In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw an American Black Bear step-by-step.

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

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To draw this Black Bear 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.

Below you can watch a Narrated 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 so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 1: Start by drawing three circles as guides for the black bear's head and body. To draw each circle, first make four marks to determine the height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circles, just trace the outer rims of circular objects like coins or bottle caps. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle. Pay attention the sizes and spacing of the circles.

Step 2: Inside the head circle on the right, draw two curved lines as guides to help you place the facial features later on. On the bottom, right side of the head, draw a small circle as a guide for the bear's muzzle. Pay attention to the size and position of the muzzle in relation to the head circle. At the top, draw two short arcs as guides for the ears.

Step 3: Under each body circle, draw two long, angled lines as guides for the American black bear's legs. Bend the lines to indicate where the joints and feet will be. Pay attention to the slope of the lines on the ends to indicate the bear stepping forward. The line for the hind leg on the left should be the longest line.

Step 4: Connect the head to the body using a couple of curved lines to create the guide for the black bear's neck. Connect the body circles using longer, horizontal lines to finish the guide for the torso. Curve the lines so that the body is round.

That's it for the guidelines! From this point on, press down harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing of an American black bear.

Step 5: Inside the head, draw two small circles for the bear's eyes. Use the lines as guides to help you position the eyes inside the head. Make the sides of the shapes pointy for the corners of the eyes. Inside each eye, draw two small circles for the pupils and for highlights. Shade in the pupils. Draw a few lines around the eye for fur. Near the bottom edge of the muzzle, draw an oval as a guide for the nose. Use curved lines on the sides of the shape to create the nostrils and add a short line in the middle. Darken the arcs on top of the head for the ears and add short strokes inside the shapes for fur.

Step 6: Draw a line under the nose to create the black bear's mouth. Under the mouth, draw another curved line for the chin. Add a couple of lines near the sides of the initial circle and on top of the nose for the side and top of the muzzle. Use short strokes as you darken the lines to create a furry texture.

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Step 7: Darken the outer edge of the initial circle using short strokes to create the American black bear's head. Don't close off the shape on the left side to emphasize the connection of the head to the body.

Step 8: Use the first and third lines from the left that are under the body as guides to draw the bear's legs. First lightly sketch the shape of the legs around the guides. The tops of the legs should wide and then they should gradually get narrower toward the bottom. Use short strokes to create a furry texture. Inside each foot, draw a couple of short, curved lines to separate the toes. On the tip of each toe, draw a small, curved, triangular shape for the claws.

Step 9: Use the other two angled lines under the body as guides to draw the bear's other legs the same way. Draw the shape of the legs around the guide lines. Use short strokes to create a furry texture. Add a couple of curved lines on the tip of each foot for the toes and claws. The foot on the front leg is raised so draw a bit of the paw pad using short, curved lines.

Step 10: Darken the outer edges of the guides to finalize the shape of the black bear's body. Use a series of short strokes as you darken the shape to create a furry texture. Don't overlap the shapes of the legs as you darken the underside of the body.

Step 11: 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 you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Shade your drawing for extra detail. American black bears have black fur so use a medium to dark value to shade the entire body. Use a lighter value to shade the muzzle. Add a slightly darker value throughout the body to create shadows. Pick a light source as you shade so that the shadows are consistent across the body. Here the light source is coming from the top so most of the shadows will be on the underside of the shapes. Shade lightly at first and gradually build up to darker values. For light values, push down very lightly on your pencil and push down harder for darker values. As you shade the body, use strokes that go in the general direction of the fur. Separate each stroke a bit so that the white of the paper comes through and creates a more furry texture. Add a cast shadow at the bottom using a medium value. It's a good idea to use reference as you shade for a more accurate depiction of a black bear. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

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