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How to Draw an Okapi
Draw an okapi in 13 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 head.
Step 1: The head
Near the top left draw a big round head, a little wider than tall. Leave room on the right.
Tip A big head is what makes it cute. The body goes on the right.
Step 2: Eyes and muzzle
Draw 2 big oval eyes below the middle. Under them, a big egg muzzle with 2 nostrils and a smile.
Tip Black dot and shine in each eye. Nothing touches the eyes.
Step 3: Horns and ears
On the head draw 2 little stalks with a knob each, like lollipops. Add a leaf ear on each corner.
Tip Ears point up and out, with a smaller leaf inside.
Step 4: The neck
From behind the head slope the neck's back down right. From the chin draw its front down to the chest.
Tip The neck gets wider toward the body.
Step 5: The body
From the neck draw a big bean body: a long back, round bottom, and a tummy back to the chest.
Tip A bean, not a loaf: the bottom is rounder and higher than the chest.
Step 6: Two legs
Draw a ground line. From the chest draw a front leg down to a hoof. Then a bent back leg.
Tip Back leg starts on the tummy near the bottom. Hooves are flat little doorstops.
Step 7: The far legs
Behind the front leg draw a thinner leg from the tummy down to a hoof. Same by the back leg.
Step 8: The tail
From the top corner of the bottom draw a thin tail curving out and down to a leaf-shaped tuft.
Step 9: Stripes
Draw 3 short bands across each lower leg, edge to edge, and 3 fat stripes across its bottom.
Tip Stripy legs are what make it an okapi: keep them big and simple.
Step 10: Cream legs
Colour the lower legs and the stripes on its bottom cream.
Step 11: Peach and stone
Colour the insides of the ears peach and the muzzle pale stone.
Step 12: Colour it brown
Colour the head, neck, body, ears, horns, tail and upper legs brown, around the pale parts. Leave the eyes white.
Step 13: Slate and black
Colour the hooves slate grey, and the leg stripes, horn knobs and tail tuft black. Go over your lines!
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: an okapi, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
