How to Draw a Thylacine (Easy Step by Step)
Learn to draw a friendly thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian tiger, using easy step-by-step instructions. You'll create its rounded body, pointed ears, curly tail, and signature stripes, perfect for practicing smooth curves.
- You will draw a friendly thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.
- Create its body using simple rounded shapes.
- Add specific features like pointed ears and a curly tail.
- Practice drawing smooth curves for its three stripes.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
A thylacine, also called the Tasmanian tiger, had a striped back, and this friendly version is built from a few round shapes. You will draw a big rounded body, a head with pointed ears, a curly tail and three curved stripes. It is a great drawing for practicing smooth curves.
- Easy
- 10 minutes
- 8 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawing
In this article (7 sections)
How to draw a thylacine step by step
How to Draw a Thylacine · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch these 2 ovals. They only show where the big parts go, so press softly. You will erase them at the end.
Step 2: Back and rear body
Start near the middle of the page and draw a curved line that arches over the top for the back. Then curve it down the left side for the rump and finish with a little hook at the bottom. Leave the right side open.
Step 3: The head
On the right, draw a rounded head that overlaps the open side of the body. Give it two pointed ears on top, round out the cheek, then let the line sweep down and in to make the chest.
Step 4: The tail
On the left side of the body, draw a tail that sticks out and curls into a rounded tip. Start the top line at the body, loop around the tip, and bring the bottom line back to the body.
Step 5: Belly and back leg
Draw a wavy line along the bottom of the body. Start with a small bump for the back leg on the left. Then run the line to the right and curve it up toward the chest.
Step 6: Front paw
At the bottom of the chest, draw a small boxy shape with rounded corners for the front paw. Connect it to the belly line and the chest line.
Step 7: Eyes and smile
Draw two small round dots for eyes on the head, spaced apart. Between them and a little lower, add a tiny wavy line for a smile.
Step 8: The stripes
Draw three curved lines down the back, starting at the top edge of the body. Make them about the same length and space them evenly, like fence posts bending a little.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your thylacine? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a fox or how to draw a hedgehog next.
Tips for drawing a thylacine
- Draw the back and rump first and make them big, so the head has room to overlap the right side.
- The stripes go on last, so lightly count three spots along the back before you draw them and keep them evenly spaced.
- Draw the tail as one smooth swoop from the body, and try not to lift your pencil in the middle.
Free thylacine coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this thylacine coloring page at full size and print it. It is the same drawing you just learned, with clean lines ready for crayons or markers.
How to color your thylacine drawing
Try sandy tan or light brown for the body, with dark brown or black stripes on the back. For a creative twist, give your thylacine rainbow stripes instead.
Thylacine fun fact for kids
The last known thylacine died in 1936 at a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania. Scientists call the species Thylacinus cynocephalus, and it had dark stripes across its back.
Questions about drawing a thylacine
What shapes do I need to draw a thylacine?
You need a big rounded shape for the body, a smaller rounded shape for the head with two pointed ears, and a curly shape for the tail. Add three curved lines for the stripes.
How do I make my thylacine look friendly?
Draw the two eye dots wide apart and add a tiny wavy smile between and below them. A rounded head also helps.
Why does a thylacine have stripes?
Real thylacines had dark stripes across their back. The stripes make this animal easy to recognize, so they are fun to draw.
