A cheetah is drawn as a long low body with a small round head, then the spots and the two dark tear lines running from the eyes are added last. Fourteen steps.
Cheetahs are seriously awesome with their sleek bodies and lightning-fast speeds reaching up to 70 miles per hour in just a few seconds – that’s faster than most sports cars, can you believe it? Plus, their spotted fur helps them blend into their surroundings while hunting prey like gazelles and impalas.
Cheetahs have good eyesight to spot potential meals from far away. They are also known for their incredible hunting techniques. Being the fastest land mammal on Earth is no joke, but these gangly creatures make it look effortless. Unfortunately, cheetah populations are declining due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.
Before you learn how to draw a cheetah, try coloring our collection of magnificent Cheetah Coloring Pages and get familiar with this speedy animal!
Now, let’s get started on drawing and bring cheetah to life on paper!
How To Draw A Cheetah (For Kids)
Follow along to learn and see how to draw a Cheetah. It's so simple and you'll be amazed at how realistic it looks. Make any changes you want to make it your own.
Materials
- 1 Sheet Paper, White
- 1 Marker, Black
- 1 Pack Crayons
Instructions
The first thing that you should start with are the eyes of your cheetah. Start with an oval shaped circle. Inside your small circle, draw a line from the top inner wall, until it reaches the bottom wall of your small circle. Draw a circle that's the size of the pea on the top inner wall of your line that you've just drawn. Draw another smaller circle just below this one. Then draw a small line that curves inwards from the bottom, outer wall of your pea-sized circle. It should curl inwards and reach the smallest circle on its tail. When you're done, you should have something that looks like an eye.
Move on to the second eye of your cheetah. Draw another oval shaped circle. Draw a circle inside this oval shape. Draw two small circles inside this circle that you've just drawn. Then use your marker to draw a line that connects your two smaller inner circles. By now, you should have two eyes.
Move your marker above the first eye that you drew. Draw an arched line to represent an eyebrow. Then move on to the other eye and repeat drawing the same arched line.
Move to the bottom of your eyes. In the small space between them, draw an upside down triangle. Draw a line from the bottom of your left eye to connect it to the angle. Move past where the angle connects with your new line and draw this line around to curve inwards and the tip of your upside down triangle. Move the line to curve towards the right eye. It should connect your cheetah's nose with the two eyes.
Move below the nose. Draw a concave half circle that runs from the one half of your nose to the other half. Then draw a middle line to separate this half circle that you've just drawn. Then move up to the starting point of your nose. You should draw a downward line that's curvy and goes around the concave half circle that you've just drawn. You should start seeing the features of your cheetah's face more clearly now.
Move to the left halfway point on your drawn out figure. Draw a curved line upwards that moves slightly inwards at the bottom of the left eye and then out again. You should keep drawing your line until it reaches a point that's parallel to the right arched line that you drew in step 3. Go back to the outer line that curves inwards in your cheetah's left eye. From there, draw a curved line upwards that will curve downwards above the outer line. It should meet the outer line directly above your right eyebrow. Draw the same line inside this one that you've drawn. It should look like an ear with a wider outer canal.
Go back to your incomplete line from step 6 that stopped parallel to your right arched line. Use this point to draw a slightly sharp curve inwards, then move the marker upwards to draw half a convex circle.This circle should stop parallel on the side of your cheetah's right eye. Draw another half circle with a slightly sharp curve inwards inside this circle that you've just drawn. Draw a line inside to connect the inner and outer half circles at the bottom. Finish drawing your outer line until it reaches the halfway point on the right-hand side of your cheetah's face. Now, your cheetah should have a face with eyes, eyebrows, a nose, mouth, ears, and a head.
On the bottom right side of your outer layer, draw a line that slightly moves down and pushes outward again until it reaches the bottom for the foot. Move this line up to draw the back leg of your cheetah.
Below the foot draw a simple paw with two lines inside. Then draw two horizontal lines that are parallel from the back leg towards the center of where your cheetah's body will be. Then draw a vertical line above the top horizontal line. This vertical line should connect your two horizontal lines. When it's aligned with the back leg, move it slightly left and then back up again just above where it started.
Draw another paw on the front leg. Separate your paw with two inner lines. Draw another leg from the bottom horizontal line.Make this line a boomerang shape on both sides. Then draw another paw that's separated by two inner lines.
Move to the chin area of your cheetah. Draw a curved vertical line. It should be adjacent to the front leg. Connect the legs together, and then draw a paw with two inner lines. Draw a sloped line between your curved vertical line and your front, right leg.
Move to the back leg. Draw a line downwards until it curves slightly outwards at the end and move it back up again to the parallel starting point. This is your tail. Draw a line pattern inside the bottom of your tail. Move to the top inner part of your left ear, draw an arched line. Repeat this to the right ear.
Draw small half circles on the edges of the head of your cheetah. Then draw small circles all over your cheetah's face avoiding the eyes and mouth. Draw half circles on the edges of the bottom part of the face. Draw four small circles on the front.
Draw these circles on the rest of the body. Make them half circles on the edges of the body.
Notes
If you follow this step-by-step guide, you'll master drawing a cheetah in no time.
Make it easier for a younger child
Draw the head only and add the spots and tear lines. The tear stripes are the feature that separates a cheetah from any other big cat, and they sit entirely on the face.
Turn it into a cute cartoon cheetah
Enlarge the head, shorten the muzzle, and make the eyes big and round with the tear lines curving under them. Keep the spots large and few rather than small and many.
Use the finished outline for tracing and colouring
Ink the outline and leave the spots off — the blank body is then a colouring sheet where the child places the spots themselves.
Questions parents ask about drawing a cheetah
How many steps is it, and can we stop partway?
It is 14 steps, and they are meant to be stopped partway. Each step adds one shape to a drawing that already looks like something, so a drawing put down after the main body shape is still a finished picture rather than an abandoned one.
What supplies do we need?
A pencil, an eraser and paper. The eraser does more work than the pencil here — several steps put down a guide shape and rub it out once the real line is drawn, so start light.
Which step is hardest when drawing a cheetah?
The tear lines. They start at the inner corner of each eye and curve down the muzzle, and drawing them straight or starting them too far out is what makes the cheetah read as an ordinary cat.
Should we use pencil, or go straight in with crayons?
A pencil first, then colour over the finished lines. Crayon and marker cannot be erased, so a guide shape drawn in marker stays in the picture. If you would rather skip the drawing and go straight to colouring, our Cheetah Coloring Pages are already drawn and ready to print.
Free printable · ages 3-8
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