21 Realistic Big Cat Drawings in Pencil

Welcome to my collection of big cat drawings. This portfolio covers 30 years of honing my drawing skills and includes tigers, lions, jaguars, cheetahs, leopards, and snow leopards.

Some drawings focus on fine details, aiming for photorealism, while others take a more relaxed approach as I try to capture movement or atmosphere. They represent my personal progression as I developed my drawing style.

I hope this collection provides insight into the techniques and thought processes behind my work and offers a closer look at these incredible animals. Thank you for taking the time to view it.

Lion Art Drawings

This is a pencil drawing titled “Head of the Family”. It features a close-up portrait of a lion, meticulously rendered in graphite pencil. The lion gazes directly at the viewer with an expression of calm authority and strength.

The details are precise, capturing the texture of the lion’s thick mane, which flows outward with subtle, natural variations in the fur.

Every strand of the mane is carefully shaded, giving it texture and flow, while the dark background frames the lion perfectly, making it the centerpiece of the drawing.

This is by far my most popular lion drawing. It has just the right attitude and is a popular ‘Dad’ gift.

A Photorealistic Lion Illustration

This is a pencil drawing of a wild lion I observed while on safari in Tanzania. The lion is resting in the grass, its gaze calm but alert. I focused on the texture of its mane, using a super fine pencil to render its depth and ruggedness.

The background features a savannah scene with scattered trees, drawn lightly to keep the focus on the lion. It’s a touch of artistic license. There were no acacias there in reality.

The foreground grass required careful thought to balance the composition and provide context.

I love the calm self-assured expression of this young male lion.

A Mother and Cub Lion Sketch

This lion drawing shows a tender moment between a lioness and her cub, inspired by photographing wild lions in the Masai Mara Reserve, Kenya.

I used a slightly sketchier approach here to emphasize the softness of their interaction. Plus the photo was slightly out of focus!

The lioness is grooming the cub, her eyes closed in calm focus, while the cub gazes outward, its expression curious yet relaxed.

The looser background contrasts with the more detailed fur textures, helping draw attention to the bond between the two. This piece aims to capture the warmth and care within their natural behavior while maintaining a sense of spontaneity in the marks.

Jaguar Art

This jaguar artwork is titled ‘Eye Contact’. I wanted to emphasize the jaguar’s stealth and focus as it moves forward, almost as if it’s emerging out of the shadows.

The fine detail in its patterned coat was a challenge but very rewarding to work on. I focused on the texture of the fur and the shadows to bring out the jaguar’s powerful presence, while the rough foreground adds a sense of movement and environment.

It’s one of those drawings where the simplicity of the medium allows the subject to stand out.

A Photorealistic Jaguar Drawing

This pencil drawing is titled “Leaps and Bounds.” It depicts the same jaguar leaping into the water. Its intense and focused expression draws you into the moment.

I concentrated on capturing the texture of its wet fur and the intricate patterns of its rosettes, aiming to keep the details as accurate as possible. I used mechanical pencils throughout.

The water splashes were particularly challenging, requiring careful layering to suggest motion and transparency. I also worked on creating a strong contrast between the jaguar and the dark background to help the animal stand out without overwhelming the scene.

Overall, this piece was a study in balance – between detail and simplicity, light and shadow, and stillness and movement. I hope it invites you to take a closer look.

Beautiful White Tiger Art

This is my pencil drawing called “Cool Waters” inspired by a white tiger I photographed at the Singapore Zoo.

The way the tiger glided through the water was mesmerizing, with its calm, focused gaze and the ripples reflecting its powerful presence. Capturing the contrast between the white fur, the dark water, and the shimmering highlights was rewarding.

I spent a lot of time refining and simplifying the reflections to make sure they complemented the tiger without overshadowing its intensity

I did something similar with ‘River Crossing’, the white tiger illustration below. I took so many photos, this was, in fact, my first attempt.

A White Tiger Drawing in Profile

‘River’ Crossing’ works surprisingly well but there was a problem I didn’t fully appreciate at the time. It was an issue I refused to acknowledge for too long.

This is sound advice for any artist considering publishing art prints.

Pay attention to dimensions.

The public is very aware of the cost of bespoke framing. This tiger print is not a standard size and sometimes it was enough to scupper the sale.

It’s sooooo frustrating.

Do yourself a favor put aside artistic integrity and learn to compromise. I’m telling you from first-hand experience. I’ve lost so many sales over the years because I was obstinate.

Cheetah Art

This is a pencil drawing of a wild cheetah I observed during my trip to the Masai Mara Reserve.

The cheetah is captured in a moment of stillness, looking over its shoulder with an alert yet calm expression. Its distinctive spotted coat was a difficult to render, requiring careful shading to suggest both texture and depth.

I included lightly sketched grasses in the foreground and background to give a sense of its natural environment without overwhelming the composition.

The loose strokes in the surroundings help frame the cheetah while keeping the focus on its poised and elegant form. It’s a quiet moment, but one that hints at the cheetah’s readiness to move at any moment.

An Early Cheetah Drawing

This drawing is an early attempt at realistic drawing. I had little patience and far less knowledge in those days.

I drew this cheetah sketch before I honed my drawing skills. You can see how the fur is less defined, even the whiskers are very basic. It’s the same cheetah drawn twice.

If you read my warning about picture dimensions earlier, you can imagine how difficult it would be to find a pre-made frame for this picture.

Now look at this one I drew even earlier.

My Initial Cheetah Sketch

This cheetah drawing is a complete fabrication. It was drawn long before I published any work. I had no money and no references. I dreamed up the composition. It’s not bad really.

I didn’t have a cheetah image so I stole one from somewhere, this was long before the internet. I wouldn’t dream of doing that now.

In those days it was hard to get good reference photos. I had a film camera, but it cost a small fortune to develop photos and they always came back blurred or overexposed. Those were definitely not the days.

Tiger Art

This pencil drawing depicts a wild tigress I photographed in Kanha National Park, India. She is partially hidden behind a clump of bamboo, her piercing eyes focused directly on us.

I aimed to capture the quiet intensity of her gaze, using soft shading to define her stripes and the delicate texture of her fur.

The bamboo foreground was real but I used artistic license to tidy things up with overlapping stems and leaves requiring careful positioning to balance the composition.

The contrast between the strong, rigid bamboo and the tigress’s soft yet powerful presence creates a feeling of tension, curiosity, and mystery. It was a privilege to observe a wild tiger within a few meters, an experience I went on to repeat many times over.

My next tiger illustration was a rescued tiger in Laos. This was quite some time ago when poachers were targeting the last remaining wild tigers in the country. They killed them all.

Tiger Drawing in a Forest Setting

I’ve drawn ‘Phet’ reclining on a bed of foliage, surrounded by dense jungle vegetation. The tiger’s pose is both relaxed and commanding, with its gaze meeting the viewer directly. She was young and healthy when I saw her.

I focused on the intricate detail contrasting the bold tiger stripes with the soft texture of the leaves. The background is lightly sketched and improvised, with silhouetted trees creating a sense of depth while keeping the focus on the tiger.

Same Tiger, Different Pose

These are two versions of the same tiger. I did ‘Nightshift’ first. I blacked out the background thinking it would add to the drama. It was OK but I was never happy with it. Plus the public wanted to see the full face. That is why I did ‘Daybreak’ above.

My Bestselling Tiger Illustration

I drew two versions of this tiger. This ‘Tiger in the Grass’ print was the most popular. It was one of my ‘bread and butter’ prints for many years.

This pencil drawing depicts a Sumatran tiger, originally photographed in captivity at the London Zoo. The tiger’s intense gaze emerges from a dense layer of improvised grass, which I created to give the impression of a natural, wild setting.

The soft focus and overlapping strokes of the grass help obscure parts of the tiger, adding a sense of concealment and stillness. This was a study in blending detailed realism with creative interpretation to evoke a natural environment.

Now here’s the interesting thing. People who saw this print in real life, loved this picture and bought it, but I hardly ever sold this print online. It doesn’t command the same impact.

A Tiger Pencil Portrait

This tiger artwork is a close-up portrait of the same Sumatran tiger from the previous piece. The focus is on the tiger’s striking expression – its piercing gaze and slightly furrowed brow give it a look of quiet intensity and authority.

I paid particular attention to the eyes, as they draw you in and hold your focus, conveying both strength and a sense of awareness.

A Tiger Sketch in a Loose Style

This pencil drawing portrays two tigers locked in a dramatic exchange, their mouths open wide in what appears to be, on first impressions, an intense confrontation.

The focus is on the dynamic energy of the scene, with fur bristling, whiskers flared, and teeth bared. The roughly textured background adds to the drama, framing the action without distractions.

However, all is not as it seems. This is not a fight at all, this is courtship tiger-style. Tigers like it rough and ready. It looks aggressive but it’s an essential part of the bonding process.

Snow Leopard Art

This pencil drawing shows a snow leopard sitting with its head turned, highlighting its profile. The fur is rendered in super detail, giving it a realistic texture and showing the thick, soft coat that helps it survive the cold.

The rosette patterns are carefully drawn to flow naturally with the shape of its body. Not an easy task. You can’t just draw the spots in place and expect them to look convincing.

The trick is to draw white fur trailing over black fur on one edge, and black fur over white on the opposite. It takes patience.

This focus on the texture makes the fur look so real, it feels like you could almost touch it.

A Snow Leopard Sketch

This second snow leopard drawing takes a different approach from the previous, more detailed work. Here, the style is looser, with less emphasis on perfect detail and more focus on capturing movement and presence.

The snow leopard is shown mid-stride, its eyes locking with the viewer, giving the piece an immediate and dynamic feel.

Unlike the hyperrealistic texture of the first drawing, this drawing experiments with softer transitions and simplified shading. It was my attempt to step back from my usual perfectionism and draw more fluidly. Does it work? I’m not sure.

Leopard Art

This classic leopard wall art features a leopard poised on a large rock, surrounded by a rich, dark background that emphasizes the subject’s form. The leopard’s cautious stance and focused gaze suggest it is surveying its surroundings.

The detailed texture of the rock is a key element, with cracks and surface variations rendered carefully to give a sense of weight and realism.

The interplay between the illuminated leopard, the rugged texture of the rock, and the dramatic black background creates an almost theatrical scene.

Mirror Image Leopard Drawing

This drawing features two leopard cubs side by side, but in reality, they are the same cub drawn twice. I constructed the composition from the references at hand.

I had to ensure the spots and fur patterns on each portrait were varied enough to make each cub look distinct. I didn’t want a sharp-eyed viewer to guess what I’d done.

The cub on the left is shown in profile, while the cub on the right faces forward, appearing more alert and contemplative. The same cub turning it’s head.

I focused on capturing the soft texture of their fluffy coats, layering the shading to highlight the density of their fur. As usual, drawing the spots was time-consuming.

Every rosette has to be placed exactly, there is no room for error. If you misplace a mark by a fraction the whole appearance looks wonky.

A Popular Leopard Drawing

Last but not least, this pencil drawing captures a young leopard cub resting in the branches of a tree. The cub’s posture suggests a mix of curiosity and relaxation, with its front paws dangling over the branch and its gaze focused intently on something below.

The bark of the tree is carefully rendered, with textured shading that contrasts against the cub’s fur. The simplicity of the composition keeps the focus on the cub, highlighting its youth and the playfulness it finds in the tree.

This leopard artwork was very popular in its day. It’s one of those drawings that sold so well that publishing it as a limited edition print backfired. It was lucrative while it lasted, but in the long term, it would have been more profitable as an open edition. C’est la vie.

21 Big Cat Drawings : Final Thoughts

Drawing these big cats has been much more than a creative endeavor, it’s been a way to combine two passions: my love for the natural world and my drawing skills.

I’ve been fortunate enough to create a dream job that allows me to travel the world, seek out wildlife, and translate those experiences into pencil drawings.

I count my blessings.

In retrospect, it’s been a journey, from learning my craft and drawing captive animals to selling art prints to fund my travels.

Interestingly, some of my most appealing and profitable drawings were based on captive animals. It’s inevitable. With all the will in the world, it’s not always possible to photograph a wild animal with any success.

No matter, with a little artistic license and imagination, even modest references can form the foundation of a striking and evocative artwork. Adjusting details, improvising settings, and adding context can transform a simple observation into something much more compelling.

It’s a reminder that creativity often goes beyond what the camera captures.

This journey has taught me that art is as much about interpretation as it is about accuracy. It’s allowed me to build a life that revolves around what I care about most: wildlife, travel, and drawing.

Thanks for looking.

---

---

If you are more interested in seeing my artwork

You Can See My Other Drawings Here & Here

You may like to read the following articles:

• 12 Wildlife Art Bestsellers (Use These Subjects to Make Money)
• The Wildlife Drawings of Kevin Hayler
• 25 Realistic Animal Drawings
• How to Start Drawing Wildlife and Become a Wildlife Artist
• 6 Realistic Elephant Drawings in Pencil
• 12 Best Monkey Art Pencil Drawings
• 7 Bird Art Bestsellers: Best Wall Art Selling Guide
• 9 Farm Animal Art Bestsellers: Home Decor That Sells!
• How to Draw Realistically: 11 Realistic Drawing Tips
• How to Draw a Realistic Giraffe: Step by Step and Get Great Results
• 9 Ways of Framing on a Budget You Need to Know!

PIN THIS