In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Lion 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 Lion 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 NEW step-by-step video tutorial with NARRATED steps:

The following is a video tutorial where the steps are Written out within the video:

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 lion's body. They don't have to be perfect. They're just guides.

Step 2: Draw an egg shape above the right circle as a guide for the lion's head.

Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines inside the head. These will help you place the lion's facial features.

Step 4: Draw a small arc near the top of the head for the lion's ear.

Step 5: Draw three lines under the lion's body as guides for the legs.

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Step 6: Draw a curved line next to the smaller circle as a guide for the lion's tail.

Step 7: Draw a series of lines to connect the main shapes and form the lion's body.

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

Step 8: For the lion's eye, draw a triangle-like shape on the right side of where the two lines intersect. Inside the shape, draw a smaller circle and shade it in for the pupil.

Step 9: Draw the lion's nose as an upside-down triangle at the end of the head shape above the horizontal line.

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Step 10: Using the shape of the head as a guide, draw the lion's muzzle. Draw it as a dark line below the nose that curves to the left. Below that, draw this big cat's chin using a series of quick, short strokes.

Step 11: Within the muzzle, draw multiple dots and short lines coming from them for the lion's whiskers.

Step 12: Using the egg shape as a guide, draw the top of the lion's head.

Step 13: Using the initial shape as a guide, draw the lion's ear using quick, short strokes for a fuzzy look.

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Step 14: Draw the mane all around the lion's face, head and neck by using quick, short strokes. This big cat's mane extends onto the back and down to the front legs.

Step 15: Using the initial lines as guides, draw the lion's hind legs. The other leg is hidden, so only draw the visible portion.

Step 16: Draw the front legs by using the same technique. Draw only a bit of the lion's leg and some fur at the joint of the front leg.

Step 17: Draw the lion's tail using the line as a guide. At the end of it, draw some fur using quick, short strokes.

Step 18: Draw the rest of the lion's body, making sure to dip the chest down a bit more.

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Step 19 (optional): For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of them. It's okay to leave some behind.

Final Step (optional): Add some shading to give your lion drawing more dimension and volume. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the lion so it doesn't appear to be floating.

You can add more value throughout your lion drawing for extra detail. It's a good idea to use reference to be as accurate as possible. Use quick, short strokes when adding value to the main to represent a fury look.

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