How to draw
How to Draw a Unicorn
- Growing (level 3 of 5)
- 25 min
- 15 steps
- Ages 6–10 (a guide, not a rule)
Draw on paper: Paper, Pencil. Optional: Eraser, Pink, purple, blue, yellow and lavender crayons, colored pencils or markers.
Draw it on the screen
A unicorn is a make-believe horse with one long horn. Its head is built from two guides: a circle for the top of the head and an oval for the nose. An oval makes the body and four lines place the legs. The mane lies on top of the neck and the horn sits on the forehead, so those lines go in front.
Rather color it? Print the unicorn 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 15
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Step 1 of 15 Draw a circle for the head near the top left of your paper, and a smaller oval for the nose below and to the left of it. Press lightly. -
Step 2 of 15 Draw a long oval for the body, down and to the right of the head. -
Step 3 of 15 Draw four light lines down to the ground for the legs: two near the front and two near the back. -
Step 4 of 15 Draw the head around both guides: the forehead, the long nose, a round chin and the jaw back under the head. -
Step 5 of 15 Add a pointy ear on top of the head and a long, thin horn in front of it, on the forehead. -
Step 6 of 15 Add an oval eye, a small curve for the nostril and a smile. -
Step 7 of 15 Draw the mane behind the ear: three wavy locks down the back of the neck. Join each lock to the neck with a curved line. -
Step 8 of 15 Draw the front of the neck down to the chest. Then draw the back from the bottom of the mane along the top of the body oval. -
Step 9 of 15 Draw the near front leg around the leg line nearest the head, with a hoof at the bottom. -
Step 10 of 15 Draw the near back leg around the line nearest the tail, and a curve above it for the thigh. -
Step 11 of 15 Join the two legs with the tummy line. -
Step 12 of 15 Draw the two far legs on the middle lines. They are behind, so each one stops where it meets a near leg. -
Step 13 of 15 Draw a long, wavy tail flowing down from the back end, with a pointed tip. -
Step 14 of 15 Erase the guides: the head circle, the nose oval, the body oval and the four leg lines. -
Step 15 of 15 Finish with details: stripes around the horn, eyelashes, a line in the tail and a line across the top of each hoof.
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
- Keep all the guides light so they are easy to erase.
- Draw the horn as a long, thin triangle. A short, wide horn looks like a party hat.
- Give each lock of the mane and tail a wavy outside edge, like a ribbon.
Common mistakes
- The horn grows out of the ear. Put the horn on the forehead, in front of the ear, pointing up and a little forward.
- The neck line goes through the mane. The mane is in front of the neck. Draw the mane first and leave the back of the neck hidden under it.
- All four legs are drawn in full and the unicorn looks like it has a crowd of legs. Draw the near legs first, then only the slice of each far leg that peeks out behind.
Make it simpler
Draw one lock for the mane, two legs and a simple wavy tail. Leave out the far legs and the stripes on the horn.
Guide shapes
A circle and an oval make the head, a big oval makes the body and four lines place the legs. You draw around them, then erase them.
Overlap
The mane lies over the back of the neck and the near legs stand in front of the far legs. Draw the front part first; lines behind it stop at its edge.
