How to Draw a Giraffe (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)
To draw a giraffe, start with a head, two round horns and an ear. Add an eye and a smile, then a long neck and a body. Finish with four thin legs, a tail and patches.
- Steps
- 6 easy steps
- You need
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Black marker
- Yellow, brown, cream and pink crayons
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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 giraffe step by step
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Step 1 of 6: Draw a head with a round snout on the right, two horns with round tips and an ear on the left.
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Step 2 of 6: Add a round eye with a shine dot, a brow line, a nostril and a smile.
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Step 3 of 6: Draw a long neck going down into a round body. Erase the head line where the neck joins.
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Step 4 of 6: Add four thin legs with hooves and a tufted tail on the left. Erase the body line over the legs.
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Step 5 of 6: Draw ten round patches, four on the neck and six on the body.
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Step 6 of 6: Color it yellow, patches, horn tips, hooves and tail tuft brown, muzzle cream and inner ear pink.
Tips for little artists
Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.
Tip: Draw the neck tall and straight up from the body. A long neck makes it a giraffe.
Tip: Leave a little space between the patches so the yellow shows.
Make it yours
Giraffe eating leaves
Draw a tall tree next to the giraffe with leaves near its mouth.
Baby giraffe
Draw a second, smaller giraffe standing next to the big one.
Giraffe with a scarf
Wrap a striped scarf around the long neck.
Common mistakes and easy fixes
The neck is too short
Draw the neck at least as long as the legs.
The patches touch each other
Draw each patch as its own round shape with space around it.
The legs are too thick
Keep each leg thin and straight, with a small hoof at the bottom.
Fun facts about the giraffe
Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals. A giraffe's legs alone are about 6 feet tall. (Source: National Geographic)
A giraffe's tongue is about 21 inches long. It helps the giraffe pluck food from branches. (Source: National Geographic)
No two giraffes have the same spot pattern. Like human fingerprints, each giraffe's spots are unique. (Source: Smithsonian Movement of Life)
Questions grown-ups ask
How to draw an easy giraffe drawing?
Draw a head with two round horns and an ear, then a face. Add a long neck, a round body, four thin legs, a tail and round patches.
How to draw a giraffe for kids?
Start with the head, then the face, the neck and body, the legs and tail, and the patches. Color it yellow with brown patches last.
How to draw a giraffe head?
Draw a head with a round snout, two horns with round tips and an ear. Add an eye with a brow line, a nostril and a smile.
If your giraffe's neck came out extra long, that's fine. Your giraffe can see far away. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.