With only around 1500 animals left in the wild, the panda is one of our most endangered animals. These curious little creatures are famous for their love of bamboo, and enjoy a quiet, peaceful life high in the misty mountains of southwest Asia. They live for around 20 years, but in recent years their numbers have sadly been in decline due to the destruction of their natural habitat. They are super shy, preferring to keep their distance from humans where possible, and so getting to see one is a real treat.
If you have not yet been lucky enough to see your own real life panda, have no fear – we have the steps to draw your own version, and help you to celebrate these wonderful creatures in all their adorable glory!
Drawing Tutorial Video
Step-By-Step Instructions
1.
Get a blank sheet of paper and a black liner. Begin your panda around an inch (1.3 cm) from the top of your page, and roughly two and a half inches (6.35 cm) from the left hand side. We will start with a small, upside down triangle shape – this doesn’t have to be perfect.
2.
Move to the point of your upside down triangle, and draw a very small line, heading straight down – this is the start of your panda’s nose.
3.
Next, add two very small circles above your upside down triangle, with one on each side. We will soon turn these into the eyes of your panda.
4.
Bisect the two small circles with a diagonal line in each, heading from the top left to the bottom right, at roughly a 45 degree angle.
5.
Next, draw two large circular shapes around the circles you just drew, leaving plenty of space. These do not have to be perfect ovals – they will form the distinctive white eye patches of your panda, so they can be unique shapes.
6.
Add more details to the eyes by returning to the small inner circles, and drawing a crescent shape around the outside of each – this does not have to go all the way around, but should start and finish on one side, like a crescent moon.
7.
Return to the small, vertical line beneath the nose, and add a curved line, with the ends heading downwards, just below.
8.
Now, add an outline to the shapes you have created so far; start at the bottom right hand side, and curve your line up, across and over in a circular shape. Remember to add a few jagged edges and details to show the furry coat of your pandas face.
9.
Pop on some ears by adding a small half circle to either side of the top of the head.
10.
Now for the all-important bamboo – return to the mouth you created with the downward curve, and draw two long, parallel lines coming from here, and heading straight down. They should be jagged and bumpy, with evenly places “spikes”, and joined at the bottom with a horizontal line.
11.
Add detail with a series of small, horizontal lines heading across in a slight curve – this should “join” the spikey sides together. This is the stem of the bamboo.
12.
Now add a few shoots and leaves to the top left hand side of the stem…
13.
And another bunch on the bottom right hand side.
14.
Now for the arms! Start on the right hand side, below the face, and draw a curved line heading out to the right, down and across to meet the bamboo stalk. Next, add another, shorter curved line just inside this one, and finish with some bumpy fingers to join the two lines together.
15.
Repeat this to draw an arm on the other side; this time start on the left hand side under the chin, extend a curved line out and down, and then fill in the details.
16.
Draw a slightly curved, horizontal line at the top of the inside lines, to join the tops of the two arms together.
17.
Add two vertical lines, one on either side, curving down from below the arms, and ending with two circles – again – one on each side – for the feet of your panda.
18.
Draw the feet of your panda.
19.
Add a horizontal line to join the two sides together at the bottom.
20.
Return to the feet, and add two smaller circles inside the outlines…
21.
And then join the feet together with a curved line to connect the two sides. Do not let the line cross the bamboo stalk – skip over this, and continue on the other side.
22.
Now for color! Fill in the ears with a bold black pen…
23.
And do the same for those distinctive panda eye patches!
24.
Now add a black to the shoulders and arms of your panda…
25.
As well as the legs and feet – leave the inside circles white for effect.
26.
Now, add a splash of green to the bamboo and stalks with a green pen, and get ready to enjoy your new panda!
Congratulations; you have your own stunning panda, snacking on some delicious bamboo! Now you are free to create a range of landscapes, stories and situations for this amazing creature – perhaps you could use your newfound artistic skills to draw attention to their plight, raise awareness, and celebrate these adorable, shy creatures? Happy drawing!
