How to draw
How to Draw an Octopus
- Confident (level 4 of 5)
- 20 min
- 10 steps
- Ages 7–12 (a guide, not a rule)
Draw on paper: Paper, Pencil. Optional: Eraser, Pink, red or purple crayons, colored pencils or markers.
Draw it on the screen
An octopus has eight arms, but from the front you see six: two hide behind the others. You plan each arm with one curvy guide line first, then draw a wide arm around it that gets thinner toward the tip. Arms in front are drawn first, and the arms behind them stop where they meet.
Rather color it? Print the octopus coloring page.
Step by step
- New lines: purple, thick and glowing
- Lines you already drew: gray
- Guides: dashed blue, draw them lightly
- Erase: dotted pink with an eraser
Step 1 of 10
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Step 1 of 10 Draw a tall light oval for the head and a light line straight down the middle of your paper. -
Step 2 of 10 Plan the arms with one light curvy line each: two curl down in front, two reach out to the sides and two wave up behind. Make the right side a mirror of the left. -
Step 3 of 10 Draw the head over the top of the oval. Make both sides curve the same way, and stop a little above the bottom of the oval. -
Step 4 of 10 Draw two big round eyes the same distance from the center line, with a dark pupil in each. Add a small smile on the center line. -
Step 5 of 10 Draw the two front arms around their guide lines. Each arm starts wide under the head and gets thinner as it curls out to a rounded point. -
Step 6 of 10 Draw the two side arms the same way. They are behind the front arms, so stop each line where it touches a front arm. -
Step 7 of 10 Draw the two back arms waving up. Start them at the side of the head and stop their lines at the arms in front. -
Step 8 of 10 Erase the guides: the head oval, the center line and the six arm lines. -
Step 9 of 10 Draw round suckers along the curled end of each arm. Make them smaller as the arm gets thinner. -
Step 10 of 10 Shade the right side of the head with short slanted lines: the light comes from the top left. Add a few spots on the head.
You did it!
Your drawing does not have to look like this one. Every artist draws a little differently.
Tips for this drawing
Helpful hints
- Draw the arm guide lines first and turn the paper as you go: curls are easier when your hand moves around them.
- Keep the two lines of each arm wide apart near the head and let them meet in a small round tip.
- Check your symmetry by holding the paper up to a mirror or a window.
Common mistakes
- The arms look like sausages with the same width all the way. Make each arm wide at the top and thin at the tip, so the two lines come closer and closer together.
- The back arms cross over the front arms. Draw the front arms first. When a back arm reaches a front arm, stop the line and start again on the other side if it shows.
- Eight arms in a row look like a comb. Give the arms different directions: two curling down, two out to the sides and two up. Two more can stay hidden behind.
Make it simpler
Draw the head, the eyes and smile, then six arms as single wavy lines that curl at the end. Thicken them later when you are ready.
Symmetry
The head, the eyes and the arms are the same on both sides of the center line. Draw an arm on the left, then its partner on the right as a mirror image.
Overlap
The two front arms are closest to you, so they are drawn first. The arms behind them stop where they meet a front arm, and every arm tucks under the head.
Tapering
Each arm is wide where it joins the body and gets thinner all the way to a curled point. Two lines that slowly come together make an arm look soft and bendy.
Light and shadow
Light comes from the top left, so the right side of the round head is in shadow. A few short lines along that edge make the head look round.
