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

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To draw this King Cheetah 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.

The Written 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.

Step 1: Draw a circle near the right side of the paper as a guide for the front part of the king cheetah's body. First make four marks to determine the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. With every step, sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a circular object like a coin or a lid. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: To the left, draw another circle the same way as a guide for the back part of the body. Place this circle slightly higher than the first one. It should be a bit smaller too. Pay attention to the distance between the circles. If you draw them too close together, your cheetah will be too short.

Step 3: On the right side of the first circle, draw yet another circle as a guide for the king cheetah's head. Use the four-marks method to draw this circle too. It should be about half the size of the first circle. Place this circle right up against the first circle so that their edges touch.

Step 4: Draw a horizontal line across the head to help you place the king cheetah's facial features later. Draw a shorter, vertical construction guide line on the top, right side.

Step 5: Draw a small circle on the lower, right side of the head as a guide for the muzzle. Pay attention to the size of this circle in relation to the king cheetah's head. The bottom part should stick out of the head.

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Step 6: On top of the head, near the sides, draw two short arcs as guides for the cheetah's ears.

Step 7: Connect the top of the head to the top of the first circle as the guide for the first part of the king cheetah's neck. Make the arc of this line tall. Draw a line connecting the shapes at the bottom to complete the neck. Draw two long, curved lines that connect the first two circles to complete the guide for the torso.

Step 8: Draw a long line under the first circle as a guide for the front leg. Bend the line at the top to indicate where the joint will be and at the bottom for the foot. To the right, draw another angled line as a guide for the other leg. This line should slope in the middle as the cheetah steps forward.

Step 9: Draw a long, angled line under the second circle as a guide for the hind leg. This line should slope to the lower, left side before bending at the bottom to indicate where the joints and foot will be. To the right, draw a shorter angled line as a guide for the king cheetah's other hind leg. Bend the line near the middle and at the bottom for the joints too. On the left side of the body, draw a long line that curves up at the bottom as a guide for the tail.

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

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Step 10: Lightly sketch the eyes inside the head as two small ovals. Use the initial lines as guides for the placement and size of the king cheetah's eyes. When you get the position and size of the eyes right, darken the lines. Make the top edges of the eyes flatter and the outer sides pointier. Draw a couple of lines on the inner sides for the corners of the eye that point down toward the muzzle.

Step 11: Inside each eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle for highlights. Inside each eye, near the top edge, draw another tiny circle and shade it in for the pupils. Add a series of short strokes around the king cheetah's eyes for the detail on the fur.

Step 12: Inside the circle for the muzzle, lightly sketch a small oval for the king cheetah's nose. Position the oval a bit higher than the lower edge of the bigger head circle. When you get the position and shape right, darken the top edge using a wavy line. Darken the sides of the oval but curve the line inward to create the nostrils. Make the top corners of the nose pointy. Make the bottom part of the nose thin. Add a small vertical line at the bottom. The end result of the cheetah's nose should be triangular.

Step 13: Under the nose, draw a line that curves to the left for the first half of the mouth. On the right side, draw another line that curves up for the rest of the king cheetah's mouth. Use the sides of the circle as guides. Draw a series of short strokes along the lower edge of the circle for the fuzzy chin.

Step 14: Draw a couple of curved lines that connect the inner corners of the cheetah's eyes to the sides of the mouth for the tear markings. At the bottom, use the edges of the initial circle as guides for the placement of the tear markings.

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Step 15: Use the arcs on top of the head as guides to draw the king cheetah's ears. Darken the arcs. Inside each ear, draw a few curved lines for the inner structure. Inside each ear, draw a series of short strokes for fur.

Step 16: Use the bigger circle as a guide to draw the rest of the head. Draw a series of short strokes along the edge of the circle to create the furry shape of the king cheetah's head. Don't darken the lower, left edge of the circle to indicate where the head connects to the body. Add a few short strokes within the head for extra detail on the fur.

Step 17: Use the second line from the right as a guide to draw the first front leg. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. Bend the shape of the leg at the top for the joint. The top part should be wide and the bottom narrow. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Use short strokes at the top for fur. Draw the shape of the leg close to the guide to keep the cheetah's leg skinny. Bend the shape at the bottom for the foot. At the end, draw a couple of curved lines with tiny triangular shapes at the tips for the toes and claws.

Step 18: Use the line on the right as a guide to draw the other front leg the same way. Draw the shape of the leg around the guide. Sketch lightly at first. Make the top part wide. The foot at the bottom should bend downward as the king cheetah steps forward. Darken the lines when you get the shape right. Where the shape bends at the bottom, draw a U-shaped line for the first toe. At the bottom, draw a couple more small, U-shaped lines for the other toes. Make the tips pointy for the cheetah's claws. Keep the edges of the paw close to the guide so that the shape is skinny.

Step 19: Use the angled line on the far left as a guide to draw the king cheetah's first hind leg. Draw this leg the same way. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the leg around it. Notice how much thicker the top of this leg is compared to the front leg. Curve the lines to emphasize the leg's muscle structure. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. Bend the shape at the joints. The shape should gradually get narrower toward the bottom. At the bottom, draw a couple of curved lines for the king cheetah's toes. On the tips of the toes, add tiny triangular shapes for the claws.

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Step 20: Use the last angled line as a guide to draw the other hind leg the same way. Draw the king cheetah's leg around the guide. Bend the shape in the middle for the joint and add the toes as curved lines at the bottom. Add tiny triangular shapes on the tips of the toes for the claws. The top part of this leg will be hidden behind the cheetah's body.

Step 21: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the king cheetah's body. Use short strokes along the curved guide at the top for the fur standing up on the back. Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the rest of the body. Use longer strokes at the bottom for the fur on the underside of the body. Don't overlap the limbs that are on this side of the body. Add some strokes on the neck for extra detail. Darken the curved guide line on the left for the top edge of the tail. Use short strokes for the tip of the tail and add a curved line at the bottom to complete the shape.

Step 22: Go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Take your time and be careful when you ink to avoid any accidents. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

Final Step: Something's missing. The coat pattern! Add the king cheetah's distinctive coat pattern all over the body using ink. Add tiny spots on the forehead and sides of the head, and darken the tear marks under the eyes. The pattern on the king cheetah's back consists of big, blotchy spots that connect to form long, horizontal stripes. Follow the curvature of the body shape as you add the stripe pattern on the back. On the front part of the body, draw more spot-like shapes but make them more irregular than the circular spots of a normal cheetah.

The markings at the top should be long, and they should gradually get shorter the farther down they are. Farther down the body, make the markings blotchier and more irregular. Don't overthink it. Just add a bunch of random irregular shapes all over the king cheetah's body and fill them in. This process shouldn't be too difficult, but it is very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Add thick bands on the tail so that the pattern almost makes the tail solid black. King cheetahs are actually normal cheetahs with a mutation for this coat pattern. If you want a regular cheetah using this pose, just draw the standard spots.

Color your king cheetah drawing! Use light yellow for the base of the coat. Use light brown and a bit of gray to add shadows throughout the body. Pick the direction of the light source so that the shadows are consistent with it. Add yellow directly on top of the brown and gray in the areas between the coat pattern. Add yellow-orange, light yellow and similar colors directly on top of each other and slowly blend them. Add the colors lightly at first and slowly build up to the shade of yellow that you like. Keep the area around the eyes and muzzle blank.

Use more light brown to emphasize the shadows and black to emphasize the coat pattern. Color the eyes red. Draw a cast shadow under the body using light brown, gray and a bit of purple. Continue to slowly add different shades of yellow and orange and blend them in until you're happy with the coat color. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for an accurate representation of a king cheetah. Don't forget to pause the video to draw and color at your own pace.

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