Panda Drawing – A Realistic Step-by-Step Drawing Tutorial
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Pandas are unique animals because of how seemingly simple their aesthetic qualities are. Panda drawings are distinct because they are fairly monochromatic in color, making a panda drawing an interesting exercise for representing texture. In this cute panda drawing tutorial, we will explore how to represent this animal realistically through a few simple steps. A panda drawing is also great for enhancing your understanding of specific features shared amongst other animals with similar qualities, such as fur. We also gain a good understanding of how to utilize shading and linework to represent shadow formations within these features, not just for a panda drawing, but for other furry animals as well.
Step-by-Step Guide on Drawing a Panda
We will start this cute panda drawing by shaping the panda with a light and simple sketch. We want to capture the shape and proportions as best we can before adding shading and detail. We will then slowly work with layering shading to capture the unique black and white fur coat of the panda. Slowly, we will work through building up these layers with more shading and linework. We will also use linework to represent the textural qualities of fur and to refine the more distinct features of the panda drawing. Now that we know what to expect, let us go through this tutorial on how to draw a panda.
Step 1: Shaping the Panda
We can start by forming the panda in its basic features. A good suggestion is to start with the head, this way we can scale the rest of the body accordingly.
We want to start placing the distinct shapes, from the eye patterns, and ears, to the shape of the body. A good suggestion is to work with a reference image to assist you in the drawing process.
We want to work with the pattern in the fur coat as a way of assisting our shaping of the panda drawing. Using these patterns can help us shape the different features of the panda. The panda also has these bones that protrude from the shoulder blades as it walks. This is something to note when shaping the backside of your panda.
The legs of a panda are quite simple in shape because they are quite densely covered with fur. This gives them a very rectangular structure and shape.
The panda is quite rounded in the body, this gives their stomach a very hanging quality. The hind legs are also very similar to the front legs, with a simple rectangular structure and rounded paws.
Step 2: Refining the Shape
We can now lightly erase our panda drawing, leaving behind some light ghost lines to assist us in refining the various features of the panda drawing. We now want to work quite slowly with some linework to bring a more realistic shape to the various features of the panda. We can follow the same process of starting with the head and going through the rest of the body.
Because pandas are quite fluffy in their fur coats, we can keep our lines fairly jagged and loose. By doing this we emulate the disheveled quality of the fur. Take your time working through the entire panda drawing, going through all the features of the body. The aim is to define the disheveled fur quality in the outline of the animal. As we work through the entire panda drawing, we can see how these little strokes of lines can effectively achieve a disheveled effect within the fur of the panda.
Step 3: Adding Some Light Shading
We can now proceed by building up layers of shading within the panda drawing. We want to work in some light shading where the dark fur would be positioned in the fur coat.
We want to slowly build up these shading layers within their correct areas in the fur coat.
We can also take this time to add shading to the patterns around the eyes. That being said, we can also take a moment to draw in the small circular eyes of the panda. The intention is to start working on shading into all the darker features of the panda, including the snout and ears. Take your time with keeping the shading within the right areas.
The panda also has these black furry areas in the hind legs, which merge into the white fur areas along the backside of the panda.
Step 4: Refining the Features
We can now start to emphasize the textural qualities and shape of various features. Again, a good suggestion is to start with the face because it has more unique features such as the eyes within the patterns on the face.
We can also apply a little more of a scribble motion and drawing technique to the darker fur areas within the legs. This is a great way to emphasize the disheveled fur qualities in the panda.
With the white areas, we can use moments of gray coloration and shading to suggest a slight shadowing and textural quality within the white fur. We can also add some highlights to the eyes as a way of shaping them. We want to be quite careful to not overpower the eyes with highlights, a good suggestion is to also use hints of brown to emphasize the form of the eye.
Step 5: Adding Details to the Panda
We can also start adding in more unique detailing, such as the red tongue of the panda. Take your time with this feature as it is one of the very few colored features in the animal.
We can also use linework with some brown and black colors to create a sense of merging between the dark and light parts of the fur. This is also a great way to represent texture and a sense of dirtiness in the panda’s fur.
Take a moment and spend some time on the head, adding in some light shading and linework to bring more shape and dimension to the different features.
We can also use linework to establish some highlights in the dark fur, this way we bring more shape and movement to the panda drawing. Linework is a great way to achieve both highlights and texture within a drawing. This is also helpful to distinguish features from one another, such as the face from the legs. This will emphasize the depth of field within various features.
We can also use some brown hues to create a more seamless integration between darker and lighter moments in the fur. This is good for areas like the dark ears in the panda sketch.
As you slowly work through the panda drawing, building up these layers of details with linework and shading, we can start to see how the panda becomes more realistic.
Take your time with the areas where dark and light fur intersect. This is where linework and shading are essential for creating that seamless integration or highlights in those areas.
And that is how to draw a panda through a few simple steps, done through a few easy-to-follow steps. Most importantly, take your time and enjoy the process
Tips and Tricks to Remember
- Work with simple shapes first. As a panda is quite fluffy and homogenous in shape, we want to take our time with defining the subtle differences in shapes within the various features.
- Refine the drawing from simple shapes. Once you have the shape of the panda drawing, you can then refine the animal with some shading and linework.
- Take your time with the colors, as there are very few colors in a panda drawing. They are mostly subtle moments to define a slightly dirty color in the white areas of the fur, or in the mouth, so make sure to apply them carefully.
- Take your time with the details and shading. Remember to work with layering your shading from lighter tones to darker tones for more control over the tonal values.
Learning how to draw a panda is a great exercise to undertake, because some aspects can be applied to other animals. This is particularly true for representing fur qualities through shading and linework. It’s also just a great exercise for understanding simple shapes, whilst maintaining a sense of depth and dimension.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Draw the Eyes of a Panda?
The eyes of a panda are generally small and circular, placed within their iconic dark pattern around the eye. This pattern gives the appearance of larger eyes and is said to serve as a mark of recognition between pandas. However, the actual eyes of pandas are quite small and circular, and are located in the center of these dark patterns on their faces. The eyes are also glossy on the surface, allowing them to reflect light. This means that we can emphasize their shape and form with highlights to represent this glossy surface.
How to Draw the Patterns Around the Eyes of a Panda?
The pattern around the eyes of a panda is quite circular, but takes on more of an irregular shape. This is because the pattern moves over the shape of the panda’s head, which distorts the shape around the snout. The patterns are placed on either side of the nose, which distinguishes the face. These patterns are also symmetrical in shape, so they have the same mirrored irregular shape on either side of the nose. They are larger than the eyes of the panda, but not large enough to cover a significant portion of either side of the face.
Matthew Matthysen is a multidisciplinary artist. He completed his fine art degree, majoring in History of Art and Contemporary Drawing Practice at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Before joining acrylgiessen In 2020, Matthew worked part-time as an art teacher at Reddford Blue Hills High school. Matthew creates drawing and painting tutorials for acrylgiessen and captures them not only photographically and in written form. He also records the creation of his works in his own creative studio as in video format, from which later with a voiceover and a video editor also drawing tutorials for the Youtube channel of acrylgiessen are created.
Learn more about Matthew Matthysen and about acrylgiessen.
