How to Draw a Cartoon Panda

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) lives in the remote mountain forests of China. Panda are famous for their unique black and white coloration as well as their appetite for bamboo.

Would you like to draw your very own cartoon panda? Now you can, by following this easy, step-by-step drawing tutorial.

All you need is a pencil and a piece of paper. You may also want to have an eraser handy to correct any mistakes, and crayons, markers, or colored pencils to shade your finished drawing.

Each step of this simple drawing guide is accompanied by an illustration. In each illustration, new lines added during that step are highlighted in blue, while lines drawn in previous steps are shown in black. You may want to sketch lightly first, as you will need to erase some of your early lines as you go along.

If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Hello Kitty, Spider Web with Spider, and Cartoon Bear.

Watch 'How to Draw a Cartoon Panda' Video Tutorial

Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Cartoon Panda

Begin by drawing an oval.

Draw a curved line extending from the top of the oval, passing outside the shape and across the bottom, and returning to the top.

Enclose another circular shape beneath the first using a long, curved line.

Draw ears by enclosing a half circle on each side of the head. Use one curved line for each ear.

Erase the guide lines formed by the original oval.

Draw a half circle within each ear, using a curved line.

Draw an oval overlapping the lower circle.

Draw another oval on the other side, creating a mirror image.

Erase the guide lines from within the ovals.

Draw two lines between the ovals, curving in opposite directions.

Erase the guide lines from between the ovals.

Draw a large oval in the middle of the figure.

Draw an oval shape within each foot by enclosing the shape with a curved line.

Draw a large oval and three smaller ovals in a paw print pattern within each foot.

Draw the arms using a series of curved lines. For each arm, extend a curved line from the head and across the stomach, doubling back on itself. Use a short, curved line to draw the underside of the arm.

Erase the guide lines from within the arms.

Draw two large ovals across the face to form the eye spots. Draw the nose using an irregular oval. Draw a curved line beneath the nose, and connect it to the nose using another curved line.

Draw three successively smaller circles within each other inside each eye spot. Shade the area around the smallest circle. Draw three ovals at the tip of each forepaw to indicate fingers or claws.

Draw a stick of bamboo in the panda’s paw. The bamboo consists of a series of narrow, rectangular shapes with rounded corners.

Erase the guide line from within the bamboo.

Color the panda. Giant pandas typically have white faces and bellies, with black eye spots, ears, and paws.