How to draw an octopus
An octopus is a round head with eight curly arms. Get a pencil and paper, and tap Next for each line.
Step 1 of 8. Draw a big round head, like a balloon.
All 8 steps
Here is every step at once. The blue lines are the new ones; the dark lines are already on your paper. Draw lightly at first, so you can rub out a line you don’t like.
1. Draw a big round head, like a balloon.
2. Add two big eyes low on the head.
3. Put a dot in each eye and draw a small smile.
4. Draw two curly arms going out to the sides.
5. Add two more arms curling down beside them.
6. Draw two arms curling down in the middle.
7. Add the last two arms, tucked between the others.
8. Draw little circles along the arms for suckers.
A tip for drawing an octopus
Draw the arms in pairs, one on the left and its twin on the right, and count as you go so you finish with eight. Each arm starts wide at the head and gets thinner to a curled tip. Let them curl different ways so it looks like it is moving.
Change it up
Once your octopus is down, make it yours:
- Give it a different thing to hold in each arm.
- Draw it hiding in a pot.
- Colour it to match the rocks around it.
Draw another
More in animals, or see all 40 things to draw. Want to draw freehand instead? The Art Studio has crayons, paint and a fridge to hang it on.
How it was made: Peabody drew this octopus in code, line by line, from its own shapes; it is not traced from anyone’s lesson or picture, and it is nobody’s character. Checked 6 November 2026.