How to Draw a Cartoon Giraffe

Did you know that a giraffe is the world's tallest living land animal? These super quick creatures are fun to watch for sure, but learning how to draw a cartoon giraffe can be a treat too!

In just five steps, we'll show you how to draw this cartoon giraffe. You can draw this cartoon freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out the page to get a closer look at each step.

On each page, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it. Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in gray.

Ready to get started? All you need is some paper and a pencil with which to draw a few basic shapes, as you'll see on the next page.

1. Start with Some Basic Shapes

Start with an oval-shaped body that is drawn at an angle. Attach two upside-down J-shapes for the neck. Use a circle for the head. Form the snout with two straight lines and an oval with one flat side.

Right now our giraffe is just floating in the air, so in the next step, we'll give him some legs.

2. Add the Face and Legs

Add circles for the eyes. Sketch a V-shape lying on its side for the nose. Use two ovals (one pointed and one flattened on the bottom) and parallel lines for the horns. Draw a half circle for the chin. Connect a very short curved line to the top of a much longer curved line for the smile.

Form each front leg with a U-shape, two short lines, an oval, two longer lines, and a circle. Place a curved rectangle under each front leg for the hoof. For the rear legs, sketch L-shapes and ovals. Add curved triangles for the hooves.

3. Draw the Mane and Tail

Use curved lines, J-shapes, and curved V-shapes for the eyelids, irises, pupils, and nostrils. Form the ears with U-shapes. Place a short curved line between the two horns. Attach small U-shapes to form the mane.

Finish the bottom of the mane with a short curved line. Connect an odd-shaped oval to a long curved V-shape for the tail. Use lines, V-shapes, and L-shapes (all curved) to shape the belly, chest, legs, and hooves.

4. Add Spots

Place odd-shaped ovals (some partial) on the body, neck, and head for the spots. Connect the bottoms of five curved lines to show tail hairs. Form hair on the horns using very short lines. Add comma-shaped eyebrows. Draw a curved line in the ear on your left.

5. Finish with Shading

Darken the eyebrows, pupils, nose, and part of each hoof. Use short parallel lines to partially darken the spots.

You did it! Your giraffe is all set and ready to graze.

With our next drawing exercise, let your imagination guide you as you draw a very unique Halloween character. Learn how to draw a cartoon vampire.

See all How to Draw articles.

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