How to Draw a Tiger

Reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson

Last Updated: June 24, 2024

What's a big cat with stripes that doesn't meow? It's certainly not Garfield! Here's a quick tutorial on how to draw a tiger!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

A Full Body Tiger

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Sketch the head using a large circle and within that draw another to serve as the snout. Add circular facial guidelines to help you with features in subsequent steps.
Draw a diamond shape for the nose and an inverted "Y" shape for the mouth. Add in two small circles for the eyes.^{[1]
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Draw a small one for the neck and two large ones for the body.
Put a small circle for each foot, with small ovals for the paws.
They should be thicker at the base, tapering off to a slightly rounded end.
Add fur, whiskers, and claws. Don't forget the tiger's trademark stripes!
Make sure all excess guidelines are erased, and use mostly orange/brown with darker stripes for the body.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

A Tiger (Head View)

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Question

Do you need any drawing experience to draw a tiger?

Community Answer

Not really, no! You may find it a bit difficult if you've not drawn much before, but if you follow the instructions and practice drawing every day, you'll get your tiger done better than you probably thought you ever could.

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Question

How can I draw it cuter and attacking?

Community Answer

To make it cuter, enlarge the eyes and just make them look nice -- not super mean. To make it attacking, try to find out how to draw the rest of the body and have it lying down on whatever you want it to be attacking, with claws out and mouth open, exposing its teeth.

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Question

How do I draw a realistic tiger?

Community Answer

Add lots of detail and don't press hard with your pencil. Then, you can rub it out easily without leaving marks.

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Tips

Draw lightly in pencil so that you can easily rub out mistakes.

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If you want to use markers/watercolors to color your drawing, use paper that is relatively thick and line over your pencil more darkly before doing so.

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