How to Draw a Lion

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: February 6, 2023 References

Lions are a great subject for drawing. They can be fierce, expressive, and proud or simple, cute, and cartoonish. To create a masterful lion drawing, make a few simple guidelines to give your realistic lion structure and proportion. Then, define the lion's outline and add details, such as a furry mane. To make a fun cartoon lion, exaggerate the head and any facial features you like. Add color if you'd like your lion to really stand out.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Sketching a Realistic Lion

1
Sketch 2 circles to make the guiding shapes for the lion's body. Draw a large circle where you'd like the lion's chest to be. Leave a gap that's as wide as 1/2 of the big circle and sketch another circle to the left. This will be the rear of the lion so make it about 3/4 the size of the large circle.^{[1]
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- Sketch your guiding circles lightly so you can go back and erase lines as needed.
2
Draw an egg-shape with guidelines above the large circle to make the head. Position the wider end of the egg-shape above the big circle and leave a space that's as big as you want the lion's neck to be. Then, make facial guidelines. Lightly draw a horizontal and vertical line that cross through the head. Then, draw a small curve in the top quadrant, which will be the ear.^{[2]
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- The top quadrant is the highest quarter in the wider end of the head.
- Taper the egg shape down to become the lion's muzzle.
- If you feel comfortable drawing the facial features, you don't need to draw the guidelines.
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3
Draw 3 angled lines that extend from the circles to make guidelines for the legs. Make 2 parallel lines that come down from the smaller circle. Sketch them going to the left and then down to the right. For the front leg, draw a line that curves slightly to the right.^{[3]
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- There's no need to draw 4 lines because 1 of the lion's legs will be hidden by the leg that's next to it.
4
Connect the 3 circles and make the outline of the tail on the small circle. To make your outline look more like a lion, draw a line that connects the top of the circles with the head. To make the outline realistic, make the line dip down towards the chest. Then, draw a line across the bottom of the circles that curves up to the right. Connect this line to the tapered end of the head. To make the tail, draw a line coming out of the small circle that curves in an "S" shape.^{[4]
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- You now have a basic outline for the lion.
5
Draw a detailed eye and triangular nose in the bottom right quadrant of the head. To make the eye, draw a small slightly curved triangle halfway above the horizontal line. Place a dot in the middle to make the pupil. For the nose, draw an upside-down triangle at the tapered end of the head.^{[5]
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- You can make the eye and nose as detailed or simplistic as you like.
6
Create the lion's muzzle and whiskers. Draw a line from the bottom of the nose and curve it down towards the bottom left quadrant of the head. Then, make a handful of dots right below the nose and draw 4 or 5 light whiskers extending away from the nose.^{[6]
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Tip: To make the lion's chin look more realistic, make the space underneath the muzzle jut out a little so it's more pointed than round.
7
Define the head and ear shapes. Go back and use short, quick strokes to make the ear look fuzzy. Then, lightly sketch along the top of the head with loose strokes to make it narrow between the eye and the nose.^{[7]
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- It may help to look at a reference photo when you're adding details to your drawing.
8
Add a mane if you're drawing a male lion. Since the large mane surrounds the head and covers the back, make lots of small feathery strokes that look like hairs going from the top of the head down to the end of the large circle. Draw the mane so it frames the lion's face and covers the lion's chest. Sketch a rough line to connect the mane from the top of the back to the front of the chest.^{[8]
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- To draw a female lion, skip this step.
- Think about how the hair falls around the lion's face and make the hair near the top of the head point up more before it curves down to the side. Make the hairs near the bottom of the mane vertical since they're hanging.
9
Draw the lion's legs and make them look furry. To make a leg, draw 2 parallel lines on the opposite sides of a leg guideline. Make the legs wider near the torso and narrow near the foot. Sketch 3 half-circles in a horizontal line at the base of the foot to create a paw. Then, go back and sketch short, quick lines that look like shaggy hairs coming off of the legs.^{[9]
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- Remember that 1 of the front legs won't be visible so you don't need to draw it.
10
Define the shape of the lion's body and make the outline look furry. Go back and add short lines along the end of the tail to make it fuzzy. If you'd like your lion to look statuesque, make the bottom line that connects the circles indent up near the small circle and then push down towards the big circle.^{[10]
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- You can erase the guidelines and circles once you're done with this step or leave them if you want the lion to have a sketched look.
11
Finished.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Drawing a Cartoon Lion

1
Draw a circle for the lion's head and make 2 half-circles for ears. Sketch a circle that's as large as you want the lion's head to be. Then, draw a half-circle on the top of the circle off to 1 side. Make another half-circle on the opposite side. These will be the ears.^{[11]
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Tip: If you're struggling to draw the half-circles, draw a small circle where you want each ear to go. Then, erase the bottom half of each circle so you're left with perfect half-circles on top of the head.
2
Sketch a triangular nose in the middle of the face. Since you're making a cartoon, you can exaggerate the size of the lion's nose. Draw a horizontal line in the center of the circle and make it as long as you like. To make this into a triangular-shaped nose, draw a "V" coming down from the ends of the line.^{[12]
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- You can keep the triangle pointed or round the edges to make a smoother looking nose.
3
Draw a curved mouth coming down from the nose. Place your pen or pencil at the bottom point of the nose and draw a curved line like a half-circle at the bottom of the straight line. Make the half-circle curve up in both directions.^{[13]
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- The upward curves will make your lion look like it's smiling.
4
Make 3 long lines extend from the side of the face to create whiskers. To make your cartoon lion look whimsical, add 2 or 3 horizontal lines going away from each side of the face. You can make the whiskers as long as you like.^{[14]
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- If you're drawing a female lion, you might want to leave out the whiskers but make dots above the mouth.
5
Draw 2 circular eyes in the top half of the lion's head. Decide how large you'd like the lion's eyes to be and make 2 circles halfway between the nose and top of the head. Leave a gap that's the size of 1 eye in between the eyes. Shade in most of the circles, but leave 2 tiny dots to represent the pupils.^{[15]
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- Make the eyes as expressive as you like. You could leave the circles very simple or sketch eyebrows and eyelashes, for instance.
6
Add a bushy mane around the head if you're drawing a male lion. Create a scalloped edge around the lion's entire head. To make a large mane, leave a wide gap between the mane and the face.^{[16]
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- Skip this step if you're drawing a female lion.
7
Draw the lion's legs if you want to show it sitting on its haunches. Sketch 2 lines from the bottom of the mane that curve down towards the center. Make 2 paws at the bottom and bring the lines back up to make the lion's legs. Then, make 2 taller legs that stick out from the sides of the lion so it looks like the lion is sitting on its haunches.^{[17]
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- Keep in mind that you won't see most of the lion's body in this position.
- To draw the paws, make 3 half-circles in a row.
8
Make a tail that sticks out from 1 side of the lion. Draw a thin line coming from the lion's back leg and make it curve up. Sketch another parallel line to make the thin tail look 3-dimensional. Then, add a bushy circle at the end of the tail.^{[18]
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- If you prefer, draw the tail so it curves around and lies in front of the lion on the ground.
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Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

What are some tips for drawing a baby lion?

Community Answer

Make the body smaller. If you want it to look cute, then make the eyes bigger. The ears should also be bigger and rounder.
Question

Do I have to color the drawing?

Community Answer

You can color the drawing or leave it uncolored, it is your preference. Choose whichever you think will look best.
Question

How do I make a lion roaring?

Community Answer

Try angling the head, and look up images of lions roaring.