Realistic tigers are great but a cartoon tiger will please any child.
Drawing tigers can range from wildlife appreciation by the expert to cartoon fun for children. Drawing tigers can lead children to other art pursuits such as sketching other animals, backgrounds or fantasy creatures. With some simple guidance, a child can learn create their own big cat and finds hours of joy at their own creation. At the same time, an adult can learn to provide fun art for kids.
Instructions
1. Create basic structure. The basic structure can be created by creating two round circles side by side. Leave enough space between them so the cat's body fill in the gap. Consider make the circles large enough that details such as facial structure, whiskers, teeth and other features can be worked on. If the paper is large enough, making the circles 2 inches in diameter with 5 inches between them.
2. Connect the parts of the tiger. Sketch lines between the tops and the bottoms of the circles. At this stage, the tiger will look similar to a pair of reading glasses. With this being a kid-friendly tiger, the body can be plumper than a real tiger's more muscular form. Also, the lines connecting the head to the rear of the tiger can be sketched and jagged rather than single lines. The multiple stroke style on each line will make the drawing more animated.
3. Draw the head. Draw two triangles on the corners of the head for the ears. Sketch the jaws of the mouth by using an upper case U and a W for the bottoms and tops of the mouth. Beneath the head, draw the front two legs of the tiger. Legs can be short and stubby or even bowlegged to accent the more cartoon nature of the animal.
4. Begin the body. The body of a real tiger is lean and has short fur. For cartoon purposes, consider over accenting the fur and the stripes. Once again, using a pudgy and chubby approach to the animal will make it more kid friendly and entertaining. Tiger stripes on a more realistic depiction will be thin and patterned along its body. For this drawing, make fewer stripes but thicken them considerably making them more noticeable and attractive to the eye.
5. Add definition. With the majority of the tiger drawn, additional details can be added. Whiskers, eyes, teeth and a tongue can be placed on the tiger. Large eyes with a human iris as opposed to the slit cat iris of a real tiger will lend the drawing to a cartoon style. The length of the whiskers can be exaggerated. While a tiger's tongue only hangs out while it is panting, this cartoon tiger can have its tongue dangling out in the drawing all the time.
