How to Draw a Bear

How to Draw a Bear – An Easy Bear Drawing Tutorial

When you think of a bear, you might be immediately reminded of the fantastic movie, “Brother Bear”. Similar to the movie teaching us important skills, today’s drawing tutorial will also teach you valuable drawing skills. In the paraphrased words of Phil Collins, we will be “on our way” with this fun and exciting drawing tutorial! 

 

 

A Guide to Creating a Realistic Bear Drawing 

In today’s drawing tutorial, we will take you on an effortless step-by-step guide on how to draw a bear. A bear drawing can seem intimidating with all the intricate details, however, our drawing tutorial will show you the basic steps to creating your easy bear drawing! This tutorial is great for both experienced and beginner artists, so follow along today and you will be able to draw a beautiful tribute to “Brother Bear”!

Bear Drawing Collage

For a more detailed guide on the steps we will be taking, please view our bear drawing collage above.    

 

Step 1: Draw the Main Body of Your Bear Drawing 

Begin by drawing a large rectangle in the middle of your drawing area. 

Bear Drawing 01

 

Step 2: Draw the Head of Your Bear Sketch 

To draw the head of the bear, draw an oval shape on top of the rectangle. Make sure the oval is positioned slightly to the right. 

Drawing tip! Proportions are very important when creating a realistic bear drawing. Make sure that the head is about half the size of the body. 

Bear Drawing 02

 

Step 3: Draw the Rear End of the Body 

Attached to the right-hand side of the main body, draw a narrow oval shape. This will represent the rear end of the bear’s body and the rear paw. 

Bear Drawing 03

 

Step 4: Outline the Pose of the Bear Sketch 

In this step, draw a slightly tilted line that connects the head to the rear paw. This will create a gently sloping back outline. 

Continue the step by drawing two front arms. The arms do not have to be the same length. 

Bear Drawing 04

 

Step 5: Add in the Paws of the Bear Drawing 

To begin this step, draw two small oval shapes in front of each arm. Draw a larger oval shape in between the two smaller ovals, which will be used for the front paw. In front of the rear paw, draw the last small oval shape. 

Bear Drawing 05

 

Step 6: Draw the Ears on Your Bear Sketch 

Attached to the top of the bear’s head, draw two half-complete oval shapes. These shapes will represent the ears of the bear and should have some space between them. 

Remember to draw the ears of the bear the same size!

Bear Drawing 06

 

Step 7: Add in the Facial Features 

Within the head of the bear, draw two small oval shapes that will represent the eyes of the bear. Continue the step by drawing a large oval shape, directly underneath the eyes, that will represent the nose and mouth of the bear. 

Bear Drawing 07

 

Step 8: Outline the Body of the Bear Drawing 

In this step, you will trace around the outline of the bear, which will aid you in creating a more realistic fur coat. Begin at the head and make use of free-hand drawing to create a furry edge to the outline of the bear. Do this step around the head and ears, the front arm lines, the rear end of the bear, and around the paws. 

On each front paw, draw five visible claws, and on the front paw, draw two visible claws. Leave the rear paw as the claws will be hidden by the bear’s pose. 

Complete the step by erasing any construction lines around the paws. Leave the other construction lines. 

Bear Drawing 08

 

Step 9: Add Details to the Bear Sketch 

In this step, we will begin to add more details to create a realistic bear drawing. Make use of the construction lines to aid you in the placement of the eyes, nose, and mouth of the bear. 

For the eyes, draw two small ovals, with a smaller circle inside the oval, to represent the iris. Following this, draw a free-hand jagged line between the eyes, to create a furry look.

Continue the line downwards where you will draw the nose and mouth of the bear. Fill in details, such as teeth for the mouth and nostrils for the nose. Complete the step by drawing paw prints on the front and rear paws. Add final fur lines along the neck and head of the bear. 

Bear Drawing 09

 

Step 10: Add Texture to Your Realistic Bear Drawing 

Begin this step by drawing individual flowing curved lines that will represent the fur on the bear. Repeat this step over the entirety of the bear.

Make sure that the lines are gently flowing downwards, and are flowing with the curvature of the bear’s features. 

Bear Drawing 10

 

Step 11: Add the First Coat of Color to Your Easy Bear Drawing 

Select a regular paintbrush and brown paint, and evenly apply the first coat of color to the entire bear drawing. 

Bear Drawing 11

 

Step 12: Add Highlights to Your Bear Sketch 

Make use of a soft brush and white paint, and apply gentle brush strokes to the frame of the bear. Do this mainly around the edges that stick out, such as the ears, the forehead, the surrounding neck area, the back, and the shoulders. 

In doing this, you are adding lighter areas to highlight the frame of the bear. 

Use a fine, sharp brush and the same paint color, and add small dots to the eyes. This will create a shimmer within the eyes. 

Bear Drawing 12

 

Step 13: Add Contour to the Bear Drawing 

Select a small brush and white paint, and paint the mouth area. Complete this step by adding a light patch inside both front arms. Using the same brush but switching to tan paint, lightly add a secondary paint layer to the bottom of the neck area. 

Complete this step using black paint, and gently apply a shadow surrounding the bottom half of the face, the inner ears, and the general structure of the arms and back area. 

Bear Drawing 13

 

Step 14: Enhance the Highlighted Areas 

Use a small, soft brush and white paint, and apply a second layer of highlights to the previously highlighted areas. However, this time, focus more on the arms, back area, and face excluding the bottom shaded part. 

Tip! When adding highlights to the bear drawing, make sure the brush strokes are going in the same direction as the fur. 

Make use of gray paint, and paint the nostrils and the bottom part of the mouth. Repeat this step on the paws and claws. To add final details, apply light textures on the mouth area using brown paint. 

Bear Drawing 14

 

Step 15: Add Shading and Detailing to Your Bear Sketch 

In this step, we will enhance the contoured areas of the bear. Use a soft brush and black paint, and begin darkening the contoured areas to create a shadow look throughout the body of the bear. 

Complete the step by shading in the inner ears, surrounding the eyes, nostril, and bottom mouth area. 

To complete the mouth area, make use of pink paint, and color in the tongue and the inner corners of the mouth. Use black paint to add shading around these areas to tone down the brightness of the pink paint. Make use of a sharp brush and white paint, and color the two front teeth in the mouth. 

Easy Bear Drawing 15

 

Step 16: Detail the Paws of Your Bear Drawing 

Make use of a soft brush and black paint, and enhance the shading of the paws. Add texture lines within each paw to make them look more realistic. Complete this step by using white paint, and adding highlights to each paw and claw. 

Bear sketch 16

 

Step 17: Finalize Your Realistic Bear Drawing 

We have now reached the end of our how to draw a bear tutorial. To finalize your drawing, make use of a fine, sharp brush and the corresponding colors, and trace the entire outline of your bear drawing. Erase any visible dark outlines, and you should be left with a perfect bear drawing! 

Realistic Bear Drawing 17

 

Step 18: Add a Shadow to Your Bear Drawing 

You can also add a shadow underneath your bear drawing to make it look more realistic! 

Bear Drawing With Shadow 18

 

Well done on completing our how to draw a bear tutorial! We hope you have gained some valuable drawing skills, right from the construction process all the way to the detailing and coloring. Hopefully, you have enjoyed our tutorial inspired by “Brother Bear”, and have been able to create your own realistic bear drawing! 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

 

How to Draw a Bear Realistically? 

For animal drawings, proportions are really important to consider. Being able to draw proper proportions will help you to create a realistic bear drawing. By using our drawing tutorial, we take you step-by-step through this process, and in no time, you will be able to create a realistic and easy bear drawing of your own! 

 

What Colors Can a Bear Sketch Be? 

Traditionally, bears come in very neutral colors such as brown, black, and white. Our drawing tutorial has followed this traditional approach by drawing a brown bear, however, this does not limit you to only using these colors. These drawing tutorials help you to become as creative as possible, so you can color your bear in any way you see fit! 

 

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