How to Draw a Tiger Head
In this article, we will try to unmask a lord as elusive as he is imposing, as powerful as he is elegant, a large feline that is easily recognizable, I'm talking about the tiger!
Here we will focus more specifically on the study of its head.
THE BASICS OF DRAWING A TIGER
The tiger is the largest of the wild felines and one of the largest terrestrial predators, after some bears. In general, its body is longer than that of a lion, which makes it appear more massive (although there are variations depending on the subspecies and between males and females).
The attachment of the vertebral column is high, just behind the skull, and the neck itself is massive. So when you draw the tiger's head, keep this idea of mass in mind. The neck and shoulders are a continuation of the head.
I'm specifying this to avoid heads that "float" too much. We're not working on the appearance of a crane if you know what I mean. You should always have an idea of the general appearance of your subject, even when working on a particular part.
Next point, the tiger is a top predator which implies that, as is almost always the case, its eyes are oriented forward (to better estimate distances) and not on the sides (as in deer, cattle, sheep, etc.). This means that when you see it head-on the eyes are facing you and when you see it from the side... the eyes are also in profile!
Well, we have to start. I could teach you that a tiger's head is a circle with another circle, etc... … but I prefer to teach you that it is mainly muscles and fur on a bone (the skull). Understanding why things have such a shape is, in my opinion, a more effective method. So, you won’t escape it, study the skull!
HOW IS THE SKULL OF A TIGER REPRESENTED?
First a side view:
So let's see what this view teaches us.
The skull is compact, the muzzle short and broad. The slope of the forehead is minimal and not pronounced. The canines are highly developed. They are the longest of all current felines and can reach a length of nine centimeters.
In diagram 2, we see where the muzzle is placed in green. In blue is the junction of the vertebrae, the break with the neck junction will also be barely noticeable. In orange is the eye, well protected in the orbital cavity, and in dotted orange is the field of vision.
You will notice that the eyes are not positioned above the line of the muzzle. In purple, one can even define, parallel to the upper level of the mouth, an area where the nose and eye align. Finally, in red, what I call the hearing zone, the area covered by the ear.
In 3, a quick dressing of the bone.
Front view now:
In the first diagram, it is clear that the skull is compact, it can fit into a circle (ignoring the lower jaw in this open mouth position).
Several elements are highlighted in Figure 2. In orange, the eyes, which are almost at the same level as the nose shown in green. You will notice, delimited by the two purple lines, a fairly large free area between the two eyes. In red, the auditory area, which defines the limits of the ears. In blue, at the top, the edge of the skull marks the upper limit of the head. Also in blue, at the sides, it is important to know that in this area are the strong muscles (those of the jaw). Therefore, if we add the muscle mass at the tip of the bones, we get a new reference for the shape of the head.
In image 3, a quick dressing of the bone. The animal almost appears alone.
THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF A TIGER'S HEAD
THE TRUFFLE
The truffle will be the same as that of a cat.
Diagram A. in frontal view, diagram B. in profile view.
On both images, in red, the slight return of the nose on the edges. The nose is a wet element, don't hesitate to highlight it. For the color, you can work with a lightly saturated pink to a brick orange. For more realism, you can "dirty" your shade with black spots and darken the transition area with lips. The upper edge is well defined. The texture is slightly granular, avoid a smooth and uniform flatness for a somewhat realistic drawing.
The more realism you seek, the more you will need to work on the transition between the black of the nostrils and the fur.
The black area under the pink is the entrance to the nostrils. Here I've deliberately emphasized the shading so that it appears distinct. In diagram B; the green line shows you that the nose is slightly curved, avoid excessive straight lines. Through the blue marker, we note the wave-like shape of the top edge of the nose.
The construction:
I start from a reference point in blue.
Step 1: I trace the wave shape on the upper part of the truffle. You can mark the vertical axis around which the work will be symmetrical.
Step 2: In purple we construct a rather flattened triangle, which is used for the limit of the nostrils. For the curve of the nostrils, you will note that they are not round. Follow the upper line and curve the line until you reach the purple marker.
Step 3: Close the muzzle with a rounded tip.
The area in green must be shaded, darker in the centre of the nose and lighter towards the junction with the hair. Note that the area is (almost) hairless.
THE EYES
The pupils are round and black. The iris is golden to green in color, blue for the white tiger.
Diagram 1: In blue, we draw a pretty almond-shaped eye, with a rather high outer tip. Mind you, the pink arrow on the inner edge of the eye does not end in a point but rather in a round shape (like the human eye, after all). The eye in yellow is partially covered at the top and bottom by the eyelids. I have highlighted the edge of the pupil in red and you can see that part of it will be hidden.
Diagram 2: In solid green over the eyelids themselves, which will be black. Shaded in orange, the continuation of the eyelid membrane. This area of skin will be black/gray, hairless. In blue, for a rather realistic drawing, some longer hairs styled like "eyebrows". In purple, a few whiskers, keep their representation subtle so as not to weigh down the design.
Diagram 3: Colouring. I worked on the iris with a golden base and touches of green. The pupil is black. There is no “white” in the eye, it is surrounded by black. Remember to use the reflection of light on the eye and eyelid; you can also highlight the lower eyelid.
DRAWING THE EARS
The ears are rounded but avoid drawing a circle; it is rather a very, very rounded triangle.
In blue on diagram 1, there is a small irregularity at the outer junctions (the same is found in cats). The inside is covered with hair, especially on the “upper” edges of the ear.
In detail, I have highlighted in green a line of hair in front of the ear. In purple, the hairs are longer than those on the other side in red.
In diagram 2, you can see that the upper half is black with a white spot on the back.
THE MUZZLE (WHISKERS AND LIPS)
Whiskers, or vibrissae, are plentiful and white (regardless of the coat color). In diagrams 1 and 2, they are depicted in blue. In a drawing aiming for realism, you will need to consider representing them under the chin. In diagram 2, they are colored for better visibility. They are short at the top, grow longer, and then shorten again towards the bottom of the cheek.
The attachment points are black and well defined, extending to form black lines (4 to 5) on the muzzle, giving the pattern two pink traits.
The lips are black, very wide and droopy, shown with the red line on diagram 1. Just below, in the red hatched area, the hair is sparser and dark skin can still be distinguished. In the green hatching, above the red lip line, the black gum.
Intermediate Opening:
Here in blue is the mass of the upper lip, in red the lip, in green the gum, in pink the whisker lines.
Open mouth (threat or roar):
The illustration with the bones shows you the maximum potential range of the jaw, but generally prefer a smaller, more realistic opening. Indicated in blue are 6 teeth between the fangs.
In case of a threat, the tiger will "show" its fangs by contracting the upper muscles of its mouth (highlighted in blue).
The upper canines will be exposed by the contraction of the muscle on the upper part of the muzzle, resulting in a series of folds, pink lines. The tongue that appears is of a more or less intense pink colour, with a granular consistency. These parts have been moistened by saliva, do not hesitate to subtly reflect light onto the lips and/or tongue. The edges of the lips are red.
DRAWING THE FUR ON A TIGER'S HEAD
In most tigers, the fur is a light yellow to dark orange colour striped with black. The fur is cream white (too much “white” will not appear natural in the context of a realistic drawing, but will be possible in a more streamlined perspective) on the inner side of the throat, on the cheeks as well as on the lower jaw and the top of the eyes.
The stripes, which are black in color, vary in thickness and abundance depending on the subspecies. For the white tiger (which is neither a subspecies nor a distinct breed), the coat will be off-white with darker cream areas and black stripes.
Step 1: First you need to apply your base coat (a golden or less golden but not too dark orange).
Step 2: Then arrange the "white" areas, around the mouth and eyes. In the context of a realistic drawing, you can also lighten the line of fur running in front of the ear (see; detail diagram 1 of the ear, lines in green).
Step 3: Next, following the symmetry of the head, apply the black features. In green, the whisker lines. In blue, 3 lines above the eyes, slightly curved. In red, the line that extends from the edges of the eyes. On the outside, it forms a sort of triangle that rises towards the top of the head. In pink, a wider line that finishes underlining the eye.
Step 4: In green, two large lines enclose the edges of the head. The outermost one goes very high. In red, the first forehead lines are not well defined, they look like large dots. In blue, the forehead lines that will start the design that will extend over the rest of the neck and body.
Firstly, the direction of the fur. At least once look at the direction of the fur, and this is applicable to all our furry friends. For a drawing with simple flat areas, this will show you the position of imperfections, and for a more detailed image, it will save you time.
Let's go back to the previous diagram, in blue the direction of the fur and in green a reminder for the ears.
It may seem obvious, but the more realism you desire, the more you will need to work on the fur to give it density. The fur is not uniform in colour and the nuances of the coat are accentuated by the effects of light.
Furthermore, the fur is not composed of hairs of the same length. If you are focusing on realism, you will need to "pull out" some hairs here and there, but not too much, otherwise, you risk blurring your silhouette too much. In the illustration drawing, this is represented by cross-hatching where the fur is long and shaggy, and more linear strokes where the fur is shorter (ears and muzzle).
As for the "black lines", avoid solid lines with smooth and continuous edges, which won't look realistic at all unless you're aiming to stylize your animal.
From a purely technical point of view, I cannot give you basic rules for the procedure to follow, as the method will depend on the technique you use. The fur is not represented with the same steps when working with watercolour or oil.
DRAWING A TIGER HEAD STEP BY STEP
If you have followed everything correctly up to this point, the construction should be a formality.
Step 1: A circle for the base. Place the center, red line, which will serve us for the symmetry of the head and for the general construction.
Step 2: Draw a line defining the line of gaze (blue line). From here we know where the top of the skull is located. The pink line is drawn along the line of symmetry and ‘positioned’ on the top of the skull. We have seen through the skeleton that the difference in elevation between the forehead and the top of the jaw is not very significant. The green line, which will be the upper part of the snout, places the plane of the snout slightly below the pink line.
Step 3: Continuing along the line of symmetry (red line), we can place the symmetry line of the muzzle (green line). With regard to the length of the muzzle, we refer to the lateral profile of the skull. We can see that the distance between the snout area and the orbital cavity is slightly less than that between the orbital cavity and the back of the skull. The line of symmetry comes to our aid. The green line marking the centre of the snout will be a little shorter than the red line marking the centre of the head. With the end of the muzzle, we can draw a line (dark green) for the centre of the mouth.
Step 4: In red, starting from the eyes you can place the hearing area that will determine the width of the ears. Remember to keep the space between the eyes (lines and orange hatched area) for the width of the muzzle. Place the nose and finish the mouth around it.
Step 5: We place the ears.
Step 6: Clean up the construction lines a bit. On the edges of the cheeks, the hair is well stocked and longer, so long strokes for a wilder effect.
Step 7: Colour blocks.
Step 8: The features of the mask with some shading and light.
Here we have finished the tour. Be aware that the tiger is not the easiest feline to represent. It will certainly take you some time to correctly memorise the design of its characteristic mask. To begin with, I recommend that you practise correctly forming the head, positioning the snout and eyes and taking references for the black stripes. With practice, you will memorise the arrangement of the stripes.
Writer and illustrator: Ello illus