How to Draw a Lion (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)

To draw a lion, start with a round head and a big bumpy mane around it. Add round ears, eyes, a nose, a smile and whisker dots. Finish with a sitting body and a tail with a fluffy tuft.

Finished cartoon lion sitting, golden yellow with an orange mane and tail tuft, a brown nose, pink cheeks and pink inner ears
The finished lion
Steps
6 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Yellow, orange, brown and pink crayons

Updated

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 lion step by step

  1. A round circle for the lion's head

    Step 1 of 6: Draw a round circle for the head.

  2. A big bumpy mane drawn all around the head

    Step 2 of 6: Add a big bumpy mane all the way around the head.

  3. Two round ears, two round eyes with a shine dot, a triangle nose, a smile and three whisker dots on each cheek

    Step 3 of 6: Draw two round ears, two shiny eyes, a triangle nose, a smile and three whisker dots per cheek.

  4. A sitting body under the mane with two front legs, two round back legs and four paws with toe lines

    Step 4 of 6: Add a sitting body under the mane with two front legs, two back legs and round paws.

  5. A long tail curving up on one side with a fluffy pointed tuft at the end

    Step 5 of 6: Draw a long tail curving up on one side with a fluffy tuft at the end.

  6. The lion colored golden yellow with an orange mane and tail tuft, a brown nose, pink cheeks and pink inner ears

    Step 6 of 6: Color the lion yellow, the mane and tuft orange, the nose brown and the cheeks and inner ears pink.

Tips for little artists

  • Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.

  • Tip: Draw the mane as a ring of round bumps that are all about the same size. It looks fluffy that way.

  • Tip: Draw the ears inside the mane, tucked behind the top of the head circle.

Make it yours

  • Lion cub

    Skip the mane and make the head and paws bigger for a baby lion.

  • Rainbow mane

    Color each bump of the mane a different color, from red to purple.

  • Roaring lion

    Draw the mouth as a wide open oval with two small pointed teeth on top.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • The mane looks like a sun

    Use round bumps, not pointed spikes. Round bumps look like soft fur.

  • The face is too small

    Make the head circle fill most of the mane. Leave only a band of mane around it.

  • The tail comes out of the head

    Start the tail at the bottom of the body, behind one back leg, then curve it up.

Fun facts about the lion

Questions grown-ups ask

How do you draw a lion easy?

Draw a circle for the head and a bumpy mane around it. Add a face, a sitting body and a tail. The 6 steps above follow that order.

How do you draw a lion for kids?

Give it a big round head, dot eyes, a small triangle nose and a smile. Pink cheeks and round paws finish the cute look.

How do you draw a lion step by step?

Start with the head, then the mane, the face, the body and legs, and the tail. Color the mane orange and the body yellow last.

If your mane came out a little uneven, that's fine. It looks windblown. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 6

A round circle for the lion's head
Draw a round circle for the head.