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A rainbow with six stripes, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, arching between two white clouds.
The finished drawing.

How to draw

How to Draw a Rainbow

  • Starter (level 1 of 5)
  • 8 min
  • 5 steps
  • Ages 3–7 (a guide, not a rule)
Start Drawing Draw on Screen Print

Draw on paper: Paper, Pencil. Optional: Eraser, Crayons or markers in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Draw it on the screen

Start with a bumpy cloud in each bottom corner. Then draw curved lines like bridges from one cloud to the other, each one a little smaller. The spaces between the lines become stripes to color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Rather color it? Print the rainbow coloring page.

Step by step

  • New lines: purple, thick and glowing
  • Lines you already drew: gray
  1. Step 1 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 1 of 5 Draw a bumpy cloud in the bottom left corner of your paper.
  2. Step 2 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 2 of 5 Draw another bumpy cloud in the bottom right corner.
  3. Step 3 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 3 of 5 Draw a big curved line, like a bridge, from the left cloud to the right cloud.
  4. Step 4 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 4 of 5 Draw a smaller curve just under the first one.
  5. Step 5 diagram, with the new lines highlighted
    Step 5 of 5 Draw five more curves under it, each one a little smaller than the last.
A rainbow with six stripes, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, arching between two white clouds.

You did it!

Your drawing does not have to look like this one. Every artist draws a little differently.

Color it on screen Print a practice sheet

Tips for this drawing

Helpful hints

  • Leave the same small gap between the curves, about as wide as your finger.
  • Start each new curve on the cloud, just inside the last one.
  • Color the stripes from the top down: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

Common mistakes

  • The curves bump into each other at the top. Keep the gap the same all the way over, like train tracks.
  • The curves go right through the clouds. Stop each curve as soon as it reaches a cloud.

Make it simpler

Draw the two clouds and only four curves. Color the three wide stripes red, yellow and blue.

Practice first: Cloud.

  • A fluffy light blue cloud with three round bumps on top, two dot eyes, pink cheeks and a smile.

    Cloud

    Starter (level 1 of 5) 5 min Ages 3–6
  • A smiling yellow sun with eight short rays around it.

    Sun

    Starter (level 1 of 5) 5 min Ages 3–6
  • A 3D paper rainbow on light blue paper: six arches from red on the outside to purple on the inside, with a white paper cloud at each end.

    Paper-Strip Rainbow

    Starter (level 1 of 5) 20 min Ages 4–9 Paper craft Rainbow strip template, printed Scissors Glue Adult help suggested