How To Draw Easy Lion – Paper Drawing
Let’s draw a cute, sitting lion from simple shapes. This guide is friendly for beginners and fun for kids, teens, or adults who just want to relax and sketch. You’ll start with a rounded head shape, grow a fluffy mane, then build the body, paws, and tail. Finally, you’ll ink clean lines and add soft color. The steps follow the images you shared, so match each caption with its picture. Use smooth paper like A4 (8.3×11.7 in) or US Letter and any pencil you like. Keep strokes light at first; we’ll darken later.
You’ll learn how to keep features symmetrical, place the whiskers, curve the legs, and color the mane so it looks full without heavy shading. Expect a charming cartoon style instead of strict realism. Take your time, pause between steps, and enjoy the process. When you’re done, you’ll have a cheerful little king of the savannah ready for coloring pages, cards, or classroom displays. Gather supplies, clear a bright workspace, and let the lion come alive line by line. You’ll be proud afterward.
Supplies for This Drawing
- Pencils: 2H (light layout), HB (sketching), B (darkening).
- Black fineliner 0.4–0.6 mm or a fine marker for inking.
- Erasers: kneaded eraser and white vinyl eraser.
- Sharpener (or mechanical pencil).
- Paper: A4 (8.3×11.7 in) or US Letter, 160–200 gsm/65–80 lb.
- Colored pencils or markers: pale yellow, orange, red, brown, beige, green, gray, black.
- Optional: white gel pen, blending stump, low-tack tape to hold paper.
Prepare the Materials
- Clear your workspace and set good, even lighting.
- Tape paper to your desk or board to prevent slipping.
- Sharpen pencils; test pressure on a scrap.
- Place the step images where you can see them easily.
- Keep a small paper under your drawing hand to avoid smudges.
- Warm up with a few curved lines and circles.
Special Features of This Drawing
- Big, rounded shapes create an immediately friendly character.
- Wavy mane offers rhythmic repetition and simple stylization.
- Large eyes with highlights add instant charm.
- Seated pose reads clearly and feels balanced.
- Minimal shading—color layers do most of the work.
- Cute heart accent personalizes the chest area.
Tutor’s Suggestions
- Begin with the softest pencil and barely-there pressure.
- Mirror-check symmetry by turning the page upside down.
- Build lines in light passes, then commit with confident ink.
- Keep eyes level; tiny tilts change expression fast.
- Shade along forms, not across them.
- Lift mistakes with a kneaded eraser, don’t rub hard.
- Take short breaks; fresh eyes spot crooked shapes.
Uses
- Classroom practice or step demo.
- Cute wall print for a kid’s room.
- Greeting card or sticker design.
- Coloring page for students.
- Warm-up sketch in a daily journal.
- Social post or quick gift illustration.
Level of Difficulty
Beginner-friendly — simple forms, clear outlines, and gentle color layering.
1. Rounded Head Shape
Start near the top-middle of your page. Draw a large rounded square, wider at the bottom than the top, leaving a small gap along the upper edge. Keep the corners soft so the head feels friendly. Make the bottom line slightly flatter for the chin. Don’t worry about perfection yet; sketch lightly so adjustments are easy. Center the shape on the page, leaving room for the big mane around it and the body below. Check balanced spacing left and right.
2. Ears and Wavy Mane Outline
Close the head by drawing a short curved line across the top gap. Add two small ear circles on the top corners, each with a tiny inner curve. Now sketch the mane: a wavy cloud that surrounds the head. Use gentle bumps, varying sizes, and let the bottom dip to a small point at center for a neck notch. Keep the mane shape symmetrical overall, but not exact. Leave breathing space between head and mane so the outline reads clearly.
3. Face and Neck Guides
Inside the head, place two big circles for eyes. Leave small white ovals for highlights, then fill the rest dark. Add a tiny curved eyebrow above the right eye. Draw a rounded triangle nose centered low, with a short line down and a soft smile beneath. Add three short whisker lines on both cheeks. For the body, drop two straight lines from the mane’s notch to form the sides of the chest, leaving space between for the belly curve later.
4. Front Legs and Paws
From the chest lines, sketch two long U-shapes reaching downward to make the front legs. Keep them parallel and slightly tapered. At the bottom, add two rounded oval paws resting on the ground, each divided with three short toe grooves. Behind them, add curved shapes for the back legs so the lion appears seated. Keep overlaps clean and let the mane’s lower edge touch the body. Erase or ignore extra construction lines. The pose should feel balanced, stable, and cute.
5. Tail and Final Line Work
On the right side, draw a long, gentle S-curve for the tail that rises beside the body. Thicken it into a narrow ribbon, then cap the tip with a leaf-shaped tuft. Add the small oval toe behind the left paw to finish the feet. Review all outlines and smooth any kinks. Strengthen important edges with one confident pass of your liner. Keep facial lines thinner so they look friendly. The sketch should now read clearly as a complete, inked lion.
6. Base Body Color
Lay down a light base color on the body. Use pale yellow or light tan colored pencil or marker, avoiding the mane and inner ear circles for now. Color the head, chest, legs, paws, and most of the tail. Keep strokes even, moving in one direction to avoid patchy texture. Leave a tiny heart shape on the chest if you like a cute accent. Keep pressure gentle so paper tooth shows and later layers blend smoothly. Work slowly for control.
7. Deepen Body Color
Add a second, warmer layer such as soft orange over the body areas, keeping the face slightly lighter. Shade the sides of the cheeks, the lower belly, inside the legs, and along the tail to suggest roundness. Use short, overlapping strokes that follow the form. Blend lightly into the first layer without pressing hard. Darken the nose and paw grooves if needed. Keep the mane uncolored; we’ll handle it next. Step back and check that values look gentle and even.
8. Mane and Small Details
Color the mane using a rosy red or warm reddish brown. Work in broad, curved strokes that follow the bumps so the mane feels fluffy. Leave the inner ear circles light beige. Deepen the paw pads with a brown pass and add a soft shadow line beneath the chin to separate head from mane. If highlights on the eyes faded, restore them with a small white pen dot. Add whiskers again if coloring dulled them. Keep edges crisp and tidy.
9. Ground and Finishing Touches
Ground your lion so it doesn’t float. With a green pencil or marker, sketch a simple patch of grass beneath the paws, using short, angled blades and a few flat strokes. Keep it lighter near the front paws and darker behind. Add a gentle cast shadow under the paws with gray or a darker green. Clean stray marks, adjust symmetry, and even out color. Sign your work. Your friendly lion is ready to show on a wall, card, or post.
Final Thoughts
Nice work—your lion’s personality shines. You practiced building forms from simple shapes, keeping lines clean, and layering gentle color. Use the same approach for other animals: big shapes first, expressive features second, then confident outlines and color. Try changing mane shapes, eye sizes, or tail curves to create different characters. Share your drawing with someone who needs a smile, or keep it in your sketchbook as a reminder that playful practice builds real skill daily.
A Bonus Tip
Lightly fade the mane’s inner edge with a clean blending stump—this soft separation makes the face pop without heavy shading.
FAQs
Q: How long will this take?
A: Most beginners finish in 30–60 minutes, depending on coloring time.
Q: What paper size works best?
A: A4 or US Letter is perfect; heavier paper prevents marker bleed and erases cleaner.
Q: My face looks uneven—how can I fix it?
A: Lightly redraw center marks and compare distances from the nose to each eye and cheek curve.
Q: Should I ink before coloring?
A: Yes. Let ink dry fully, erase pencil crumbs, then color to keep edges crisp.
Q: Can I use markers instead of pencils?
A: Absolutely—lay flat marker color first, then add pencil shading on top for soft dimension.
