How to Draw a Cheetah (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)
To draw a cheetah, start with a round head and two round ears. Add a sitting body, legs and a long tail that wraps around the front. Finish with a happy face, tear marks and lots of spots.
- Steps
- 8 easy steps
- You need
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Black marker
- Yellow, cream, brown and black crayons
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Teaching this to a class?
Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.
How to draw a cheetah step by step
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Step 1 of 8: Draw a round head with two round ears on top. Add a curved line inside each ear.
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Step 2 of 8: Draw a sitting body with a curved back, a straight chest, a curl for the back leg and a round foot.
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Step 3 of 8: Add two long front legs with toe lines on the paws. Erase the old round foot under them.
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Step 4 of 8: Make the back leg curl bigger. Add a back paw with toe lines next to the front legs.
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Step 5 of 8: Draw a long tail that wraps around the front of the body and curls up at the end.
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Step 6 of 8: Add eyes, a nose, a smile and tear marks. Draw small circles on the back, one leg and the tail.
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Step 7 of 8: Draw more small circle spots on the head, cheek, hip, chest, legs and tail.
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Step 8 of 8: Color the body yellow, spots black and nose brown. Color inner ears, muzzle, chest and paws cream.
Tips for little artists
Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.
Tip: Keep the spots small and spread them out so the cheetah does not look like one dark blob.
Tip: Draw the tear marks from the bottom of each eye down the cheek, next to the muzzle.
Make it yours
Cheetah in the grass
Draw tall grass around your cheetah and a round sun in the sky.
Running cheetah
Stretch the body long and draw the legs reaching out in front and behind.
Cheetah cub
Draw a smaller head and body next to your cheetah for a baby cheetah.
Common mistakes and easy fixes
The cheetah looks like a bear
Add the long tail, the dark tear marks and lots of spots.
The spots look messy
Draw small circles first, then fill them in with black.
The legs look too short
Draw the front legs long and straight from the chest down to the ground.
Fun facts about the cheetah
The dark tear marks under a cheetah's eyes may help it hunt by cutting down the sun's glare. (Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo)
Each cheetah's black spots are arranged in a unique pattern that helps the animals identify one another. (Source: National Geographic Kids)
A cheetah's long tail acts as a rudder to help it keep its direction while running. (Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
Questions grown-ups ask
How to draw a cheetah easy?
Start with a round head and two round ears. Add a sitting body, legs, a long tail, a face and spots one part at a time.
How to draw a cheetah for kids?
Follow the 8 steps above, one new part in each step. Print the step sheet and draw your cheetah in the Your turn box.
How to draw a cheetah face?
Draw two round eyes with a shine, a small nose and a smile. Then add a dark tear mark from each eye down the cheek.
If your cheetah has more spots or fewer spots, that's fine. Every cheetah has its own pattern. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.