How to Draw a Tiger

This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to draw a tiger – the largest member of the cat family – in a realistic style.

A tiger, like any member of the cat family, has distinctive traits that connect it to other felines. But drawing a tiger also comes with several key specifics that are important to understand.

The first and most obvious one is its striped fur texture – a defining feature that we’ll cover in the later steps of the lesson.

Another is the proportions of the face and body, which aren’t always obvious at first glance, but when handled correctly, they make the tiger look much more authentic.

In this tutorial, we’ll explain all of these points in detail and show you how to draw a tiger as realistically and accurately as possible.

How to draw a tiger step by step

Step 1: Block in the overall big cat form

In this lesson, we’ll draw a tiger by starting with the overall shapes and gradually moving toward more detailed forms until we create a complete, realistic drawing. Begin by laying in the basic shapes to establish the animal’s placement on the paper. Use very light, barely visible lines, without adding any details yet – only mark the general boundaries.

Step 2: Draw the head and front legs of the tiger

Now start adding the largest details and forms, beginning with the front part of the animal. Using the same light, generalized lines, sketch the outline of the tiger head. Then indicate the front legs, still avoiding any detailed work. Unlike smaller cats, a tiger’s legs should appear more massive and powerful.

Step 3: Sketch the big cat’s hind legs and tail

Now do the same with the back part of the body. With light lines, indicate the curve of the back and torso, flowing smoothly into the tail. Then draw in the hind legs of the tiger following the example of the front ones. The tail, like the hind legs, should be very massive and noticeably thicker than those of domestic cats and even lions.

Step 4: Add the head construction lines

Now let’s add the construction lines for drawing the tiger’s head. Using light, smooth lines, mark the placement of the muzzle, slightly separating it from the rest of the head. Next, sketch the rounded ears on the head. With a short horizontal line, indicate the position of the eyes, which you’ll draw in one of the next steps.

Step 5: Draw the tiger eyes and muzzle

So, the basic shapes and construction lines are complete. Starting from this step, begin using clearer, more final lines. Begin with the head and carefully draw the tiger eyes along the horizontal guideline from the previous step. Then add the nose and outline the mouth. A distinctive feature of a tiger is its relatively small eyes and a more elongated muzzle compared to domestic cats.

Step 6: Sketch the ears and fur edges

Now, using smooth lines, draw the tiger’s ears more clearly and with greater detail. Indicate the fur on the inner part of the ears. Along the sides of the head, sketch the characteristic fluffy fur with short, soft strokes. Another distinctive feature of a tiger is that its ears are more rounded than those of domestic cats, whose ears tend to have a more triangular shape.

Step 7: Refine the big cat’s face and add pupils

Now return to the face to finalize this part. Using smooth, clean lines, draw the small pupils inside the eyes of the tiger. Refine the outline of the head and draw the chin using short, soft strokes to convey the texture of the fur. Review the head carefully and, if you notice any inaccuracies, correct them at this stage.

Step 8: Smooth the body outlines and add the toes

Now add smaller details to the forms you sketched earlier. Refine the outline of the neck and torso, making the shapes smoother and continuously adjusting them. Give the legs and tail a more fluid shape, and indicate the toes on the paws using simple, generalized forms.

Step 9: Trace the tiger’s front legs and paws

Now it’s time to give the tiger’s body a more finished look, starting with the front part. Using final, smoother, and more confident lines, draw the neck as it transitions into the torso. Then carefully outline the legs and toes with clean, flowing lines. Massive paws with large toes are another characteristic feature of a tiger that distinguishes it from domestic cats and most other members of the cat family. Add short strokes where needed to represent the texture of the fur.

Step 10: Draw the torso and tail in detail

Now repeat the same steps with the back part of the tiger’s body. Continue the lines from the previous stage, smoothly drawing the torso and tail, and then refine them into a finished, flowing form. To make the tiger’s belly look more convincing, use short, smooth strokes to convey the texture of the fur in this area.

Draw the torso and tail of the tiger in detail

Step 11: Draw the hind legs of the tiger in detail

Outline the toes and add fur texture where needed. The upper part of the hind legs should be noticeably more massive than the front ones – this is a characteristic feature of quadrupedal mammals. Compare the proportions of all parts of the body, paying special attention to the limbs, to make sure they are accurate and authentic.

Step 12: Erase the construction lines

Now take an eraser and carefully remove all the construction lines that were drawn in the very first stages of this tiger drawing lesson. As you erase these lines, correct any inaccuracies in details and proportions, trying not to focus on just one area but working on all parts gradually and evenly.

Erase the construction lines from the tiger body

Step 13: Add stripes to the head

Now let’s move on to the most distinctive part of the tiger – its striped fur texture. Start with the head and use short, crosswise strokes to indicate each stripe. First, draw the pattern on the forehead using very small, short, symmetrical stripes. Then add the stripes on the cheeks, following a gentle semicircular direction.

Step 14: Draw the tiger whiskers

Step 15: Add stripes to the neck and front limbs

After finishing the striped texture on the head, move on to the torso and front limbs. As you work farther away from the head, use thicker stripes, making sure they follow the shape of the neck and body rather than appearing flat. Also pay attention to the curvature of the stripes, since it depends both on the form of the body and on the direction of the surface.

Step 16: Draw stripes on the back of the tiger

The stripes on the torso and tail are the most massive and noticeable. As you move closer to the back of the body, use progressively thicker stripes. Some of them split and then reconnect in this area, which should also be taken into account. Next, add the striped texture to the tail, where the stripes appear more even and band-like, similar to those you can see on a bumblebee.

Step 17: Add stripes to the hind legs

Finish drawing the striped texture on the tiger’s body by adding it to the upper part of the hind legs. In this area, the stripes are also fairly large and follow the contours of the body. As you move toward the middle sections of the legs, the stripes become thinner and lighter. On the inner sides of the legs, the striping should be minimal.

Step 18: Add shadows to the big cat

The tiger drawing is almost complete, and now it’s time to make it more three-dimensional and realistic. To do this, we’ll traditionally use a classic shading approach. First, determine the light source. You can place it anywhere you like; in our example, the light comes from above. Then, using smooth, classical hatching, apply shadows to the unlit areas of the big cat’s body.

Step 19: Check proportions and details of the animal

The tiger drawing is now complete – or almost complete – depending on what steps you choose to take next. Be sure to step back from the drawing and try viewing it in a mirror or rotating it in your hands to spot any remaining mistakes or inaccuracies. After that, you can leave the drawing as it is, or add more colors, shadows, midtones, and other nuances to increase the dynamic range of the composition and make the drawing even more three-dimensional.

In this tiger drawing lesson, we used a method that moves from general shapes to more specific details. The same approach was used in our lion drawing lesson, which focuses on another large member of the cat family.

This differs quite a bit from the method we used, for example, when drawing a domestic cat. In that case, we started with light geometric shapes, marking out the head, torso, and other parts, and then gradually added details, volume, and final forms.

These are just two possible methods that can be used to draw any animal, including different members of the cat family.

You can use either approach when drawing animals – study both options and choose the one that works best for you.

It’s also important to note that the stripes on a tiger’s body can be just as varied as human faces. This feature is what distinguishes individual animals from one another and allows them to recognize each other.

Because of this, you can use any stripe pattern you like; there’s no need to copy the exact one shown in this lesson. The key is to follow the basic principles discussed throughout the tutorial.

Finally, remember that drawing a tiger – and all its specific details – is based on the general fundamentals of animal drawing.

These principles are universal, and we explain them in detail in our Animals category. Be sure to study it if you want to learn how to draw other animals as well.