Whether it’s because of their fluffy bodies or funny habits, pandas are definitely among the cutest animals. As a bonus point, they’re insanely easy to draw because they don’t have any intricate details or patterns on their bodies.
This is why they’re the perfect inspiration for a fun family activity over the weekend. You can give your kids pencils and paper and watch them follow our easy tutorial while you have a quiet moment for yourself. It’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?
So, without further ado, keep reading to learn how to draw a cartoon panda.
How to Draw a Cartoon Panda – Step-By-Step Guide
In this tutorial, we’ll tell you how to draw a panda holding a bamboo stick in the easiest way possible.
1. Prepare Your Tools
You won’t need more than a pencil, eraser, and paper to draw a cartoon panda. You may also get some colors, but pandas are already black and white. So you’ll only need black, pink, gray, and green. You can get colored pencils or watercolors, whichever is easier for your kids.
2. Outline the Head and Body
The first step in drawing a panda is to outline the head and body so you can build on them later on. First, draw an oval in the middle of your paper for the head outline, and make it wider at the bottom to resemble the panda’s chubby cheeks.
Then, enclose a larger oval under the first one for the body, and make it look slightly irregular. It doesn’t have to be a perfect oval. Next, add the ears by drawing half a circle on each side of the head. Finally, draw the inner ears by adding two more half circles inside the ones you just drew.
3. Draw the Feet
After finishing the panda’s body outline, you should add its feet. First, draw a small oval that overlaps with the right side of the panda’s lower body. Then, mirror it on the left side of the body and leave a considerable distance between the two ovals. Before you continue drawing, erase the lower body lines that appear inside the ovals you just drew.
Next, go to the points where the panda’s feet touch its lower body and draw a line that curves downwards between them. Now, erase the lower line of the body oval you drew in the previous step. You’ll find it right under the curved line you drew, between the feet. Finally, draw two other ovals inside the feet.
See also: How to Draw Dragons
4. Add the Paw Print
Inside the right foot, draw a horizontal oval in the middle. Then, draw three tiny ovals above it to finish the paws. The ovals don’t have to be perfect, and you can draw circles instead if you feel they’re easier. Repeat these steps on the left foot.
5. Draw the Stomach
Now that you have a complete panda outline with feet, you can draw its stomach. It’s pretty easy to draw; you’ll merely need to draw an oval inside the body’s outline. But make sure a small part of it is hidden behind the feet (It shouldn’t be a complete oval).
6. Draw the Arms
The panda should have curved arms to show that it’s holding a bamboo stick. First, extend a curved line from the right side of the head toward the stomach and roll it back toward itself. Now, the arm should look slightly like a mirrored G letter. Next, add the underside of the arm by extending a short vertical curved line from the arm’s lower side.
Repeat these steps for the left arm, and note that it should look like a regular G letter, not mirrored. Next, add three tiny ovals at the end of each arm for the panda’s paws. Finally, erase the lines where the body intercepts the arms.
7. Add Face Details
Pandas are known for the large black circles around their eyes, so start by drawing two big ovals in the upper part of the face to resemble them. Then, add two circles inside the ovals and two tiny circles within them. Shade the smallest circles using your pencil to make the panda look more realistic.
Right below and between the eyes, draw an irregular oval that looks slightly pulled downwards for the nose. Next, extend a vertical curved line from the nose, and draw a curved line perpendicular to it to resemble the mouth.
8. Draw the Bamboo Stick
The bamboo stick is pretty easy to draw. You can begin by drawing multiple connected narrow rectangles with rounded corners. Then, to make it look like the panda is holding it in its left hand, draw half of it above the hand and the other half under it.
This way, the arm and bamboo stick won’t overlap. It’ll look like a part of the bamboo is hiding behind the panda’s hand. However, the upper half of the bamboo might intercept the rest of the body, so don’t forget to erase the extra lines.
9. Color the Panda
You can finish your masterpiece by coloring the panda using black, green, pink, and gray-colored pencils. First, use black to color the outer ears, eye circles, and body except for the stomach. As for the pink, use it to color the tiny ovals inside the panda’s feet and arms. Finally, color the inner ears gray and the bamboo stick green.
Read also: How to Draw Spongebob
To Wrap Up
A magical recipe to keep your kids entertained and busy for a while is to give them a pencil, paper, and an easy drawing to try. Luckily, this panda drawing checks all boxes with its simple details and cute design. Its simplicity will encourage your kids to finish it, and you’ll have a peaceful moment for yourself as they scribble away on paper.