How to Draw a Raccoon: Easy Step-by-Step

With their little bandit masks and tiny grabby hands, raccoons look like they’re always up to something — usually involving your trash can. Learning how to draw a raccoon is a treat because two features do all the heavy lifting: that famous black eye mask and the stripy tail. Nail those and everyone will know exactly who this is. 🦝

We’ll build a sitting, slightly mischievous raccoon from soft, rounded shapes — no tricky fur techniques required. Fans of our fox drawing will feel right at home; the two share the same pointy-faced charm. By the final step you’ll have a round, satisfied little bandit who looks fully prepared to make off with your eraser.

What You’ll Need

• Paper
• A pencil
• An eraser
• Gray and black pencils or markers (optional)

Step 1: Draw the Head

Start with a wide, rounded head that narrows to a soft point at the chin — like a heart with the dip smoothed out. Along each side, let the line break into two or three small zigzags for fluffy cheeks. Raccoons are about 40% cheek fluff. Aim for a head roughly a third of your page tall, leaving room below for the body.

Step 2: Add the Ears

On top of the head, draw two rounded triangles set wide apart, like little mountain peaks. Add a smaller curve inside each one for the inner ear. Keep them short and perky — tall ears would tip this raccoon toward fox territory.

Step 3: Paint On the Bandit Mask

Here comes the signature move. Across the middle of the face, draw two rounded patches — one over each eye area — sweeping outward from the bridge of the nose toward the cheeks, like sunglasses that melted a bit. These will be colored dark later, so keep their outlines clear.

Step 4: Give It a Face

Inside each mask patch, draw an oval eye with a white shine dot — bright eyes inside a dark mask create that adorable sneaky look. At the chin’s point, add a rounded triangle nose, then a tiny w-shaped mouth beneath it.

Step 5: Build the Body

Below the head, draw a plump pear shape sitting on the ground — narrow at the shoulders, wide and cozy at the bottom. Raccoons are famously round around the middle (that’s a trash-panda lifestyle for you), so don’t be shy with the belly. If the whole body leans a little, no problem — raccoons slouch professionally.

Step 6: Add Paws and Feet

Draw two little front paws reaching in toward the chest, like the raccoon is holding an invisible cookie — short arms ending in small rounded hands with a few finger lines. At the bottom, add two flat oval feet poking forward.

Step 7: Draw the Striped Tail

From behind the body, sweep out a thick tail that curls up at the tip, like a fuzzy question mark lying down. Divide it with curved lines into four or five bands. Those rings are the raccoon’s second signature — nobody else in the forest wears this pattern. You can let the tail rest along the ground or curl it around the front feet — both look wonderfully cozy.

Step 8: Color in Grays

Color the body soft gray, the mask and every other tail ring black, and leave the muzzle, eyebrows, and inner ears white. A slightly darker gray along the back and tail base adds depth. The high contrast between mask and muzzle is what makes the face pop. ✨

Tips to Make Your Raccoon Drawing Even Cuter

• Put a cookie or a shiny star in its front paws — raccoons love holding treasure. 🐾
• Draw the eyes as happy closed arcs for a blissful “just found snacks” expression.
• Add a tiny leaf or acorn on its head like a forest hat.
• Peek the raccoon out of a cardboard box or over a fence, paws hooked on the edge.
• Give the fluffy cheek zigzags an extra pass — more fluff always equals more cute.

FAQ

Is a raccoon hard to draw?

Not with the mask-and-stripes shortcut — those two features carry the likeness, and everything else is soft circles and pears.

How do I make the mask look right?

Sweep the dark patches outward from the nose bridge toward the cheeks and keep the eyes bright inside them. Think of melted sunglasses rather than two separate spots.

What age can draw this raccoon?

Kids around six and up can follow all eight steps. Younger artists can simplify to head, mask, and tail and still end up with an obvious raccoon.

Mask on, stripes on, snack secured — your raccoon is fully equipped for a night of adorable mischief. To watch characters like this come to life line by line, wander over to our YouTube channel. For another woodland neighbor with big cheek energy, try our easy squirrel drawing next. You’ve got this! 🎨