How to Draw a Deer (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)

To draw a deer, start with an oval for the body. Add a head with a round nose and a long neck, then four thin legs with hooves. Finish with an ear, a face, white spots and a fluffy tail.

Finished cartoon fawn, light brown with white spots, a cream chest and belly, a pink inner ear, dark brown hooves and nose
The finished deer
Steps
6 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Light brown, dark brown, cream and pink crayons

Updated

Teaching this to a class?

Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.

How to draw a deer step by step

  1. A wide oval for the deer's body

    Step 1 of 6: Draw a wide oval for the body.

  2. A head with a small round nose on the left and a long neck curving down behind the body oval

    Step 2 of 6: Add a head with a small round nose and a long neck that goes down behind the body.

  3. Four thin legs under the body, each with a hoof line, and the bottom of the body redrawn between the legs

    Step 3 of 6: Draw four thin legs with hoof lines. Erase the body bottom between the legs and redraw it higher.

  4. A tall ear with an inner line over the back of the head, a round eye with a shine dot and a small smile

    Step 4 of 6: Add a tall ear over the back of the head, with a line inside. Add a round eye and a small smile.

  5. Seven small oval spots on the back of the body and a fluffy tail on the right

    Step 5 of 6: Draw seven small oval spots on the back and a fluffy tail on the right.

  6. The deer colored light brown with white spots, a cream chest, belly and muzzle, a pink inner ear and dark brown hooves and nose

    Step 6 of 6: Color the deer light brown, the chest cream, the inner ear pink and the hooves and nose dark brown.

Tips for little artists

  • Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.

  • Tip: Keep the legs long and thin. Thin legs make it look like a deer, not a dog.

  • Tip: Leave the spots white when you color, so they stand out on the brown coat.

Make it yours

  • Reindeer

    Add two branching antlers on top of the head and a red nose.

  • Deer in the forest

    Draw a few tall trees and some grass around the deer.

  • Sleeping fawn

    Fold the legs under the body and draw the eye as a curved line.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • The legs are too short

    Make each leg about as long as the body is tall, with a hoof line near the bottom.

  • The neck is too thick

    Draw the neck as two lines close together, so it is thinner than the head.

  • The spots cover the whole body

    Put the spots only on the back, in a loose group from the shoulder to the tail.

Fun facts about the deer

  • White-tailed deer babies are called fawns. They wear a reddish-brown coat with white spots that helps them blend in with the forest. (Source: National Geographic)

  • Only male white-tailed deer, called bucks, grow antlers. They grow a new set every year, and the antlers fall off in the winter. (Source: National Geographic)

  • Female white-tailed deer are called does. They give birth to one to three young at a time, usually in May or June. (Source: National Geographic)

Questions grown-ups ask

How to draw a very very easy deer?

Draw an oval body, a head with a long neck and four thin legs. Add an ear, a face, spots and a tail. The 6 steps above follow that order.

How to draw a deer easy step?

Start with the body, then the head and neck, the legs, the ear and face, and the spots and tail. Color it last.

How to make simple deer?

Use an oval for the body, a rounded head with a small nose and four thin legs. White spots and a fluffy tail make it a fawn.

If the legs came out different lengths, that's fine. Your deer is just stepping forward. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 6

A wide oval for the deer's body
Draw a wide oval for the body.