How to Draw the Olympic Mishka

We have prepared a rather unusual lesson for you, which will teach you how to draw the Olympic Mishka, which translates as the Olympic Bear.

In one of the previous lessons, we already learned how to draw a Matryoshka – one of the most well-known symbols associated with Slavic cultures – and we also learned how to draw Cheburashka, another popular character from Eastern Europe of the 20th century.

Many of our readers liked those lessons, and they asked us to draw the symbol of the 1980 Olympic Games. In 1977, the Olympic Games Organizing Committee announced a competition for the best bear design for the upcoming Games in 1980.

And, as you understand, it was this image of the Olympic bear that won the competition. It was a smiling bear standing on two legs and wearing a belt with the Olympic rings.

How to draw the Olympic Mishka step by step

Step 1: Sketch the Mishka head shape

First of all draw a flattened oval. This oval should be slightly flattened at the bottom. This will be the head of the Olympic bear. And as in our previous drawing tutorials, we want to notice, that in the first steps you should try to not press down too hard on the pencil.

Step 2: Sketch the horizontal guideline for the eyes

Now outline a horizontal line at the top of the oval. This line should be located abode the center and will help you to draw the eyes of the Olympic bear. This line should also be drawn with minimal pressing on a pencil.

Step 3: Draw the Olympic Mishka oval eyes

Outline the eyes using simple, curved lines using the markings from the previous step, trying to locate them in the center of the face. Note that the eyes should be symmetrical and have the same shape.

Step 4: Mark the circular muzzle below the eyes

Now, just below the eye line, draw a simple oval for the muzzle. This oval will later house the mascot’s nose and mouth. Try to depict this detail of the bear’s face symmetrically in the center of the face.

Step 5: Sketch the pair of large round ears

Now illustrate the ears of the Olympic bear as two large circles. They should be placed above the eyes at about the same distance from each other.

Step 6: Draw the torso of the Olympic Mishka

We are at the middle of the Olympic Mishka drawing lesson. Draw the torso in the form of a large bean. The torso of the bear mascot should be slightly narrower and longer than the head.

Step 7: Sketch the oval arms of the bear

Now draw the arm of the Olympic bear as a couple of very simple ovals. Do not forget that you can always check the proportionality of your drawing by looking at it in a mirror or moving it away from you a short distance.

Step 8: Draw the Olympic Mishka rounded legs

To complete basic shape of the mascot, mark the legs. At this stage, the silhouette is almost ready, and in all subsequent steps, you will sketch the details of the Olympic bear.

Step 9: Detail the eyes and draw the pupils

Erase all guidelines from the head, draw pupils, and darken the shapes of the cartoon eyes. At this stage, you can start tracing your bear sketch with a liner or ink.

Step 10: Add the curved mouth and nose

Next, using a curved line draw the Mishka’s mouth, and using a simple oval draw the cartoon bear nose. This character is slowly starting to get his recognizable facial features.

Step 11: Trace the bear ears with dark lines

After that, using dark lines trace the ears, giving them a complete look. Then draw small semicircles inside the ears as shown in our example.

Step 12: Draw out the Olympic Mishka body

Erase all the guidelines of the body from the previous steps and draw a triangle on the chest. After that draw the claws on the limbs.

Step 13: Draw the Olympic belt with the rings

This will be the final stage of the lesson, and here you only need to draw the Olympic belt that our charming character is wearing. It consists of horizontal lines and iconic Olympic rings.

This was another lesson on drawing unusual characters that our readers asked us to illustrate, and in it we tried to recreate the look of a charismatic figure from the late 20th century.

This bear shares many features with classic animated bears – for example, the style used in our Winnie-the-Pooh drawing lesson – but it also has its own distinctive traits. A similar approach was used in our lesson on drawing a teddy bear.

It’s important to remember that all these characters are built on similar principles: segmented toy-like body parts (the head, torso, and limbs), simplified facial features, and minimalistic details on the body.

Once you understand these basic principles, you’ll be able to create your own mascot or cartoon-style character.