Lion Drawing – Learn How to Draw the King of Savannah

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Learning how to draw a lion can teach you a lot of unique lessons about drawing features that are found in similar animals. In particular, working with color and shading to represent the quality of fur can easily be utilized in various other animal drawings. More specifically, lions have very unique fur coats, providing us with a really good challenge to represent this quality within a lion drawing. Lions not only make really beautiful artworks that can exist on their own due to their majestic qualities, but can also be used as an additional feature to many other artworks. There are a lot of reasons for learning how to create a lion drawing that can work both as a great exercise and also as a framework for drawing similar animals.

An Easy Guide on How to Draw a Lion

Learning how to draw a lion, easy as it may be for some, requires some steps for the rest of us, Lions seem visually complex in their exterior, which might be why this appears as a daunting drawing exercise. However, as we learn how to draw a lion, we will find that the process is much easier than it seems. As we work through the lion head drawing process, we can achieve a realistic representation of its unique mane through the addition of layers. We will also learn that once we have established this particular aspect of the lion, the rest is much easier to integrate into our lion drawing.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Draw a Lion

In this lion drawing we will start with a simple sketch where we establish the shape and form of our lion. We will want to make sure we capture the form and shape of our lion drawing before integrating colors. From there, we will proceed to establish some base colors that define the color palette of our lion drawing. We will then refine the details and unique qualities with some refined shading and line work, this will enhance the features further, making them a little more realistic. Now that we know what to expect from our lion drawing we can get into the necessary steps.

Step 1: Sketching the Lion’s Head

Starting with the head, we want to work out the general features of the lion’s face. This is where we start to work out the placement of the eyes and how they pair with the snout of the lion.

We will find that the nose ridge of the lion is elongated and extends out from the face. The nose also follows into the brows of the lion which can be described as a protruding bone structure above the eyes.

The mouth of the lion extends from beneath the nose in two directions which establish the upper lips. These fall along either side of the lion’s mouth in a drooping shape, creating a small triangular opening to the mouth.

Step 2: Adding Base Colors to the Lion’s Face

You want to work with various brown colors, where you build up different tonal values in the lion’s face through layers of color. The idea is to establish the lighter layers first, making sure that one side is more illuminated by a light source.

The idea is to work by adding shadows to one side of the face a little more than the other. By doing this we create a sense of light interacting with the lion, giving it more three-dimensionality.

try to work with various brown colors, working with the form of the bone structure. The intention is to set a light brown to establish a base color, and then work in some darker brown marks along the side of the face that is more shadowed.

As we work around the eyes, we can do the same by establishing some golden hues for the base color. We can then work in some shadowing to the eye to create three-dimensionality in the eye. We can also add a black pupil to give the lion its iconic eye coloration.

Step 3: Adding Darker Colors to the Lions Face

This is where we can start to enhance the form and facial features by utilizing darker marks and line work around the different features. by using some darker line work, we also emphasize the bone structure within the lion head drawing.

We want to start playing around with various colors of brown, intending to bring more structure to the face. This we can do for the mane that also surrounds the head of the lion.

You want to take your time, working through various areas of the lion’s face, slowly building it up through different tonal values. This is especially true when creating distinctions between features in the foreground and background.

As you continue with this process, a good suggestion is to also look at some references of lion faces to get a better sense of their coloration. We will find that we want to keep the chin fur of the lion quite light in comparison to the colors in the face.

Step 4: Adding Layers of Color to the Mane

The head of the lion is slightly covered by the mane that surrounds it. We want to establish this feature by building lines that flow around the head. Again, the idea is to work from lighter to darker colors, keeping a sense of shadow predominantly on one side of the mane.

The mane of the lion does have various colors within the fur, so we can be playful with how we build up different colors through the use of various browns. You want to make sure that the marks flow around the head of the lion in a circular fashion, like petals on a flower.

However, we still want to make sure we work from lighter to darker strokes as we move around the head of the lion. We can also consider making the fur that sits behind the head to bring the head into the foreground.

The mane will also extend quite low down from the head, and this is where we can start to use the mane as a way of defining how large the head is. The mane of a lion is often quite large, so we want to consider this as we continue to draw it.

Step 5: Sketching the Body of the Lion

Once we have worked out the lion head drawing, we can now begin to lightly sketch the body of the lion. We want to take our time considering how the body fits in size and position with the head of the lion.

We want to make sure that the back flows into the hind legs, which should remain quite wide near the hip. We will find that the legs become slightly narrower as they move down toward the paws.

Step 6: Adding Base Colors to the Lions Body

We can now start to integrate some light coloration into the body of the lion. We want to be conscious of which area will have more shadows as we do so. Think about how the bottom of the lion is a little darker because it is least exposed to a light source.

We want to work with layers once again, as we slowly develop different features within the body. We also want to consider how the bone structure and muscles will create protrusions, which will inevitably cause shadows.

As you work with integrating some lighter marks, start to work in some shadow formations near the main muscle groups. Try to keep your marks quite loose at this point.

Step 7: Adding Darker Colors to the Lions Body

Once we feel that we have worked in marks that define various shadows within the body, we can now start to darken them. This is where we start to integrate darker browns and make distinct marks and lines to emphasize various features.

We can also start to work on these darker marks in the shadowed areas, to create gradient shifts within the shadows on the body. As we work our way through the legs and body, we can start to see how we are developing more dimensions.

continue with this process, and as you do so, think about muscle groups and their various shapes. We want to emphasize the striations caused by muscle and bone within the body of the lion.

At this point, we can start to outline and enhance the overall form and shape of the lion drawing by going over darker marks, layer by layer.

Step 8:  Adding Contextualizing Features

We should have a well-established lion drawing at this point, having gone through both the head and body of the lion. We can now start to contextualize the drawing by providing an environment in which the lion is placed.

We can also add a tail as the last feature that brings the drawing together. Naturally, You can follow the same process of building up the tail through a set of different layers of color.

A good suggestion is to also consider layering your environment, always making the foreground darker than the background. you can play around with making grass strokes, however, layers will create a sense of depth.

Take your time with the background and contextualizing features, and there you have it! How to draw a lion in a few easy steps.

Be sure to go over any details that may have been overlooked, but at this point, we should have a beautiful and realistic lion drawing.

Tips and Tricks to Remember

• Work out the shape first. You want to make sure that you capture the form and proportions as accurately as possible in your lion drawing.
• Refine the details. Once you have worked out the color palette, you can then strategically integrate line work and shading to refine the different features.
• Work from lighter to darker colors. If you work this way, you have more control over the darkness of various features in your lion drawing.
• Use line work and shading to refine the features. Take your time working through all the features of your lion drawing, slowly working in line work to establish the layered quality of fur.

Learning how to draw a lion is an easy task once you understand the process. It’s really important to spend time establishing the shape and form of the lion before adding color. Once you have the lion sketch established, it will make the process much easier moving forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Draw Fur on a Lion?

There are many ways to draw fur within a lion sketch, however, using a layering approach can represent the fur realistically. You first want to make sure you establish all the base colors to define the various tonal values within your lion drawing. From there, utilizing some shading and line work can then enhance these colors and details, which will enhance them and define the texture of fur quite effectively. We also want to consider the different lengths of fur within the mane and the body. The body has short hairs, whereas the mane on the head has more flowing and elongated hairs. We want to make sure we represent these qualities with shorter and longer lines to represent these different features in our lion drawing.

How to Draw a Lion’s Mane?

The mane of a lion is quite easy to draw because of how specific it is, which is a dense group of lines that flow around the head of the lion. We can approach this quite literally in the way we represent this quality by establishing elongated strokes of color that are quite broad. From there, we can enhance these strokes of color by integrating some line work, providing more definition and texture to this feature in our lion drawing. The idea is to layer some line work and shading over broader strokes of color, to emphasize both the unique coloration and textural qualities of this particular feature.

Izzy Benloulou( Digital Artist and Content Creator )

Israel Benloulou aka IzzyBll is a digital artist and content creator from Israel, currently living in South Africa. Originally, he started his career in videography but later shifted his focus to digital graphic art. He specializes in using digital drawing software like Photoshop and Procreate. Drawing and photo editing have always come naturally to Izzy, and he now has 5 years of experience in the industry, working on commissions for various renowned brands such as Audi. Izzy creates drawing tutorials on his drawing tablet and produces related content for Craft Art since 2021.

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