This demonstration will give you a wonderful opportunity to practice drawing realistically. Follow the steps to create a cheetah.
.5mm mechanical pencil with 2B lead
kneaded eraser
ruler
smooth bristol paper
tortillion
Use the grid method to capture the shape of the cheetah. Lightly draw the grid on your drawing paper and draw what you see in each box. When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded eraser to reveal the accurate line drawing.
Add darkness to the dots with your pencil. Study the face and the darkness of the eyes, nose and mouth.
Create the look of shadows on the cheetah with your pencil. Remember the five elements of shading because these shadows help create the form of the anatomy.
With vertical pencil lines, fill in the background around the cheetah. It is darker on the right. This will help the big cat stand out.
Using the blending technique, blend out all of the tones in the drawing. Start with the cheetah. Use the tortillion to soften the edges of the spots and to create the contours of the head and body. Once you have blended, you will have to reapply some of the spots and add more, especially to the head.
Move to the background and build up the tones with your pencil. Use vertical lines to replicate the shape and direction of the grass. Blend everything out with a tortillion to make it less distinct. In the front, use the pencil and kneaded eraser to create large blades crossing over the cheetah. Use delicate pencil lines to create the look of small plants.
This is not a quick or easy process. It will be necessary to go back and forth adding dark tones, blending, lifting light and adding small details. There is no set amount of reworking. Just keep going until you achieve the effect you want.