A snow leopard portrait

A study of a snow leopard’s head and thick spotted neck fur on textured paper. Establish the skull, cheek masses and broad muzzle.

A way into the drawing

1. Establish the construction

   Establish the skull, cheek masses and broad muzzle.

2. Resolve the main structure

   Align both eyes, ears and whisker pads on the turning facial planes.

3. Develop the detail

   Wrap the irregular rosettes around brow and cheeks, grouping the fur by direction.

4. Control the values

   Deepen eye sockets and neck shadows while preserving pale muzzle highlights.

A small thing to tryKeep the far eye narrower to show the turn of the head.