How to draw a dino - a free dino drawing guide
Draw a dinosaur step-by-step using basic shapes, outlines, texture, and shading. Practice proportions, limb placement, patterns, and adding realistic details confidently.
Photos of dinosaur drawing examples
Step-by-step guide to draw a dinosaur
How to Draw a Cute Dinosaur Step by Step | Dinosaur Drawing Tutorial for Kids and Beginners
Step 1
Lightly sketch a big oval for the body and a smaller circle for the head with a faint line connecting them for the neck.
Step 2
Draw a long curving tail that comes out from the back of the body oval.
Step 3
Add two short vertical guide lines under the body to mark where the front and back legs will attach.
Step 4
Draw a thick hind leg over the back guide with three rounded toes.
Step 5
Draw a smaller front leg over the front guide with tiny claws.
Step 6
Draw a smooth neck outline connecting the head and body following your faint guide.
Step 7
Add a curved jaw line on the head to form the mouth shape.
Step 8
Draw a round eye on the head to give your dino personality.
Step 9
Add a tiny nostril mark near the snout.
Step 10
Refine the dinosaur’s outer silhouette by smoothing edges and adding a rounded belly curve.
Step 11
Add texture by drawing spikes along the back or rows of small curved scales on the body.
Step 12
Draw a fun pattern of spots or stripes across the body.
Step 13
Shade under the belly legs and tail with your pencil to create shadows and softly smudge for a smoother look.
Step 14
Trace the final outlines with a black fineliner or darker pencil to make your drawing pop.
Step 15
Erase any remaining pencil guidelines and share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use instead of a black fineliner or blending stump if I don't have them?
Trace the final outlines with a darker pencil or a fine-tip permanent marker instead of a black fineliner, and use a tissue, fingertip, or cotton swab to softly smudge the pencil shading when you don't have a blending stump.
My dino's neck or legs look wrong — how do I fix the proportions without ruining the drawing?
Lightly erase the faint oval, circle, or neck guide and redraw the connecting line and leg guide marks until the head, body, and leg placement look balanced before refining the dinosaur’s outer silhouette.
How can I change the activity for a preschooler versus an older child or teen?
For preschoolers, pre-draw the big body oval, head circle, and guide lines for them to fill in tail, legs, and simple spots, while older kids can add detailed spikes, rows of scales, shading under the belly/legs/tail, and trace with a fineliner for a polished finish.
What are simple ways to make my dino drawing more unique or longer-lasting?
Personalize by inventing spike patterns or stripes, add a colored background or fossils, shade under the belly and legs more deeply, and trace in fineliner before erasing guidelines and sharing the finished creation on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to draw a dinosaur
Draw ALL These Dinosaurs! 🖍️ Easy & Fun Step-by-Step for Kids!
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Draw ALL These Dinosaurs! 🖍️ Easy & Fun Step-by-Step for Kids!
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Facts about drawing techniques for kids
🦖 Dinosaurs first appeared about 230 million years ago during the Triassic period.
🎨 Paleoartists combine science and imagination to reconstruct how dinosaurs might have looked in life.
🦴 Fossils form when bones are slowly replaced by minerals — that's how paleontologists study ancient skeletons.
🪶 Many theropod dinosaurs (the group that includes T. rex) are now thought to have had feathers or feather-like coverings.
📏 Dinosaurs came in all sizes: some were as small as chickens while the biggest sauropods reached over 100 feet long.
