how to draw a sugar glider

Steps: 11

Difficulty: dotline2.png

These plush marsupials are nocturnal and live in colonies with other sugar gliders. They have delicate and agile feet, perfect for climbing. They also have extra skin between their fore- and hind legs that, when extended, enables them to float from tree to tree.

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1 Sketch the two angled lines of a tree limb, and draw the shapes of the sugar glider’s head and upper body, working in sections.

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2 Sketch the rest of the edges of the tree, the sugar glider’s body, and its tail.

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3 Smooth and connect the lines of the face and ears.

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4 Draw the sugar glider’s forearm and foot plus the skin folds starting at the lower foot.

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5 Refine the remaining edges, and draw the hind foot.

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6 Shade the dark markings of the sugar glider’s face and ears. Shade the eye, too, leaving a thin white ring.

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7 Shade the neck with rows of repeating strokes that overlap at different angles.

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8 Shade the body and tail with overlapping repeating strokes using the side of your pencil tip.

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9 Shade the tree with repeating strokes running its length.

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10 Darken the shading of the feet and skin folds. Shade the hair texture along the outside edge of the tail.

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11 Darken the tail fur, and shade the eye very dark, leaving a curved highlight.

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Fun Fact

Like kangaroos and other marsupials, sugar gliders have a small pouch in which they carry their young. The baby sugar gliders live and feed in the pouch until they’re strong enough to climb on their own.