
Watch it draw itself · tap to replay
How to Draw Papyrus
Draw papyrus in 11 steps, about 8 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 tallest stem.
Step 1: The tallest stem
Start low in the middle. Draw a tall stem, wide at the bottom and thin at the top, with a knob.
Tip Papyrus heads look like green umbrella fans on tall stems.
Step 2: Two more stems
Draw a shorter stem bending a little left, and another bending right, each with a small knob on top.
Step 3: The big fan
From the tall stem's knob, draw a wide fan like an open umbrella, with a bumpy edge over the top.
Step 4: Fan threads
Draw 7 thin lines from the knob out to the dips in the bumpy edge.
Step 5: Left fan
Draw a smaller fan the same way on the left stem, with its 7 thin lines.
Step 6: Right fan
Draw the same fan on the right stem, with 7 thin lines from its knob.
Step 7: Water line
Draw the water line across the whole page near the bottom, stopping at each stem and going on.
Step 8: Ripples
Under the water line, draw 3 short curved ripples, one near each side and one left of the tall stem.
Step 9: Blue water
Colour the water blue from edge to edge, going around the stems.
Step 10: Light green fans
Colour the 3 fans light green, right up to their bumpy edges.
Step 11: Green stems
Go over your lines. Colour the stems green and the knobs brown, and your papyrus is done!

Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: papyrus, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
