Learn how to draw cute cartoon animals with these step by step guides. These tutorials are not only easy to follow, but they’re also suitable for kids and adults. Have fun deciding which tutorial to follow, they’re all great!
I hope you have great fun choosing which cartoon animals you will draw.
1. Cartoon Hippo
This cute cartoon hippo is such a happy smiling creature it is the perfect place to start. You couldnt find a cuter cartoon animal to draw. His smile is infectious and however many times I draw him he just makes me smile.
By making each step very simple the drawing becomes much easier. Proportions arent so important when you are drawing cartoons but it is good to keep the overall shape of the body looking fairly round. The little details in the ears really shape the face somehow and the upturned tail just emphasises the cartoon hippos smile.
2. Cartoon Whale
Even a cartoon whale can be cute. This whale is obviously full of love and the blushing smile works perfectly. You can stretch and change the overall size if the body to fit any shape. This really is the most simple cartoon animal to draw. Use your imagination to create different versions of the same whale with different expressions to show their emotions.
3. Cartoon Crab
This cartoon crab is a little more complicated, but it is great fun to draw. All of the drawing is made from simple shapes so just take it step by step and you will soon find it easy. Exaggerating the claws, legs or the eyes can create more different cartoon crabs really easily too.
4. Cartoon Hedgehog
Drawing a cartoon hedgehog is a different challenge to some of the cartoon drawings above. Instead of smooth lines you need to draw the spikes of the hedgehog somehow. This is the way I found easiest. First get the shape of the face right. That cute nose that turns slightly upwards helps to frame the hedgehogs smile.
Think of the spines like fur but keep it a little more pointy. You can draw a guide line if you need to then erase it as you add more spines. Always think about the directions the spines grow in. Because of the huge pupils the eyes will always look mainly black with a little reflection.
Finally add the feet and then the ears with their small detailing to give the hedgehogs face its final shape.
5. Cartoon Husky
A dog might seem a complex animal to draw, but when you are drawing a cartoon dog it is easy to break it down into simple shapes. Take it step by step and you will see how easy it can be.
6. Cartoon Pug
Pugs are dogs with real character and you can see how its body shape is slightly different to the Husky above. The overall template is fairly similar though and it shows how small changes can make a big difference to the look of the final cartoon drawing.
7. Cartoon Bunny
The face, ears and tail give this cartoon rabbit its mischevous character. Try to draw a few different versions with the nose and mouth drawn in different sizes to explore how different you can make it look. Using different colors can change the whole feel of the drawing too.
8. Cartoon Mouse
This mouse is another really simple cartoon drawing too. Anyone can do this. Just enjoy playing with the design. It is fairly easy to wrap the shape of the body around other things in a drawing too. drawing the mouse climbing the stairs or reaching up to get some food will add a context to the drawing. You can expand it to show an expanding world around the mouse, or an ever growing family of mice.
9. Cartoon Cow
This cartoon cow really does show you how easy you can make any cartoon animal. Everything is kept very simple with a style reminiscent of simple stick figures. Yes you can make it more complicated in many ways, but it isnt necessary. The simple shapes and curves all fit together in a very simple way and make it easy to create lots of variations on the basic design.
10. Cartoon Elephant
Our last animal of this post is an elephant. It is easy enough for you to draw a whole herd together. Don’t forget to make some bigger and some smaller. Elephants always travel in herds of difefrent ages and their size is an easy way to show that. Give the bigger ones some longer tusks too. Why not try drawing the head tilted more backwards so you can draw the elephant with it trunk reaching up into some trees?
Some final thoughts
You can create a whole menagerie of cartoon animals using methods like this. Keeping things simple is a great way to increase your confidence as well as your drawing skills. Try drawing a lion or tiger when you feel ready. Even animals like a giraffe wont take you long.
It’s great to experiment with the animals expressions and the way they are standing or sitting. All of these things will help you improve your drawing and painting. Enjoy creating them and keep experimenting until you get the style exactly how you want.
