How to draw a starfish
A starfish is a star with soft, round points. Get a pencil and paper, and tap Next for each line.
Step 1 of 6. Draw one arm pointing up, like a tall rounded hill.
All 6 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 one arm pointing up, like a tall rounded hill.
2. Add an arm on each side, pointing up and out.
3. Draw the two bottom arms to close the star.
4. Add two dot eyes and a smile in the middle.
5. Draw a row of dots down each arm.
6. Add some sand dots and a little shell beside it.
A tip for drawing a starfish
Make the tips of the arms round, not sharp, and make each arm fat where it joins the middle. If the five arms come out different lengths, that is fine: a real sea star is often a bit lopsided, and it still looks right.
Change it up
Once your starfish is down, make it yours:
- Give it stripes instead of dots.
- Draw it on a rock with seaweed.
- Draw a small one next to a big one.
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 starfish 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.