How to Draw an Elephant in 5 Steps

With its distinctive trunk and tusks -- not to mention its impressive size -- an elephant is a great addition to the cast of creatures you can learn to sketch.

In this section, we’ll show you how to draw the above elephant. Either draw it freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

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. We’ll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

1. Draw Two Circles

Draw an oval for the body and an overlapping circle for the head.

Legs are next -- and don't forget those floppy ears...

2. Add Ears and Legs

Draw four slightly curved rectangular shapes for the legs. Then add two triangles with rounded corners for the ears.

A tail and a trunk will make your elephant come to life. Find out how to add them on the next page.

3. Draw a Trunk and a Tail

Sketch some curved lines for the tail and trunk. Put an oval shape at the end of the tail, and add two boomerang shapes next to the trunk for the tusks, one on each side.

A few final details will perfect your elephant.

4. Add the Details

Draw ovals for the eyes and the pupils. Add some curved lines below the trunk and tusks to show the mouth. Put in some details on the ears and toes. Draw eyelashes and some hair on the head.

On the last step, you'll clean up and perfect your elephant.

5. Trace the Lines

Use a felt-tip pen to trace over the lines you want to keep in the drawing, and erase the extra pencil lines.

You did it! Step back and look at your finished drawing. Then color it with crayons, colored pencils, markers, or even paint.

Next, we'll show you how to sketch a real swinger. Step-by-step instructions for drawing a monkey start on the next page.

See all How to Draw articles.

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