How to Draw a Tiger - Easy Step-by-Step Instructions in Pencil and Paint

Images of the tiger attract all eyes, regardless of whether they are made with an ordinary pencil in monochrome shades or with the use of color.

The tiger is the biggest wild cat with a powerful muscular body. The coloration of tigers varies from orange to reddish-brown shades.

In Russia, tigers live in the Far East; in the world, they can be found on Indonesian islands, in India, Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia. It is very difficult and dangerous to see them in the wild.

Of course, most of us have been to the zoo and seen a tiger in person, but this animal is so beautiful that you want to watch it all the time. That's why you can learn to draw it yourself or with children.

Next year will be the year of the tiger. It will be very interesting to draw the animal and decorate your house with his image for the New Year, or to create handmade cards.

This article will give different methods of drawing the striped predator in pencil and paint.

Options for drawing a tiger

There are many variations of images of tigers. They are drawn in black and white, with paints, pencils, burned on wood. Drawings can be done in a realistic, cartoon or abstract style.

Drawing a tiger with a simple pencil

For the first method, you will need: a simple HB pencil, an eraser, and a sheet of paper.

Work process:

1. Initially it is desirable to display by auxiliary lines the boundaries of the torso.
2. Then indicate the main elements: the head should be marked with a circle, the neck with a circle that is lower and larger.
3. The main and back part of the body should indicate an oval, the back part should be more convex.
4. All these parts should touch each other, as they will constitute a whole tiger's body when you draw it later on.
5. The next step is to draw the paw and tail lines.
6. Draw three lines on the circle that represents the head of the tiger, which will help you to indicate the tiger's mouth and eyes.
7. Then outline the tiger's head with arcs on three sides, thus giving lushness and volume to his fur.

To the left and right of the cheeks you need to draw arcs, one arc on top and the second under the chin.

8. Above the circle denoting the head, draw the ears with small arcs, and at the side of each of them make small triangles that will give volume to the ears.
9. Next, draw the details of the tiger's muzzle. Between the two upper two lines draw the eyes, and on the left and right side draw ovals of the same size.
10. The bottom short line will represent the tiger's nose, on the left and right the line should be slightly bent upwards, depicting it as an arc.
11. Under the nose of the animal draw two arcs, connected by one big arc at the bottom of the chin to indicate the mouth.
12. Now you need to give the tiger's face a more realistic look with short strokes to indicate the fur.
13. In the ovals of the eyes with rounds to indicate the pupils.
14. The tip of the nose, marked the arc, highlight the dark color.
15. In the two side arcs indicating the upper part of the mouth of the tiger, depict a few points from this place will "grow" a mustache.
16. Draw a small mustache, emerging from the points.
17. In the arc that is at the bottom of the chin, draw sharp teeth.
18. The next step of drawing is to give volume to the animal's paws. Around the lines with which you have schematically marked the paws, draw the volume and mark the fur with serrated lines or strokes. At the bottom of the paws mark the pads and claws of the animal.
19. Oval, which indicates the torso, you must begin to give shape. In the back of the bottom to depict the relief - to reduce the width in front of the hind legs. While drawing, it's best to use auxiliary images or just a drawing of a cat. After all, the tiger's body structure is very similar to that of all felines.
20. Now start drawing the hind legs. The upper part should be more powerful, to the bottom they taper.
21. Around the bent line on the back, finish drawing the volume, you will get a beautiful tail.
22. On the surface of the whole body of the tiger in different places to draw short strokes or slightly zigzag lines wool.
23. Relying on a photograph or other drawing of the predator, begin to draw the stripes. If you are drawing with an ordinary pencil, draw the stripes with a darker color.
24. Now add shadows, look closely at the picture of the animal, shade the dark places to give the picture realism and volume.

The black and white drawing of the tiger is ready! It can be pasted into a colored frame that will accentuate the image.

Drawing a Tiger Tiger with a Child

To draw a tiger with a young child, it is better to use a more cartoonish image, it will be easier for the baby to perceive drawing simpler shapes.

The animal will look more exaggerated; paws and torso are depicted in a simpler form.

For drawing, you will need to prepare a pencil, eraser, blank sheet of paper, paints: gouache or watercolor, and you can also take colored pencils:

1. The first step will be a schematic outline of the basic shapes - a larger circle (the head of the tiger), a smaller oval at the bottom a little to the side (the torso).
2. The circle is divided by two perpendicular lines in the center.
3. Around the circle outline the muzzle, add volume on the left and right. Draw the ears on top.
4. Next, on the muzzle draw details - on the horizontal line at the same distance draw the eyes. On the vertical line mark the semicircle nose and two small arcs, they will schematically indicate the mouth.
5. After you have drawn the details of the head, nose and mouth of the tiger cub, you need to outline the shape of the body. The oval that you originally drew should be given a more realistic shape.
6. The next step is to draw the tiger's paws and tail. It is best to take a picture of a cartoon tiger and draw the shape of its paws and tail from there.
7. Then draw the stripes of the tiger; they may not take up the whole area of the body, but are depicted only on the sides in the form of small triangles.
8. The resulting drawing may be colored with any paint - watercolor, gouache, acrylic. The tiger cub may turn out looking like a kitten, but it will even give it a cute and childlike entourage.

Drawing such a tiger cub is sure to please the child, with him you can make handmade cards or magnets and give to family and friends.

Tiger cub with a heart

With children, you can draw a funny tiger cub with a heart in his teeth. The image of such a baby can be used on Valentine's cards or postcards.

The little predator will be depicted in a sitting position:

1. The first thing to do is to draw two circles, which are vertically on top of each other and slightly overlapping.
2. The upper circle, denoting the head, is divided into several parts by lines. Two parallel lines in the center and one line perpendicular to them, dividing the circle in the center.
3. Small ovals to depict tiger cub paws. One oval, slightly sloping sideways, drawn in a circle under his head. Two ovals, bred in different directions, to indicate the base of the lower circle. And another oval at the base of the circle pointing in the same direction as the left oval.
4. Above the head, draw the tiger's ears in large half arcs. You are depicting a baby tiger, so the ears should be larger than the head compared to an adult tiger.
5. Between the two parallel lines, draw the tiger cub's eyes at the same distance. Above the eyes draw half-arc eyebrows. The nose is depicted as a heart and the mouth as two small arcs. From these arcs draw a small mustache.
6. Now continue working on the torso. To the oval, which is located under the head, draw a bent paw with pads and claws.
7. The second paw, located on the right should be straightened and go down.
8. Lower paws are slightly bent and should rest on the ovals, located on different sides of the circle. The pads and claws of the little tiger are drawn in the ovals.
9. Draw a tail bent upwards to the side of the base and lower paws.
10. In the mouth of the tiger depict an inverted heart. Small hearts can be depicted on the feet of the lower paws to support the image.
11. Next, you have to give the animal realism with strokes indicating the fur and "signature" stripes all over the fur.
12. Then the tiger cub should be colored according to the colors inherent in the coloring of tigers.

Realistic Tiger in Color

You can create a more realistic image with color.

The image that turned out according to the first plan in black and white should not be painted over with dark pencil strokes. All auxiliary lines should be erased. For coloring use paints or colored pencils:

• The tiger can be depicted in beige, brown-orange and black.
• Paint the tiger's nose and the area under his eyes brown-orange.
• The tiger's eyes are yellow or light brown, rarely blue eyes. The area in the ears, the bottom of the belly and the inside of the paws should be done in beige shades.
• The top of the head and the upper part of the torso should be brown-orange. The shade can be done as desired, in reality the tigers are not as bright as in the cartoon pictures. The stripes are depicted in bright black.
• For places where there should be shadows, take a darker shade of paint or pencils and darken these colors.

Main rules for drawing tigers

1. The image of the tiger initially begin with the drawing of geometric figures, which are the basis. The lines should be drawn very thinly so they can be erased.
2. The tiger is a powerful animal that has pronounced natural muscles. This must be taken into account when drawing.
3. The color of the tiger is not bright orange, but closer to a brown hue. But on cartoon images a bright version is acceptable, you can even show your imagination and give the tiger a non-standard color.
4. For drawing with children, it is required to use a simple version, otherwise it will be difficult for the child to perceive the process, and it may become uninteresting.

If you adhere to the order of actions, the tiger drawing will turn out very beautiful and with correct proportions.

With children you can make any handicrafts, cards, homemade calendars, paint Christmas tree toys, in the process explore the habitats of tigers and tell the details of the life of this magnificent strongest animal.

Photo examples for drawing tigers