Octopus Drawing: Easy Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
In this guide
Eight arms sounds like a lot of drawing — until you realize every single one is just a wiggly line with a curl at the end. That’s the whole trick that makes an octopus drawing easy: one soft dome for the head, then eight relaxed noodle-arms drifting out from under it. No two arms need to match, no line needs to be straight, and wobbles genuinely improve it. This might be the most forgiving animal in the sea. 🐙
Octopuses also come with built-in cuteness: big round eyes, squishy cheeks, and arms that can wave, curl, or hold tiny treasures. If underwater friends are your favorite, our easy jellyfish drawing uses the same drifty, wiggly magic.
Deep breath — we’re diving in.
What You’ll Need
- Paper (any kind works)
- A pencil
- An eraser
- Markers or crayons for coloring (optional)
Step 1: Draw the Dome Head
Start with a big dome in the upper half of your page — like an upside-down bowl, or a water balloon resting on a table. Make it taller than a half-circle, with soft bulging sides, and leave the bottom edge open for now. Octopus heads are wonderfully squishy, so avoid anything too neat.
Step 2: Curve the Bottom Edge
Close the bottom of the dome with a gently wavy line that dips up in the middle, like curtains tied at both sides. This is where the arms will sprout from, and the soft wave keeps the body looking like it’s floating rather than sitting on a shelf. Nothing about an octopus should feel stiff.
Step 3: Start the First Two Arms
From each side of the body, draw an arm: two flowing lines that wiggle downward and curl at the tip like a fern or a party ribbon. Make each arm thicker where it leaves the body and skinnier toward the curl. These outer arms set the mood for the rest — relaxed, curly, and a little dramatic.
Step 4: Fill In the Middle Arms
Add more arms across the bottom edge, letting them wiggle in different directions — some curling left, some right, one maybe waving straight up in a friendly hello. You’re aiming for eight total, but only five or six are usually visible from the front, and that’s completely correct: the rest are hiding behind. Vary the lengths so no two arms match.
Step 5: Dot the Suckers
Along the inner curve of the two or three front arms, add a line of small circles — the suckers. You don’t need to cover every arm; dotting just the front few reads perfectly and keeps things quick. Think of them as buttons running down each sleeve.
Step 6: Add the Sweet Face
In the lower half of the dome, draw two big round eyes set wide apart, each with a white shine circle inside. Between and slightly below them, add a tiny mouth — a small w shape or a simple curve both look adorable — plus two blush circles out near the edges. Big, wide-set eyes are the secret to maximum octopus charm.
Step 7: Build the Underwater Scene
Give your new friend a home: a few circles of different sizes bubbling up from beside the head, a strand or two of wavy seaweed, and a soft sandy line below with a starfish or shell. If an arm is free, let it hold something — a tiny treasure chest or a pearl gives your octopus a whole personality.
Step 8: Color the Deep
Coral pink, lilac purple, and sunset orange are all gorgeous octopus shades — pick one main color and shade the underside of the arms a touch darker. Make the suckers a lighter tint, keep the eye shines white, and wash the background in the palest blue. Your eight-armed buddy is officially home. ✨
Tips to Make Your Octopus Drawing Even Cuter
- Give it a tiny sailor hat perched sideways on the dome — instant sea captain.
- Let each arm hold something different: a pencil, a cookie, a flower, a tiny flag.
- Draw heart-shaped bubbles rising from an octopus in love.
- Make a mini version with just three visible arms for a pocket-sized doodle.
- Try a sleepy octopus with closed-curve eyes drifting among the seaweed.
FAQ
Is an octopus hard to draw?
It looks complicated because of the arms, but each one is just a wiggly line — and mismatched, uneven arms actually look more natural. It’s easier than most four-legged animals.
Do I have to draw all eight arms?
Nope! From the front you’d only see five or six anyway, so drawing fewer is actually more accurate. Nobody’s counting underwater.
How long does an octopus drawing take?
About 15 minutes with the face and suckers, or 25 with a full underwater scene. The arms go faster than you’d think.
Eight arms of pure charm, all drawn by you — give yourself a round of applause (your octopus certainly could). For bubbly draw-along videos, float over to our YouTube channel at Hobbies for Fun. And to grow your reef of sea friends, our easy crab drawing adds the perfect pinchy neighbor. 🐾
