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How to Draw a Hermit Crab

13 steps · Medium · about 10 min

Draw a hermit crab in 13 easy steps, about 10 minutes. Free, with a printable worksheet.

Each picture adds one red line. Draw that line, then scroll to the next picture. Rub out any dashed helper lines at the end. First up: the big shell.

Step 1: The big shell
Draw a big shell: a fat round bottom, then 2 smaller bumps going up to a point on the right.
Tip It is an old sea snail shell. The crab lives inside it!
Step 2: The crab's head
Over the bottom left of the shell, draw a round head poking out past the shell's edge.
Tip Rub out the shell line inside the head.
Step 3: Eyes on stalks
On top of the head, draw 2 short stalks. Put a big round eye with a black dot on each.
Tip Rub out any shell line inside the stalks and eyes.
Step 4: Smile and cheeks
Low on the head, draw a small smile with a little round cheek at each end.
Step 5: Two big claws
From each side of the head, draw a chunky arm bending up to a pincer with a round gap.
Step 6: Four little legs
Under the head, draw 2 short pointy legs on each side, bending down to the bottom of the shell.
Tip Rub out the shell line inside the legs.
Step 7: The opening
Start on the shell just above the eyes. Curve down, bowing in, and stop at the bottom of the shell.
Tip Stop at the crab's lines. This is the hole the crab comes out of.
Step 8: Spiral lines
Where 2 bumps meet, draw a curve across the shell from dip to dip. Do it twice.
Step 9: The sand
Draw one straight line right across the paper, under the shell and the leg tips.
Step 10: Tan shell, sandy ground
Colour the shell tan, and the sand under the line sandy, down to the bottom of the page.
Step 11: Pink cheeks
Colour the 2 cheeks pink.
Step 12: Orange crab
Colour the head, stalks, claws and legs orange, around the pink cheeks. Leave the eyes white.
Step 13: Brown opening
Colour the inside of the opening brown, around the crab.