How to Draw a Teddy Bear

In this step-by-step lesson, we will show you how to draw a teddy bear, one of the most popular toys of the twentieth century.

The name Teddy Bear is closely associated with Theodore Roosevelt, but this story is probably already familiar to everyone, so we won’t go into it here.

Instead, we’ll point out that in this Teddy Bear drawing lesson, we provide a very useful foundation for creating images of toys of this type.

Any such toy is built from several main segments: the head, torso, arms, and legs. These are the core elements that need to be established in any Teddy Bear drawing. After that, you can add smaller details as you see fit.

In this lesson, show in detail the entire process of creating the basic structure of a Teddy Bear, and we will also demonstrate how and which details should be added to achieve the most authentic appearance.

Step 1: Sketch the bear head shape

As mentioned at the very beginning, the Teddy Bear figure consists of several segments, and you should start with the top one – the head. To do this, sketch a large oval or circle in the upper part of the page, setting its tilt and position.

Step 2: Sketch the torso of the toy

Continuing the basic Teddy Bear figure, sketch the torso as an elongated oval directly below the head. Plush bears can have very different body proportions, so you can make the torso shorter or longer, wider or narrower. At this stage, you also establish the overall placement and tilt of this part of the body.

Step 3: Mark the facial alignment lines

In addition to the main basic shapes, a Teddy Bear also includes details, first of all the facial features. To place these features correctly, you need to mark the facial symmetry guidelines. Start by drawing a vertical line running straight through the center of the face. Then add a horizontal line that crosses it around the bridge of the nose.

Step 4: Draw the ears of the Teddy bear

Now it’s time to start sketching the details of the head, still using very light lines. In the upper part, outline the ears as two semicircles placed on the left and right. Check the symmetry and try to make sure the ears are the same size and shape.

Step 5: Sketch toy bear’s arms

Now let’s return to the main segments, starting with the upper limbs. The Teddy Bear’s arms are drawn as two elongated ovals. In our example, only one arm is clearly visible, while the other is hidden behind the body. You can repeat this pose or draw both arms fully visible.

Step 6: Draw the legs of the Teddy bear

The lower limbs of the Teddy Bear are also similar to elongated ovals, but with wider shapes at the bottom to indicate the feet. Lightly sketch both legs using smooth lines, showing their pose. As with the arms, you can change their position to give the drawing a more unique look.

Step 7: Sketch the facial features lightly

Now return to the head of the toy and draw the Teddy Bear’s face, still using only very light lines. Using the symmetry guidelines, sketch the closed eyes as two curved lines. Then outline the rounded shape of the muzzle and draw the nose in its upper part. On the upper part of the head, on the forehead, sketch a square or diamond-shaped patch.

Step 8: Draw the face of the Teddy bear in detail

From this step on, use clearer, darker lines to gradually give the Teddy Bear drawing a more finished look. Smoothly refine the outlines of the eyes and muzzle, making them softer and cleaner, while gradually erasing all construction lines in this area. Above the eyes, add the eyebrows as two short strokes.

Step 9: Refine the head of the toy

Now refine the outline of the head, also using smoother and more confident lines. Give the ears a more finished, clean appearance, erasing all remaining construction lines from the head. After that, draw the seams or add detail to the patch that was outlined in one of the earlier steps.

Step 10: Detail the torso of the toy

Now move on to the torso and, using similar smooth, final lines, carefully trace its outline while gradually erasing the unnecessary construction lines in this area. After that, draw a long vertical seam in the center of the Teddy Bear’s belly and add a small patch on the side.

Step 11: Trace the legs and erase the guidelines

Check the overall symmetry of your Teddy Bear drawing and try to find and correct any mistakes. Then trace the upper parts of the arms with smoother lines, keeping symmetry in mind. Adjust the shapes and outlines if necessary. After that, sketch the flower in the bear’s hand by using a long line for the stem and a small circle for the center.

Step 12: Complete the toy bear sketch

Now carefully draw the visible paw and smoothly begin drawing the flower in more detail. Give the stem a thicker shape. Then gradually draw all the petals radiating around the central part. After that, neatly outline the legs of the Teddy Bear and add additional seams and patches.

Step 13: Shade the Teddy bear drawing

You can leave your Teddy Bear drawing as it is at the previous step, or add classic academic shading for a more three-dimensional effect. To draw such shading, first mark the shadow edges that follow the shadow core. Then add even, smooth hatching to fill the inner areas of the shadows.

As mentioned at the very beginning, the teddy bear is the most popular toy of the twentieth century, but it is not the only one of its kind.

Many characters were inspired by this famous image and are based on essentially the same basic drawing approach.

For this reason, you can move on to our Winnie the Pooh drawing lesson and learn how to draw another classic plush bear character.

If you’d like to draw a different popular toy instead, visit our Barbie drawing lesson, where we use slightly different principles and shapes.

In any case, be sure to subscribe and check out our Objects category, where we also show how to draw many other well-known and beloved dolls and toys.