Panda Drawing
(Sketching + Vector)

I will show you how to draw an adorable panda drawing using only a few basic shapes and some easy to achieved special effects. Our goal will be to create this cute cartoon character using as much depth and shadows as possible.

Unfortunately, this cute cartoon animal is now an endangered species. Only a few thousands are left around the world. Hopefully, pandas will stay around for a few additional thousand years!

Step 1

Let's start your drawing lesson with the creation of the sketch. Use a pencil and a piece of paper (or a tablet if you prefer to create the drawing directly on your computer) and draw the cartoon animal as shown above.

Step 2

Then, convert your illustration into a digital file. Open your vector software and import the illustration. Create a new layer and add the outlines using irregular black lines.

Step 3

Once you are finished, create another layer behind the one with the outlines and draw plain shapes behind each part of the cartoon character. 

Step 4

Select your gradient tool and add grey shadows on all white areas (except the eyes). The character might look too dark for now, but don't worry! We will fix this later.

Step 5

Create a new layer and place it in the middle. Draw new shapes (dark ones) to represent stronger shadows. You can add these new shadows on the face, the ears, below the nose and the stomach. 

Step 6

Select the transparency tool and partially hide the top of each shape created previously. 

Step 7

Shadows are great, but we also need to come up with some kind of reflection to enhance the character even more. Duplicate black shapes and color the new shapes in white. Scale these new shapes down a little bit. You can also add oval shapes on the pupils and the nose.

Step 8

Once again, use the transparency tool to partially hide the bottom of each shape. As you can see, the character already looks better than ever.

Step 9

I usually like to change the color of all black lines. In this case since the cartoon character is in black and white, only the piece of bamboo will be modified. I used a darker tone of green to color the outline. That's it! Your panda drawing is now finished! Have fun creating your own cartoon character now!

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