This easy elephant drawing takes six steps: a big circle for the head, a round ear, a long trunk that curls up at the end, an oval body, four thick legs and a little tail. Finish with an eye, a smile and the inner ear, and your elephant is done.
The elephant is seen from the side, facing left, so every part is a simple shape you already know. It is a great animal to start with if you are learning how to draw an elephant or any animal. The free PDF has the step sheet, a tracing page, a practice grid and a coloring page.
What’s in the free PDF
- Step-by-step sheet with 6 numbered steps; new lines are black, earlier lines are grey
- Tracing page with a large elephant in light grey to trace over
- Practice sheet with a small reference and two boxes with a light grid
- Coloring page with the finished elephant in bold outlines
How to draw an elephant step by step
- Head. Draw a big circle on the left side of your paper.
- Ear. Draw a tall oval over the right half of the head for the ear. Erase the part of the head circle that is inside the ear.
- Trunk. From the bottom left of the head, draw two long lines going down for the trunk. Join them at the bottom with a little curl that turns up.
- Body. Draw a big, wide oval to the right of the head. It starts behind the ear and is about twice as wide as the head.
- Legs and tail. Draw four thick legs under the body, each with a flat bottom and three small bumps for toenails. Add a thin tail on the right with a little tuft at the end.
- Face. Draw an eye with a dark pupil, a smile under it, and a curved line inside the ear.
The ear is what turns the circle into an elephant, so make it big. If your elephant looks like a mouse, the ear and trunk are probably too small.
Easy elephant drawing: common mistakes and fixes
- The trunk is too short. Let it hang down below the bottom of the head, almost to the middle of the legs.
- The legs are skinny. Elephant legs are thick and straight, like columns. Leave a small gap between the front pair and the back pair.
- The body is too small. Make the body about twice as wide as the head.
- The head line runs through the ear. Erase the part of the circle that sits inside the ear so the ear looks like it is in front.
Trace, practice, then color
Trace it first
If drawing freehand feels hard, start with the tracing page. Go over the grey lines with a pencil, pressing lightly, and you learn the shapes and their order without worrying about mistakes. Then try again on the practice sheet.
Practice on the grid
The practice sheet has a small finished elephant for reference and two boxes with a faint grid. Count how many squares wide and tall the reference is, then draw your elephant the same way. The grid keeps the parts the right size next to each other.
Color the finished drawing
Grey is the classic choice, but a pink or light blue elephant looks great for a nursery or a birthday card. Color the inside of the ear a shade of pink and the toenails white, and leave a small white dot in the eye.
Elephant drawing tips
- Draw the head and the body first, then check the size before adding legs.
- Give your elephant a hat, a balloon tied to its trunk or a little bird on its back.
- Draw a baby elephant next to it: the same shapes, just smaller and rounder.
- Add water spraying from the trunk for a fun summer picture.
Download the pages one by one
Prefer a single page? Click a link to open the full-size image, then print it or save it. The PDF with all pages and a cover is in the download box.
- How to draw an elephant: step-by-step sheet (PNG)
- an Elephant tracing page (PNG)
- an Elephant practice sheet with grid (PNG)
- an Elephant coloring page (PNG)
More to draw: how to draw a lion, how to draw a cow, 45 cute animal drawings and simple drawing ideas. For coloring, try our baby animal coloring pages.
FAQ
How do you draw an elephant easily?
Start with a circle for the head and a big oval for the body. Add a large ear, a long trunk, four thick legs and a little tail. Those six shapes are all you need.
How do you draw an elephant trunk?
Draw two lines down from the bottom of the head, a little apart at the top and closer at the bottom. Join them at the end with a small curl that bends up.
Why does my elephant look like a mouse?
The ear and the trunk give an elephant its shape. Make the ear big enough to cover half the head and let the trunk hang well below the chin.
What age is this elephant drawing for?
Kids from about age 5 can follow it with the tracing page. Older kids and adults can draw it on the practice grid and add their own details.
