How to Draw an Elephant: Easy 10-Step Guide for Kids

Ready to bring a majestic elephant to life? This tutorial is designed for young artists ages 5 and up, using only a pencil, paper, and an eraser. Follow these simple steps to master basic shapes and build confidence in your drawing skills.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A friendly, completed elephant outline drawing, perfect for kids to color.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Head and Eyes

Pencil sketch showing the initial outline of an elephant's forehead and eyes with simple curved lines.

Start by drawing the elephant's brow ridges and the side of the trunk using soft, curved lines. For the eyes, draw a small oval inside a larger one. Tip: Keep the eyes centered on the face to give your elephant a friendly, approachable expression.

Step 2: Defining the Face and Trunk

Drawing the elephant's facial structure and trunk base using smooth, continuous curved lines.

Use overlapping curved lines to connect the sides of the face to the trunk. Tip: Imagine the trunk as a gentle 'S' curve; keeping it fluid makes the elephant look more natural.

Step 3: Adding Tusks and Ears

Adding the elephant's tusks and large ear flap to the existing head sketch.

Extend curved lines from the trunk to form the tusks, then draw a large, sweeping curve for the ear. Tip: Make the ear large—elephants use them to stay cool, so don't be afraid to make them nice and wide!

Step 4: Shaping the Body

Sketching the elephant's chest and front leg using a Y-shaped guide line.

Draw a 'Y' shaped line below the head to establish the chest and the start of the front leg. Tip: This is the anchor point for the rest of the body, so keep your lines steady.

Step 5: Drawing the Legs and Belly

Adding the elephant's belly and rear leg with toenail details.

Outline the belly and the rear leg using long, sweeping curves. Add small, irregular circles at the bottom for the toenails. Tip: Elephants have thick, sturdy legs—draw them slightly wider at the bottom.

Step 6: Completing the Back and Rump

Connect the back and rump with a long, smooth curve. This helps define the elephant's large, rounded silhouette. Tip: Try to draw this in one continuous motion for a cleaner look.

Step 7: Adding the Remaining Legs

Adding the back legs to the elephant drawing to create a sense of depth.

Draw the far-side legs using similar curved shapes to give your elephant depth. Tip: Keep these slightly smaller than the front legs to show perspective.

Step 8: Adding the Tail

Adding a tail with a hairy tuft to the elephant's backside.

Draw a thin tail with a tuft of hair at the end using jagged, short lines. Tip: Use quick, flicking motions with your pencil to make the hair look realistic and textured.

Step 9: Refining the Details

Adding fine details like wrinkles to the elephant's trunk and knees.

Add small wrinkles to the trunk, knees, and ears using short, curved lines. Tip: Less is more! A few well-placed lines suggest texture without cluttering your drawing.

Step 10: Final Coloring

The finished elephant drawing, ready for coloring with gray and brown tones.

Your outline is complete! Color your elephant in shades of gray or brown. Tip: Use a darker gray for the shadows under the belly and ears to make your elephant look 3D.