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how to draw a chipmunk

How to draw a chipmunk - a free chipmunk drawing guide

Draw a friendly chipmunk step-by-step using simple shapes, shading, and texture. Learn proportions, fur techniques, and practice observational drawing skills.

Table of contents

Drawing Apps

Photos of chipmunk drawing examples

Step-by-step guide to draw a chipmunk

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How to Draw a Chipmunk

What you need

Paper, pencil, eraser, sharpener, coloring materials (crayons colored pencils or markers), blending tool (cotton swab or tissue), reference picture of a chipmunk

Step 1

Gather your materials.

Step 2

Place your paper and your chipmunk reference picture where you can see both easily.

Step 3

Lightly draw a circle near the top third of the paper for the chipmunk's head.

Step 4

Sketch a slightly larger oval that touches the bottom of the head circle for the body.

Step 5

Draw a light vertical and horizontal guideline inside the head to mark where the eyes and nose go.

Step 6

Draw two rounded ear shapes on top of the head circle.

Step 7

Draw two round eyes on the horizontal guideline and add tiny white highlights inside them.

Step 8

Draw a small oval nose at the bottom center of the head.

Step 9

Draw a short curved line under the nose to make a smiling mouth.

Step 10

Draw two puffy cheek shapes on each side of the face.

Step 11

Draw simple front and back legs under the body and add a big bushy tail off the back.

Step 12

Add thin curved stripes on the back and a short stripe on each cheek.

Step 13

Add fur texture with short pencil strokes that follow the curves of the body and tail.

Step 14

Shade lightly under the chin belly and tail using soft strokes and blend gently with a cotton swab or tissue to make the chipmunk look round.

Step 15

Take a photo or scan your finished chipmunk and share it on DIY.org.

Help!?

We don't have cotton swabs or tissues for blending—what can we use instead?

Use a clean fingertip, a folded piece of paper towel, or a tortillon/blending stump to gently blend the shading under the chin, belly, and tail.

My chipmunk's face looks crooked—how do I fix proportions or placement of the eyes and nose?

Lightly erase and reposition the head circle or body oval so the oval touches the bottom of the head circle, then redraw the vertical guideline inside the head to realign the eyes and small oval nose at the bottom center.

How can I adapt this drawing for a younger child or an older child who wants more challenge?

For younger children, pre-draw the circle, oval, and basic guidelines for them to trace and add simple eyes and ears, while older kids can add detailed fur strokes, thin curved stripes on the back and cheeks, richer shading with a cotton swab, and scan the result for sharing on DIY.org.

What are easy ways to make the chipmunk drawing more interesting or personal?

Color the chipmunk with colored pencils or watercolors, create a forest background, change the stripe pattern on the back and cheeks, or add accessories like a hat before taking the photo to upload to DIY.org.

Watch videos on how to draw a chipmunk

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Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

How to Draw a Chipmunk Step by Step

4 Videos

Facts about animal drawing for kids

🐿️ Chipmunks are small ground squirrels famous for the dark and light stripes on their backs.

🧺 Chipmunks have expandable cheek pouches that let them carry lots of food to store for winter.

✏️ Cross-hatching is a drawing technique that artists use to build up shading and texture—great for fur!

🔵 Artists often start with simple shapes like circles and ovals to get an animal's proportions right.

👀 Practicing quick observational sketches for 10–15 minutes a day helps you notice tiny details that make drawings come alive.

How do you draw a friendly chipmunk step-by-step?

Start with simple shapes: draw a circle for the head and an oval for the body, connect them with a short neck line. Add guidelines for eye placement and a small triangle for the nose. Sketch ears, short legs, and a bushy tail using flowing curved lines. Block in the cheek stripes and basic fur direction. Refine outlines, erase guidelines, then add short pencil strokes for fur texture and soft shading to show volume. Finish with a tiny white highlight in the eye.

What materials do I need to draw a chipmunk?

Gather basic drawing supplies: a few pencils (HB for sketching, 2B–4B for darker lines and shading), a kneaded eraser, a sharpener, and medium-weight drawing paper. Optional but helpful: blending stump or cotton swab for smooth shading, a fine mechanical pencil for details, colored pencils or watercolor for color, and a printed photo reference. A clipboard or drawing board keeps paper steady and textured paper helps create believable fur.

What ages is this chipmunk drawing activity suitable for?

This activity adapts to many ages: preschoolers (4–6) can create a simple, friendly chipmunk using large shapes with adult help. Elementary kids (7–11) can follow step-by-step guides and practice basic shading. Tweens and teens (12+) can work on proportions, fur techniques, and observational shading for realism. Adjust complexity, time, and supervision to match fine-motor skills and attention span.

What are the benefits and fun variations of drawing a chipmunk?

Drawing a chipmunk boosts observation, fine motor control, and patience while teaching proportion, texture, and shading. It encourages creativity and confidence as kids experiment with expressions and poses. Variations include cartoon or exaggerated chipmunks, realistic studies from photos, colored-pencil or watercolor versions, and drawing a family of chipmunks to practice scale and composition. Use non-toxic supplies and supervise sharp tools for safety.

Ready to create?

All Activities

how to draw a chipmunk

How to draw a chipmunk - a free chipmunk drawing guide

Draw a friendly chipmunk step-by-step using simple shapes, shading, and texture. Learn proportions, fur techniques, and practice observational drawing skills.

Table of contents

Drawing Apps

Photos of chipmunk drawing examples

Step-by-step guide to draw a chipmunk

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

How to Draw a Chipmunk

What you need

Paper, pencil, eraser, sharpener, coloring materials (crayons colored pencils or markers), blending tool (cotton swab or tissue), reference picture of a chipmunk

Step 1

Gather your materials.

Step 2

Place your paper and your chipmunk reference picture where you can see both easily.

Step 3

Lightly draw a circle near the top third of the paper for the chipmunk's head.

Step 4

Sketch a slightly larger oval that touches the bottom of the head circle for the body.

Step 5

Draw a light vertical and horizontal guideline inside the head to mark where the eyes and nose go.

Step 6

Draw two rounded ear shapes on top of the head circle.

Step 7

Draw two round eyes on the horizontal guideline and add tiny white highlights inside them.

Step 8

Draw a small oval nose at the bottom center of the head.

Step 9

Draw a short curved line under the nose to make a smiling mouth.

Step 10

Draw two puffy cheek shapes on each side of the face.

Step 11

Draw simple front and back legs under the body and add a big bushy tail off the back.

Step 12

Add thin curved stripes on the back and a short stripe on each cheek.

Step 13

Add fur texture with short pencil strokes that follow the curves of the body and tail.

Step 14

Shade lightly under the chin belly and tail using soft strokes and blend gently with a cotton swab or tissue to make the chipmunk look round.

Step 15

Take a photo or scan your finished chipmunk and share it on DIY.org.

Help!?

We don't have cotton swabs or tissues for blending—what can we use instead?

Use a clean fingertip, a folded piece of paper towel, or a tortillon/blending stump to gently blend the shading under the chin, belly, and tail.

My chipmunk's face looks crooked—how do I fix proportions or placement of the eyes and nose?

How can I adapt this drawing for a younger child or an older child who wants more challenge?

What are easy ways to make the chipmunk drawing more interesting or personal?

Watch videos on how to draw a chipmunk

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

How to Draw a Chipmunk Step by Step

4 Videos

Facts about animal drawing for kids

🐿️ Chipmunks are small ground squirrels famous for the dark and light stripes on their backs.

🧺 Chipmunks have expandable cheek pouches that let them carry lots of food to store for winter.

✏️ Cross-hatching is a drawing technique that artists use to build up shading and texture—great for fur!

🔵 Artists often start with simple shapes like circles and ovals to get an animal's proportions right.

👀 Practicing quick observational sketches for 10–15 minutes a day helps you notice tiny details that make drawings come alive.