How to draw a...

Bison

Anteater

Cheetah

Kangaroo

Reproduced with permission from Draw Grassland Animals, copyright©1996 Douglas C. DuBosque

Giant Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla. South America. Size: 1.5 - 2 m. (4 - 6 ft). Inside that long snout is a long, sticky tongue which the anteater uses to lick up termites and ants. With its sharp claws, it rips open nests, and rapidly flicks its tongue in and out of its mouth to grab the insects. the anteater sleeps in the open, wrapping its hairy tail around its body to keep warm.

Draw three ovals, very lightly.

Add the snout to the smallest oval. Draw the eye and ear. Draw the graceful, curving line of the tail from the top of the biggest oval. Make pencil strokes for the hair on the tail.

Draw the curving fronts of the two front legs. Create short pencil strokes for the hair on the back of the front legs. Add the claws, curving underneath the feet. Draw hair on the bottom of the body. Add the back legs, and shade the distinctive dark area under the neck. Add the distinctive band of dark fur back from the neck.

Finish the drawing by adding short pencil strokes and shading on the body. Watch the direction of the lines! Leave the front legs lighter. Notice how shading can cover up the original ovals.

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Bison

Bison bison. orth America Size: 2.6 - 4.1 m including tail; up to 2.9 m (9.5 ft) high at shoulder. Bison live in herds, which used to number in the millions. Early European settlers slaughtered so many that they almost became extinct by the early 20th century. Bison are grazers.

Draw two ovals, almost circular. Make one much larger than the other. Draw a straight line for the back of the bison, and a curved and straight line for its belly.

At the middle of the larger oval, draw a smaller oval for the head. Add the triangular front part of the head, pointing downward. Draw the horn, eye, and nostril.

Using short pencil strokes, add fur to the head, neck, and back. Add the ear!

Before continuing with the fur, add the legs and tail. Draw the legs lightly, using small circles to emphasize the joints. Add a line for the ground. Notice that the front legs are mostly covered with fur. the rear legs, however, require careful attention to details!

Continue drawing the thick fur on the shoulder, back, and front legs. Lightly shade the rear portion of the bison. Thicken the cast shadow beneath the bison, Clean up any smudges with your eraser.

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Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus. Africa. Size: body 1.7 - 2.2 m (5.5 - 7 ft) including tail. the cheetah is the fastest big cat. It can run at 112 km/h (69.5 mph) for short sprints. the cheetah hunts hares, jackals, small antelopes, birds, and occasionally larger animals. After a quick chase, it knocks them down and kills them quickly by biting the throat.

Draw a small oval, almost straight up and down, for the shoulder. Lightly sketch another, tilted oval for the body, and yet another inside it. Make a small line connecting the tops of the first two ovals.

Draw a tilted oval for the head. Draw two light lines to connect it to the body. Add the tail. Draw lightly!

Look carefully at the angles of the rear leg. the leg goes straight down from the front of the 'inside' oval. Where is the bend, compared to the first oval? How far forward does the paw reach? Draw the rear leg.

Sketch the front leg, starting from the middle and the bottom of the shoulder oval. Look at the space between the legs as you draw, and notice how the front leg aligns with the rear paw.

On the chest and belly of the cheetah, add short pencil strokes for fur. Draw the other front leg. Draw the head, adding ears, and lines at the mouth and nose.

Add the triangular eye, with the cheetah's distinctive tear lines from the eye. Add bumps on the back at the shoulder and hip. Lightly erase oval lines you no longer need. Use the tail as a warmup for drawing spots (there are many more!).

Yikes! Lots of spots! Use short pencil strokes in the direction of the fur for shading. Take your time with shading and the spots. Sharpen your pencil. Sharpen outlines. Breathe deeply! Finally, clean up any smudges with your eraser.

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From the large oval, draw the tail, angling down toward the ground and then laying flat on it. Add the bit of the other leg that's visible, and begin the pouch where the joey (baby kangaroo) will peek its head out. Draw another very light oval for the shoulder, with lines connecting it to the rear part of the body.

Draw a light oval for the head. Add two lines for the neck. Draw the snout, with nose, mouth, and chin. Lightly draw the two ears, and the eye.

Starting at the shoulder, lightly draw the 'mechanics' of the arm, using light straight lines and ovals at the joints (of course you see more of the closer arm than the farther arm). Notice that you can see the claws on the farther arm, but on the closer arm you can't, because they're pointing away from you. Make a light triangle for the joey's head, with two little triangular shapes for eyes, two ears, and a dark nose. Add lines to complete the pouch.

To finish your drawing, lightly erase unnecessary lines and fill in the body with short pencil strokes for fur. Refine details (particularly faces) with a sharp pencil. Go over the outline, adding emphasis where you think it will help make the drawing more interesting (for example, where the arm and leg overlap the side of the kangaroo). Add a subtle shadow and some pencil strokes for grass. Clean up any smudges with your eraser. Kool kangaroo!

Kangaroos travel in herds called mobs, with about a dozen members. Draw a mob of kangaroos - try drawing them them in different positions! Save your drawing in your portfolio.