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Blind and Slow Contour Lion Drawing: Mane and Body Outline Study
Learn blind and slow contour line drawing with a lion's mane and body outline. Practice edge tracing, compare results, and build observational control.
Free lesson
Four exercises
Worked answers
Object Drawing Lessons
Contour line drawing asks you to follow the visible edge of a subject with your pencil while looking mostly at the subject, not the paper. This lesson focuses on a lion's mane and body outline. You will use two modes: blind contour, where your eyes stay on the lion and your pencil moves without looking at the page, and slow contour, where you glance occasionally but prioritize careful edge tracking over speed. The goal is not a polished picture. The goal is to notice where the mane outline simplifies, breaks, or changes direction, and to record those observations honestly. You will warm up with a short edge-tracing strip, then draw two practice frames, then compare them. Use a pencil or pen, plain paper, and a timer or clock. All measurements below are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and tools if you need exact values.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Set up and warm up with edge tracing
Place your paper so you can reach the whole page without shifting your body. Draw two frames on the page, each about 12 cm by 16 cm, or adjust to fit your paper. Label one frame Blind and the other Slow. Keep a spare strip of paper about 4 cm by 12 cm for the warm-up. Choose a lion reference that shows the mane and body outline clearly. If you use a printed reference, place it at eye level so you can look at it without tilting your head far.
The warm-up strip trains your hand to follow an edge without judging the result. Draw a simple wavy line along the strip, then trace it slowly with your pencil while looking only at the line, not at your hand. Repeat three times. Then draw a short zigzag and trace it the same way. This is not a test; it is a way to feel how your hand follows a changing edge.
- Draw two frames labeled Blind and Slow, each about 12 cm by 16 cm.
- Make a warm-up strip about 4 cm by 12 cm.
- Draw a wavy line and a zigzag on the strip.
- Trace each line three times while looking at the line, not your hand.
- Set a timer for two minutes for the blind contour frame.
Blind contour: follow the mane without looking
Blind contour means your eyes stay on the lion reference while your pencil moves on the paper. You may look at the paper only to place the pencil at the start, then not again until the timer stops. Start at a clear point on the mane outline, such as the top of the head or the outer edge of the mane near the shoulder. Move your pencil as if you are touching the edge of the lion with your fingertip. When the edge turns, your pencil turns. When the edge breaks because fur clumps or the mane overlaps the body, lift or pause, then continue from the next visible edge.
Do not try to draw fur texture. The boundary for this study is the mane and body outline only. Ignore cross-contour surface lines and shading. If the mane outline is complex, simplify it into fewer turns, but keep the overall shape. A blind contour often looks distorted; that is expected. The useful information is where your hand lost the edge or where you simplified the mane without noticing.
- Place your pencil at the top of the mane outline.
- Keep your eyes on the lion reference, not the paper.
- Move the pencil slowly as if tracing the edge with your fingertip.
- Pause when the edge breaks, then continue at the next visible edge.
- Stop at two minutes and label the frame Blind.
Slow contour: track the body outline with brief glances
Slow contour allows brief glances at the paper, but the priority is still edge tracking. Work at about half your normal drawing speed. Start at the same point as the blind frame if possible, so the comparison is fair. Follow the mane outline first, then the body outline from shoulder to hind leg and along the back. When you glance at the paper, look only long enough to check the pencil position, then return your eyes to the lion. Keep the line continuous where the edge is continuous. Where the mane overlaps the body, decide whether to show the overlap as a single outline or as two separate edges, and note your choice.
Use the same time limit as the blind frame, or set a slightly longer limit such as three minutes. The extra time is for slower tracking, not for adding detail. Do not add shading, fur strokes, or cross-contour lines. The comparison prompt after both frames asks you to note where the mane outline simplified or broke. Write two or three short notes beside each frame.
- Start at the same mane point as the blind frame.
- Track the mane outline, then the body outline from shoulder to hind leg.
- Glance at the paper only to check pencil position.
- Keep the line continuous where the edge is continuous.
- Stop at the time limit and label the frame Slow.
- Write two or three notes about where the mane outline simplified or broke.
Compare and evaluate with a convention-based rubric
Place the two frames side by side. Use a simple convention for comparison: mark each place where the mane outline changed direction sharply with a small dot, and mark each place where the outline broke or stopped with a short dash. Count the dots and dashes in each frame. This convention is not a universal answer; different artists may mark different points. The purpose is to make your observations visible and checkable.
Evaluate three things: edge tracking, simplification, and break points. Edge tracking means your pencil followed the visible edge without adding invented detail. Simplification means you reduced complex mane shapes to fewer turns. Break points means you noticed where the outline stopped or overlapped. A strong study shows honest tracking and clear notes, not a realistic lion. Letter styles and handwriting vary; write notes legibly enough for you to read later.
- Place the Blind and Slow frames side by side.
- Mark sharp direction changes with dots and breaks with dashes.
- Count dots and dashes in each frame.
- Write one sentence about edge tracking, one about simplification, and one about break points.
- Check that no shading or fur texture was added.
Worked example
A student draws a blind contour of a lion's mane for two minutes, starting at the top of the head. The pencil moves down the left side of the mane, pauses at a clump, continues to the shoulder, then stops. The student then draws a slow contour for three minutes, starting at the same point, and notes that the mane outline simplified into three turns instead of five. How should the student compare the two frames using the dot-and-dash convention?
Worked answer
Place the frames side by side. In the blind frame, mark each sharp direction change with a dot and each break with a dash. The pause at the clump becomes a dash. In the slow frame, mark the three simplified turns with dots and note that two turns were omitted. Count the marks, then write one sentence about edge tracking, one about simplification, and one about break points. The comparison is observational, not a score.
Four practice exercises
Exercise 1
On a warm-up strip about 4 cm by 12 cm, draw a wavy line with four turns. Trace it three times while looking only at the line. Then draw a zigzag with three sharp points and trace it twice. Describe what changed in your hand speed at the sharp points.
Show answer and check
A complete response describes slower hand speed at sharp points and notes whether the pencil paused or overshot. The exact wording will vary.
Why: Sharp turns require a pause to change direction. Slowing down helps the hand follow the edge instead of cutting the corner.
Check: Check that the strip has four turns and three sharp points, that tracing was done while looking at the line, and that the description mentions hand speed at sharp points.
Exercise 2
Draw a blind contour of a lion's mane for two minutes, starting at the top of the head. Do not look at the paper after placing the pencil. Then mark each break in the outline with a short dash. Count the dashes and write one sentence about where the outline broke.
Show answer and check
A complete response includes a blind contour frame, at least one dash marking a break, a dash count, and a sentence naming a break location such as a fur clump or shoulder overlap.
Why: Breaks occur where the visible edge stops or overlaps. Marking them makes the observation checkable.
Check: Check that the frame is labeled Blind, that the student did not look at the paper during drawing, that dashes mark breaks, and that the sentence names a specific location.
Exercise 3
Draw a slow contour of the same lion for three minutes, starting at the same point. Allow brief glances at the paper. Simplify the mane into no more than four turns. Then place both frames side by side and mark sharp direction changes with dots. Write two notes: one about simplification and one about edge tracking.
Show answer and check
A complete response includes a slow contour frame with no more than four mane turns, dots marking sharp changes, and two notes that compare simplification and edge tracking with the blind frame.
Why: Slow contour allows brief checking while keeping edge tracking as the priority. Limiting turns forces deliberate simplification.
Check: Check that the frame is labeled Slow, that the mane has four or fewer turns, that dots mark sharp changes, and that both notes refer to specific parts of the frames.
Exercise 4
Using the dot-and-dash convention, compare your blind and slow frames. Count dots and dashes in each. Write three sentences: one about edge tracking, one about simplification, and one about break points. Do not add shading or fur texture to either frame.
Show answer and check
A complete response includes counts for both frames and three sentences that address edge tracking, simplification, and break points. Counts will vary because artists mark different points.
Why: The convention makes observations visible. The sentences turn marks into specific comparisons rather than a score.
Check: Check that both frames have dot and dash marks, that counts are stated, that three sentences cover the required topics, and that neither frame contains shading or fur texture.
Common mistakes
- Looking at the paper during the blind contour frame. Place the reference at eye level and keep your pencil hand relaxed. If you glance, note it and continue; do not restart.
- Adding fur texture or shading instead of following the outline. Return to the visible edge. The boundary excludes fur rendering and shading; simplify the mane into fewer turns if needed.
- Drawing too fast and losing the edge at sharp turns. Slow down at corners. Pause, find the next visible edge, then continue.
- Treating the comparison marks as a score. Use dots and dashes only to record observations. Different artists will mark different points; the notes matter more than the count.
Self-check rubric
- Blind frame keeps eyes on the lion except for initial pencil placement.
- Slow frame tracks the mane and body outline with brief glances only.
- No shading, fur texture, or cross-contour lines are added.
- Comparison notes identify at least one simplification and one break point.
- Dot-and-dash convention is used consistently and explained in notes.
- Handwriting is legible enough for the student to read later; letter styles may vary.
Questions and answers
Do I need to look at the paper at all during blind contour?
Only to place the pencil at the start. After that, keep your eyes on the lion until the timer stops.
Can I simplify the mane if it is very complex?
Yes. Simplification is part of the study. Note where you simplified so you can compare it with the slow contour frame.
What if my blind contour looks nothing like a lion?
That is common. The exercise trains edge tracking, not realistic rendering. Use the notes and comparison marks to see where your hand followed or lost the edge.
Should I use a pen or pencil?
Either works. A pen makes breaks visible; a pencil allows erasing but may encourage correction. Choose one and keep it consistent for both frames.