How to Draw a Bear Face: Easy 10-Step Guide for Kids

Ready to bring a grizzly bear to life? This tutorial is perfect for artists ages 7+ looking to master facial expressions and fur texture. Grab a pencil, an eraser, and a piece of paper to start building your bear's character, from his fierce brow to his textured coat.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

Colorful, finished illustration of a bear face, showcasing fur texture and expressive eyes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Brow and Eyes

Close-up sketch of a bear's eyes and furrowed brows on white paper.

Start by sketching the bear's furrowed brow using two curved lines. Beneath these, draw two half-circles for the eyes and add a small, dark pupil in each. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil lines light and loose here so you can easily adjust the expression if the bear looks too grumpy or too sleepy!

Step 2: Defining the Snout and Nose

Pencil drawing showing the addition of a bear's snout and nose structure.

Draw a large, rounded shape below the eyes to form the snout. Add a dark, irregular shape at the tip for the nose, and use small spiral lines to define the nostrils. Teacher's Tip: Think of the nose as a rounded triangle; keeping it centered helps the bear look symmetrical.

Step 3: Shaping the Jaw and Cheeks

Drawing of a bear's jawline and cheek fur details.

Outline the upper jaw with curved lines and add small, jagged strokes around the cheeks to suggest thick fur. Teacher's Tip: Use short, quick pencil strokes for the fur to give it that 'scruffy' grizzly texture.

Step 4: Drawing the Open Mouth

Illustration of a bear's open mouth with visible canine teeth.

Use 'U' shaped lines to create the teeth, making the corner fangs slightly larger and sharper. Connect these with a wide, curved line to form the open mouth. Teacher's Tip: Don't worry about making the teeth perfect—bears have jagged, natural-looking teeth!

Step 5: Adding the Lower Jaw

Pencil sketch of the lower jaw and mouth interior details.

Draw the lower teeth using similar 'U' shapes and add a curved line inside the mouth to show depth. Teacher's Tip: Erase any overlapping lines from the previous steps to keep your drawing clean and professional.

Step 6: Adding the Tongue and Fur

Drawing showing the bear's tongue and added fur texture around the mouth.

Sketch a 'U' shape for the tongue inside the mouth and add more jagged lines around the jaw to emphasize the fur. Teacher's Tip: Vary the length of your fur strokes to make the bear look more realistic.

Step 7: Outlining the Head and Ears

Outline of the bear's head shape and rounded ears.

Use long, sweeping curved lines that meet at rounded points to frame the head and ears. Teacher's Tip: The 'points' are key—they mimic the way fur clumps together on a real bear.

Step 8: Adding Shoulder Fur

Drawing showing the bear's neck and shoulder fur texture.

Continue adding jagged fur lines down the sides of the face and onto the shoulders. Teacher's Tip: Imagine the fur flowing downward from the top of the head to give it a natural look.

Step 9: Finalizing Details

Final line art of the bear face with all details completed.

Add final touches to the ears, forehead, and chest area with small, curved lines to create depth. Teacher's Tip: Step back and look at your drawing from a distance to see if you need to darken any lines for better contrast.

Step 10: Bringing Your Bear to Life with Color

A fully colored, fierce-looking bear face illustration.

Time to color! Use browns for a grizzly, white for a polar bear, or even black. Teacher's Tip: Try using light and dark shades of the same color to create shadows, which makes your bear look 3D and more realistic.