length to brand the fur await natural.

Step 7 – Draw the Mane

Lion mane drawing
Lion mane cartoon

Draw the rest of the lion'due south mane. Generally the fur clumps will be smaller around the summit expanse and larger around the lesser where the fur is longer.

Stride viii – Draw the Whiskers

Lion face drawing
Lion face drawing

Finally add some whiskers to finish the drawing.

Lion whiskers drawing
King of beasts whiskers drawing

Lions mostly take a set of tiny blackness dots around the upper area of their oral fissure that the whiskers grow out of. Depict a few rows of these before drawing the whiskers.

Draw the whiskers thicker towards the base of operations and thinner towards their outer tips. Also exist certain to depict them of diverse length and curving in slightly different directions to brand your cartoon expect more natural.

When the whiskers are washed y'all should take a finished line drawing of the lion's head.

Conclusion

A lion'southward face and caput tin can be very complex to depict but you tin make it easier by beginning breaking it downward into more basic shapes and so refining your cartoon step past pace down to the smaller details.

For cartoon the full body of a lion from the side view see:

How to Draw a Lion Total Body Step past Step

For other similar tutorials see:

  • How to Draw a Wolf Confront & Head Step past Step
  • How to Draw a Tiger Face up & Head Stride by Step
  • Dog'southward Head Forepart View Cartoon – Step past Step
  • How to Draw a Fox Step by Stride