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How to Draw a Life Cycle
Draw a life cycle in 12 steps, about 9 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 butterfly body.
Step 1: The butterfly body
On the left, halfway down, draw a round head with a long thin oval body hanging under it.
Tip This drawing is a circle of 4 pictures, round and round.
Step 2: Butterfly face
On the head, draw 2 big round eyes with dots and a tiny smile. Add 2 curved feelers on top.
Step 3: Top wings
From each side of the body, draw a big wing: swoop up and out, round, and back to the body.
Step 4: Bottom wings
Under each top wing, draw a smaller wing: out and down, round the bottom, and back to the body.
Step 5: Eggs on a leaf
At the top, draw a leaf with a stem, a middle vein and 4 side veins. Add 3 small eggs.
Step 6: The caterpillar
On the right, draw a big round head, then 4 smaller circles in a row behind it, bending gently.
Step 7: Caterpillar face
On the caterpillar's head, draw 2 round eyes with dots, a tiny smile, and 2 curved feelers on top.
Step 8: The chrysalis
At the bottom, draw a thick twig. Hang a teardrop chrysalis from it on a short thread, with 2 bands.
Step 9: Arrows round the circle
Between each picture and the next, draw a curved arrow going round clockwise, with a little V head.
Tip Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly: then it starts again.
Step 10: Cream head, tan chrysalis
Colour the butterfly's head cream and the chrysalis tan. Leave the eyes and eggs white.
Step 11: Orange wings, green leaf
Colour the 4 wings orange, and the leaf and caterpillar leaf green.
Step 12: Brown twig, black body
Colour the twig brown and the butterfly's body black. Go over your lines and your life cycle is complete!
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: a life cycle, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
