Meet Haldir the white African lion. He is one of only a few white lions in captivity, so I am very pleased to share my pencil drawing of this beautiful and rare creature with you.

If you’re interested in commissioning a pencil drawing of a lion or any big cat, please just pop over to my commission a portrait page and fill out the form. I’ll get straight back to you with a price.

Pencil Drawing of Haldir the White Lion

This is a pencil drawing that I was patiently waiting to do, as it is from a photo taken by a talented photographer known as Woxys on deviantART who has kindly granted me permission to use it. She took the photograph at Bratislava Zoo, in Slovakia and Woxys has lots of other fantastic photos on her web page, so I urge you to take a look.

I was thrilled with how this pencil drawing turned out, as was the woman who commissioned me to draw it for her. But it’s not difficult when you have a unique photograph of such a majestic creature to work from.

5 Things I Didn’t Know About White Lions

1. White lions are not albinos but are ‘leucistic’, which means they lack pigment (I looked it up :) ).
2. The white lion is a rare colour mutation of the Kruger subspecies of African lion know in Latin as Panthera Leo Krugeri.
3. White lions are thought to be indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries.
4. The Global White Lion Protection Trust or WLPT initiated the first-ever reintroduction of white lions to the Greater Timbavati region in South Africa in 2003.
5. White lions are revered and held as sacred by the local communities of the Greater Timbavati region.

Want to commission a lion drawing?

If you’re interested in owning an original pencil drawing of a lion, or any big cat, all you need to do is head over to my commission a portrait page. It would look great on your wall or make a wonderful gift for someone. I’d be pleased to sketch one for you, so please get in touch.

I look forward to hearing from you!