How to draw a jellyfish - a free jellyfish drawing guide
Draw a jellyfish step by step using simple shapes, add flowing tentacles, texture, and colors to create a cheerful underwater creature.
Photos of jellyfish drawing examples
Step-by-step guide to draw a jellyfish
How to Draw a Jellyfish for Kids Easy & Fun Step by Step Tutorial
Step 1
Place your paper flat and get your pencil and eraser ready.
Step 2
Draw a large rounded dome or semi-circle near the top of the paper for the jellyfish’s bell.
Step 3
Draw two round eyes and a small curved smile inside the lower front of the bell.
Step 4
Draw one or two gentle curved lines under the bell to show the jellyfish’s inner folds.
Step 5
Draw three long wavy lines from the bottom of the bell for flowing tentacles.
Step 6
Draw three shorter wavy or ribbon-like lines between the long tentacles for frilly tentacles.
Step 7
Add tiny dots or short curved marks on the bell to make fun texture.
Step 8
Trace the bell eyes mouth tentacles and texture marks with your black marker or pen.
Step 9
Erase the pencil lines that you no longer need so only the marker drawing shows.
Step 10
Color the bell tentacles and background with bright cheerful colors.
Step 11
Share a photo of your finished cheerful jellyfish 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!?
If I don't have a black marker or pen to trace the jellyfish, what can I use instead?
Use a dark colored pencil, ballpoint pen, or fine-tip crayon to trace the bell, eyes, mouth, tentacles, and texture marks and then erase the pencil lines as instructed in the 'Erase the pencil lines...' step.
My sketch smudges or the marker keeps smearing—how can I prevent or fix that when drawing the jellyfish?
Draw gently with your pencil as step one says, let the black marker or pen fully dry before erasing, and if smears occur gently lift excess with a clean eraser or carefully retrace the smudged lines once dry.
How can I adapt this jellyfish drawing activity for younger or older children?
For younger kids pre-draw the large rounded dome, eyes, and simple tentacles for them to trace and color with crayons, while older kids can add extra wavy and frilly tentacles, detailed texture marks on the bell, shading, or patterns before coloring and sharing on DIY.org.
What are some ways to personalize or extend the jellyfish drawing after coloring?
After you 'Color the bell tentacles and background with bright cheerful colors,' add tissue-paper frills or glitter to the tentacles and bell texture marks, draw a surrounding seascape with fish and seaweed, or create a stop-motion video of the jellyfish and then share a photo or clip on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to draw a jellyfish
How to Draw a Jellyfish | Easy Drawing for Kids
4 Videos
How to Draw a Jellyfish | Easy Drawing for Kids
Draw a Cute Jellyfish with Me! ✨ | Fun & Easy Drawing Tutorial
How to Draw Jellyfish Easy Step-by-step | Kawaii
how to draw a Jellyfish in Minutes| step by step tutorial for beginners.!
Facts about drawing sea creatures
🪼 Jellyfish are about 95% water, which is why they feel so squishy and floaty.
🔆 Many jellyfish glow with bioluminescence — nature's underwater night-lights.
🧬 Turritopsis dohrnii can revert to an earlier life stage and is nicknamed the "immortal" jellyfish.
🧠 Jellyfish don't have a brain; they use a simple nerve net to sense light, food, and touch.
🌊 The lion's mane jellyfish can have tentacles over 100 feet long — longer than some whales!
