In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Jaguar in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represents how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Jaguar.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Jaguar - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: First draw the head, mouth and snout. Draw a bumpy crooked "U" shape. Make the jaw a separate line along the very bottom of the snout.
Step 2: At the end of the snout add a round nose. Just behind the nose add a round eye.
Step 3: Starting at the top line of the snout draw a short triangular ear. Draw the triangular tip of the second ear just on top of the snout line. Draw a straight line back from the snout to make the back of the neck.
Step 4: Continue the neck line to make the back line. It curves slightly up and then back down again at the rump.
Step 5: Draw the front of the neck at a diagonal down from the bottom snout line. Continue down to make the front leg. Make the top wide. Don't forget to make a paw on the bottom. Draw the leg back up almost to the back line with a slight bump about halfway up.
Step 6: Starting from the little bump in the leg line draw the belly line back into the hind leg. The top of the hind leg curves down to the right just above the back paw. Make the back of the leg line slightly bent going back up toward the rump line.
Step 7: Between the rump line and the top of the hind leg line draw two lines to make the long, thick tail. Finally, add another front leg just in front of the first front leg. Add another hind leg just behind the first hind leg. There is no paw, just a line for the back of the leg.
Interesting Facts about Jaguars
Jaguars are big cats, or felines, and are part of the Panthera family of cats, along with the leopard, lion and tiger, that is between six and 10 million years old.
Jaguars commonly lived in areas of the Southern United States and Mexico, as well as Central America, Paraguay and north Argentina, but have not been seen in the US since early in the 20th century.
Did you know?
- Jaguars resemble the leopard, bur are usually more stout and larger.
- Large male jaguars have weighed as much as 350 pounds; about the same weight as a lioness or tigress.
- The jaguar is primarily a loner, with the exception of a mother and her cubs.
- Jaguars can roar like other big cats.
- A jaguar will mark its territory with urine, feces and scraping trees.
- Jaguars are strictly meat eaters that have a preference for large prey.
- The jaguar will stalk and ambush its prey, rather than chase it down.
In pre-Columbian times, the jaguar was a long-held symbol of strength and power, as a protector, ruler, warrior and companion in the spiritual world. Today, populations of jaguars are quickly declining.