#BIG CAT SKULL SKETCH FREE#

The order is also not very strict-you can try my exact method once, and they use what you’ve learned to create your own way.

#BIG CAT SKULL SKETCH FREE#

Feel free to modify this method-it’s not set it stone, it’s just one of many possible interpretations of the simplified anatomy I’ve presented earlier. The proportions will differ among species, but these elements are like blocks that you can use to build any cat’s head.

Let’s see what the actual method is about. Notice that the throat starts in the back, under the lower jaw, making the neck wider at this point (I simplified it, but it’s useful to think of it this way). To understand them better, draw them on your template (with or without the skull). I grouped the muscles into sections based on their function and how they affect the final look. There are a lot of them on the head, but we don’t have to know each one’s name and location. The skull is the foundation for the muscles. To make sure you understand how the skull reveals itself in the head of a live lion, print this template and sketch the skull on each head. The round area with whiskers covers the upper fang almost fully, but not completely-some of it can be buried in the lower lip, in a special pouch that I’ll show you later. Notice that the corner of the lip is hanging below the edge of the lower jaw. It’s simplified to present only the crucial forms. This is what a feline skull looks like under the layers of fur, skin, and muscles. What we can see on the surface is just the end result of what’s beneath, and while you don’t have to be able to draw a skull from memory, knowing its structure can help you create new species with realistic anatomy, or reconstruct the look of an extinct cat just from its skull.

My study isn’t finished yet, but I think I know enough to share some tricks with you! I think I succeeded at this at least partially, so here’s a tutorial with a detailed explanation of the technique that I use for drawing all cats, big and small. If this alone wasn’t difficult enough, I also wanted to develop a “recipe” that could potentially be used for other mammals, or the carnivores at least. Lions can live up to 14 years in the wild, and up to 20 in captivity.I’ve been studying feline heads for a few years now with a goal to understand them completely, to be able to create new species without any references. Lions have the loudest roar of all big cats and can be heard up to 5 miles away. Prey is often killed by strangulation, and not their sharp teeth. A new-born lion has dark spots, which fade as the cub reaches adulthood, although faint spots often may still be seen on the legs and underparts. The colors of the underparts are generally lighter. The fur varies in color from light buff to silvery grey, yellowish red and dark brown. The lion is a muscular, broad-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears males have broader heads. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. It has a muscular, broad-chested body short, rounded head round ears and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. The lion or Panthera leo is a large cat of the genus Panthera native to Africa and India. The Felidae or Big Cats Skulls are Made in USA. Felidae or Big Cat Skulls are museum quality polyurethane resin cast.

Big cat skull sketch