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

To draw a panda, start with a round head and two round ears. Add oval eye patches, a nose and a smile, then a round body. Finish with arms holding bamboo and two big feet with paw pads.

Finished cartoon panda sitting, white with black ears, eye patches, arms and legs, pink cheeks and a green bamboo stalk
The finished panda
Steps
6 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Black, green 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 panda step by step

  1. A wide round head with two round ears on top

    Step 1 of 6: Draw a wide round head with two round ears on top.

  2. Two tilted oval eye patches with dot eyes, a small rounded nose and a smile

    Step 2 of 6: Add two tilted oval eye patches with dot eyes, a small nose and a smile.

  3. A big round body under the head

    Step 3 of 6: Draw a big round body under the head.

  4. Two arms hugging a bamboo stalk with two leaves across the front of the body

    Step 4 of 6: Add two arms hugging a bamboo stalk with two leaves.

  5. Two big round feet at the bottom of the body, each with one big pad and three toe pads

    Step 5 of 6: Draw two big round feet at the bottom, each with one big pad and three toe pads.

  6. The panda colored with black ears, eye patches, arms and legs, white paw pads, pink cheeks and green bamboo

    Step 6 of 6: Color the ears, eye patches, arms and legs black and the bamboo green. Add pink cheeks.

Tips for little artists

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

  • Tip: Lean the top of each eye patch in toward the middle of the face. The bottoms point out toward the cheeks.

  • Tip: Leave the paw pads white when you color the legs black, so they still show.

Make it yours

  • Baby panda

    Make the head bigger and the body smaller, and skip the bamboo.

  • Panda in a tree

    Draw a thick branch under the panda and a few leaves around it.

  • Red panda

    Color the fur reddish brown and leave the muzzle white. Then add a long tail with stripes.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • The eye patches look like glasses

    Lean the top of each patch in toward the middle of the face, and keep a gap between the two patches.

  • The bamboo floats

    Draw the arms first, then run the bamboo stalk under the arms so the paws hold it.

  • The panda is all black

    Color only the ears, eye patches, arms and legs black. Leave the face and belly white.

Fun facts about the panda

  • Giant pandas have black fur on their ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs and shoulders. The rest of the coat is white. (Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

  • A panda needs to eat 70 to 100 pounds of bamboo each day. Finding and eating that much food takes 10 to 16 hours a day. (Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

  • A panda usually eats while sitting upright, with its front paws free to grab bamboo stems. (Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

Questions grown-ups ask

How to make a simple panda?

Draw a round head with two ears, two eye patches and a round body. Add arms, bamboo and two feet. The 6 steps above follow that order.

How to draw pandas for beginners?

Use circles and ovals: a circle for the head, ovals for the eye patches and a round body. Color the ears, patches, arms and legs black.

How to draw a cute panda easy?

Give it big tilted eye patches, a small smile and pink cheeks. Round feet with paw pads finish the cute look.

If your eye patches came out different sizes, that's fine. Your panda has its own face. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 6

A wide round head with two round ears on top
Draw a wide round head with two round ears on top.