How to Draw an Otter (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)
To draw an otter, start with a round head and two small ears. Add a face with whiskers, then a pear shaped body. Finish with paws holding a shell, two round feet and a long tail.
- Steps
- 6 easy steps
- You need
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Black marker
- Brown, light tan, dark brown, pink and light gray 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 an otter step by step
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Step 1 of 6: Draw a wide round head with a small round ear on each side of the top.
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Step 2 of 6: Add two black eyes with shine dots, a rounded nose, a curly smile and three whiskers on each side.
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Step 3 of 6: Draw a big pear shaped body under the head, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.
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Step 4 of 6: Add two curved paws with two claw lines each, holding a small scallop shell with four ridge lines.
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Step 5 of 6: Draw two round feet with a big pad and three toe pads each and a tail. Erase body lines in the feet.
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Step 6 of 6: Color it brown, face, belly, inner ears light tan, nose and pads dark brown, cheeks pink, shell gray.
Tips for little artists
Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.
Tip: Make the head almost as wide as the bottom of the body so the otter looks cuddly.
Tip: Draw the feet low and wide so the otter looks like it is sitting.
Make it yours
Floating otter
Draw the otter lying on its back with blue waves around it.
Otter with a fish
Draw a small fish in the paws instead of the shell.
Otter friends
Draw a second otter next to the first one, holding paws.
Common mistakes and easy fixes
The head looks too small
Make the head nearly as wide as the bottom of the body.
The shell hides the paws
Draw the paws first, then fit the shell between them.
The tail looks like a leg
Start the tail at the side of the body and curve it up and out.
Fun facts about the otter
Sea otters may use a rock to crack open hard shelled food like clams and crabs. (Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium)
Sea otters have pockets of loose skin under each forearm where they stash food during a dive. (Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium)
Unlike whales and seals, sea otters have no blubber, so they rely on dense fur and a high metabolism to stay warm. (Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Questions grown-ups ask
How to draw an otter easy?
Draw a round head with ears, then a face and a pear shaped body. Add paws holding a shell, two round feet and a tail.
How to draw an otter step by step?
Draw the head, the face, the body, the paws and shell, and the feet and tail. Color it brown with a light tan face and belly last.
How to draw an otter for kids?
Use a circle for the head and a pear shape for the body. A shell in the paws makes it look like a sea otter.
If your otter came out extra round, that's fine. Your otter looks ready for a nap. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.