Please PAUSE the "How to Draw an Ocelot" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.
Step 1: Draw two circles as guides for the ocelot's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. Ocelots have long bodies, so don't draw the circles too close together. Leave enough room on the sides for the head and tail.
Step 2: Draw another circle on the left side as a guide for the ocelot's head. This circle should be about three-fourths the size of the first one. Their edges should touch slightly.
Step 3: Draw two curved, intersecting lines inside the ocelot's head to help you draw the facial features later on.
Step 4: Draw a small circle on the lower half of the ocelot's head as a guide for the muzzle. Use the intersecting lines as guides for the circle's placement.
Step 5: Draw two small arcs on top of the ocelot's head as guides for the ears.
Step 6: Draw a series of lines that connect the major shapes to form the ocelot's body. Draw a short line on the right side for the tail.
Step 7: Draw four lines under the body (two below each big circle) as guides for the ocelot's legs. Bend the lines to indicate where the joints and feet will be.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 8: Lightly sketch the eyes inside the ocelot's head using the lines as guides for placement. Darken the outline for the eyes once you get the placement and shape right. The shape of the eyes should be similar to little footballs. Draw a circle inside each eye for the actual eyeball. Draw a small slit inside each eye for the narrow pupils. Shade the eyeball except for a tiny circle to represent glare. Shade the eyeballs using a value that's lighter than the pupils. Also shade the portion of the eyes outside the eyeballs. Use a value that's almost as dark as the pupils for the rest of the eye.
Step 9: Draw the ocelot's nose inside the muzzle by first lightly sketching a rectangle-like shape. Darken the sides of the shape to create the nostrils. Add the bottom part too. Use quick, short strokes at the top of the nose to indicate the furry texture.
Step 10: Use the small circle as a guide to draw the rest of the ocelot's muzzle. Draw the mouth under the nose as a line that splits in two, then curves up along the path of the circle. Draw the chin under the mouth using quick, short strokes for the fuzzy texture.
Step 11: Use the arcs on the ocelot's head as guides to draw the ears. Darken and shape the arcs. Draw another smaller arc within each ear. Draw a few quick, short strokes inside each ear for the fur.
Step 12: Use the original circle as a guide to draw the rest of the ocelot's head. Follow the basic path of the circle but make the head thinner. Use quick, short strokes for the texture. The jaw line should be higher up than the original circle.
Step 13: Use the lines on the left side as guides to draw the ocelot's front feet. Lightly sketch the shape of the first leg as you follow the basic path of the line. Bend the shape a little for the joints. When you get the structure right, darken the lines. Use quick, short strokes for the fur. Add a couple of curved lines at the bottom for the toes. Use the other line to draw the front leg on the other side. The ocelot is stepping forward, so draw the foot pointing down as you sketch the structure.
Step 14: Now use the lines on the right as guides to draw the ocelot's hind legs using the same technique. Sketch the first leg lightly as you follow the basic path of the line. Darken the lines only when you have the structure right. Draw the toes a the bottom. Use the last line as a guide to draw the hind leg on the other side. The hind legs should be thick at the top and narrower at the bottom.
Step 15: Use the remaining lines as guides to draw the rest of the ocelot's body and tail. Follow the path of the guides as you darken the lines. Make the shape of the tail thicker. Ocelots have relatively short tails. To conserve space on the page, the tail was drawn even shorter here.
Step 16: 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 that you may have accidentally erased.
Final Step (optional): Add the ocelot's coat pattern! Darken the lines around the ocelot's eyes and draw some spots on the head. Draw a couple of stripes on the sides of the head and smaller spots on the muzzle along with some whiskers. Add a few more tiny spots above and below the eyes.
The coats of ocelots can vary greatly between individuals. Their coats consist of rosettes, spots, stripes and curved bands. The shapes on the coat tend to be smaller on the limbs and larger on the body, especially the back. Because the coat pattern varies so greatly, it's a good idea to use reference for a more accurate drawing. A lot of the time the rosettes along the back fuse together to form long bands with spots inside. The pattern doesn't have to look exactly the same as this. Just add different-sized bands across the ocelot's entire body. The shapes are bigger and thicker on top and are small and more like spots down by the limbs. Remember to pause the video to draw at your own pace.
You can add more value throughout your ocelot drawing for extra detail. The area around the eyes and muzzle are pretty pale, so don't add value there. Add a solid value to the rest of the body. It's okay to go over the pattern. Make sure this value is a lot lighter than the value used for creating the pattern. Using a value darker than the previous step but lighter than the pattern, shade the insides of the rosettes and bands. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Consider the light source as you shade so that the shadows remain consistent throughout the body. Adding the coat pattern can be very time consuming, so be patient, take breaks and do small sections at a time.
Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the ocelot so it doesn't appear to be floating. Use a dark value near the middle of the shadow and a lighter value along the edge for the shadow's diffusion.
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