How to Draw a Hellbender

Step 1: The head

Start at the top right. Draw a wide flat spatula head round a blunt snout. Stop under the chin.

Tip A hellbender is all squash and wrinkle.

Step 2: Eye, grin and nostril

Draw 1 big eye near the front. Dot a nostril. Draw a grin from the snout back under the eye.

Tip The grin turns up at the end to make a smile.

Step 3: Long flat body

From the head's top, draw a long flat back, round the bottom and a flat tummy back to the chin.

Tip The body is about twice as long as it is tall.

Step 4: Two near legs

From the tummy, draw a short thick leg that bends to a 3-toed foot. Add a back leg the same.

Tip Each leg is wide at the tummy and thin at the ankle, toes pointing forward.

Step 5: Two far legs

Just behind each leg, draw the far leg peeking out, a thin strip down to its heel.

Tip Draw only the part you can see.

Step 6: The riverbed

Draw one long riverbed line under all the toes, right across the paper. Add a flat pebble by the head.

Tip Every toe touches the riverbed line.

Step 7: Flat rudder tail

From the back, draw a wide flat tail trailing low to a round tip on the riverbed, and back under.

Tip Rub out the body line inside the tail.

Step 8: Wrinkly skin fold

Above the tummy, from the front leg to the back leg, draw one soft wavy skin fold.

Step 9: Three blotches

Draw 3 oval blotches along the back, a big one, a small one and a middle one.

Tip Keep every blotch well inside the body.

Step 10: Grey pebble

Go over your lines. Colour the flat pebble stone grey.

Step 11: Wood brown hellbender

Colour the whole hellbender wood brown, but skip the 3 blotches. Leave the eye white.

Step 12: Dark brown blotches

Colour the 3 blotches dark brown. Your hellbender is done!