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How to Draw a Tadpole
Draw a tadpole in 11 easy 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: round blob body.
Step 1: Round blob body
Left of the middle, draw a big round blob, a little fatter on the right where the tail starts.
Step 2: Big eye and smile
In the body's front half, draw 1 huge eye with a black dot and shine. Add a tiny smile below.
Step 3: Long wiggly tail
Start on the right of the body. Draw a long thin wavy tail out to a soft point, and back.
Tip A tadpole tail is long and floaty, like a ribbon.
Step 4: See-through fin
From the body, draw a wavy line above the tail out past its tip, then one below, back again.
Tip The fin is thin and see-through: a soft wave, never a stiff bow.
Step 5: Two bud legs
Under the back of the body, near the tail, draw 2 tiny fat leg stubs poking down with round ends.
Step 6: Bubbles
Above the tadpole's head, draw 3 little round bubbles rising up, each a bit bigger than the last.
Step 7: Water line
Above the bubbles, draw a long wavy water line across the paper, stopping near each edge.
Step 8: Sandy floor
Under the tadpole, draw a long wavy sand line across the paper, stopping near each edge.
Step 9: Blue water, sandy floor
Colour the sand sandy. Colour the water light blue around the tadpole, leaving the bubbles white.
Step 10: Leaf fin
Colour the see-through fin a light leaf green, but not the thin tail inside it.
Step 11: Colour it green
Colour a pink cheek, then the body, tail and legs pond green around it. Leave the eye white.
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: a tadpole, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
