Caroline
There are many amazing predators in the animal kingdom, and many of them are classified as big cats.
There are examples like lions, leopards and cheetahs in Africa, and the Americas are home to the mighty jaguar.
These predators are not only big and deadly, but they are also one of the most visually stunning animals you can see.
Their distinctive pattern can make it hard to learn how to draw a jaguar, but the good news is you’re in the right place to learn how it’s done!
Our step-by-step guide on how to draw a jaguar will walk you through the process of drawing one of these magnificent creatures.
How to Draw A Jaguar – Let’s get Started!
Step 1
To get this guide on how to draw a jaguar started, we shall begin with the head outline of the jaguar.
The head will be mostly curved and rounded, but will have some sharp points at the top for the ears and will be narrow at the bottom for the jaw of your jaguar.
With this head outline done, we can then move on to the next step!
Step 2 – Next, draw the back of your jaguar
We will continue adding to your jaguar drawing in this second step. First, you can draw some triangular, rounded shapes inside the ears to create the inner ears of your jaguar.
Then, you can extend a curved line from the head for the shoulders of the jaguar. Finally, you can draw a curved line coming from this shoulder line for the back of the jaguar.
This line should curve near the end of it, as you can see in the reference image.
Step 3 – Now, draw the first leg of your jaguar drawing
In this step of our guide on how to draw a jaguar, we will be drawing the first leg. The leg will extend down from the end of the line that you drew for the back in the previous step.
The leg will be thick where it connects to the body and will get thinner the further it goes down. It will end in a curved angle and three-toed paw, as shown in the reference image.
Finally, draw a curved line for the belly of the jaguar
Step 4 – Next, draw the next two legs for the jaguar
You’ve drawn one leg, so now we shall add two more to the front of your jaguar drawing. The first one will connect to the belly that you just drew.
It will curve a bit more than the back leg, but will also be thicker at the top than the lower sections. The other leg will extend from the bottom of the head and also connect near the top of the other leg.
Step 5 – Now, add the final leg and face details
There’s one more leg to be added in this step of our guide on how to draw a jaguar. This one will be next to the other back leg, but will be smaller to show perspective.
That takes care of the legs for the jaguar, but before you move on you can add some thin, curved lines to the face.
Step 6 – Next, draw the eyes and mouth
Your jaguar drawing needs a ferocious face, so we shall add it now! The eyes are quite small, and have thin, cat-like pupils. The nose is part of a long, thin shape that sits above the mouth.
The top of the mouth is divided into two sections under the nose, and as you might imagine it has a row of sharp teeth inside of it!
Step 7 – Draw a tail for your jaguar
This step of our guide on how to draw a jaguar should be an easy one! Simply draw a long, thin tail with a slight curve at the end of it at the back of the jaguar.
Finally for this step, add a curved line near the end of the belly to add some muscle definition.
Step 8 – Give your jaguar some spots
You might want to put on your favorite music or podcast in the background for this step of your jaguar drawing, because it will take you a while!
Jaguars are known for their beautiful spotty pattern, and you can draw it in for this step. The spots are very small, as you can see in the reference picture.
Your patience will be rewarded, however, as it will create a beautiful look for your jaguar!
Once all the spots are drawn, be sure to draw a beautiful background for your jaguar drawing if you would like!
Step 9 – Now finish it off with some color
This picture is already looking amazing, but we will make it look even better in this step of our guide on how to draw a jaguar!
You can really bring your drawing to life when you incorporate some beautiful colors into the mix, so that’s what we can do now!
Jaguars have a beautiful golden brown coloring, so it should make for a beautifully striking image.
If you stick to this realistic coloring, then you could bring in some color variation with some colors for the background or by using some fun art mediums.
5 Tips To Make Your Jaguar Drawing Even Better!
Have a wild time as you make your jaguar sketch even more incredible!
The jaguar is a popular animal around the world, and it’s easy to see why! That being said, you could also add some more animals to your jaguar drawing once you’re happy with it.
There are so many amazing animals you could add! These animals could be from a similar environment to where jaguars are found, or you could add some truly wild combinations.
When you know whether you will add more animals or not, you can then think about creating a background. This is a great way to enhance your drawing of a jaguar!
Jaguars are usually found in jungle environments, so this would be a good bet to go with. That being said, you could also go with any other environment you can think of.
What would you like to create for a background?
We created a typical version of this incredible animal for this jaguar sketch, but they actually come in different variations. For example, you can get a black jaguar that has stunning all-black fur.
You could easily turn this jaguar into that variation if you like it! What are some other jaguar types you could turn this one into?
Continuing from the last step, we also encourage you to play around with various art tools and mediums as you color your creation. For example, if you were to color this to be a black jaguar, you might want to use darker mediums like acrylic paint.
For a more classic look, you could use softer mediums like watercolors to create a more subtle look for the colors.
The way you present an artwork can really finish it off nicely. The same can be true for your jaguar drawing!
For example, you could draw it on some nice cardboard and then frame it for a cool picture to display. Or, you could fold over the page and use it as a card for someone’s birthday.
These are a few ideas but what else can you think of?
Your Jaguar Drawing is Complete!
You should be very proud of yourself for completing this guide on how to draw a jaguar!
This more intricate drawing required a lot of patience and care, but it was all worth it now that you have this incredible picture in front of you.
We hope that this guide made it easy and fun for you to complete this drawing.
Now that you have learned to draw this big cat, you can continue the fun with some extra touches!
You could create a background, add some more animals to the picture or experiment with some amazing art mediums. We can’t wait to see what you do!
Our website is full of many more drawing guides for all tastes and skill levels, so we hope you will join in the fun there!
We would also love to see your awesome jaguar drawing, so please do share it on our Facebook and Pinterest pages for us to admire! We look forward to seeing how you completed this drawing.
