Cute Penguin Drawing Easy Step-by-step Guide for Kids

Learn how to make a cute and adorable penguin drawing in this easy step-by-step tutorial for kids!

Get to know our charming furry friends- penguins and let's learn how to draw them quickly just using some basic shapes. 

Ready. Set. Draw!

How to Draw Penguin blog cover

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Penguins: The Birds that Swim

A family of Emperor penguins
A family of Emperor penguins

Penguins are one of the most beloved animals in the world! Here are some cool facts about them:

  • Penguins may not fly across the blue sky, but they can swim underwater just like any other sea creatures. 
  • Instead of wings, these wonderful birds have flippers that can propel their long body at long distances through the vast sea just to find food – small shrimps, fishes, crabs and squids!
  • Penguins are about as tall as a one-year-old child.
  • Their sounds are cackle, hum, and hiss. 
  • Baby penguins are called chicks, and a mother penguin can usually bear two chicks at a time.
gray and brown baby penguins
Cute baby penguins in gray and white colors
  • Unlike the majestic white and black plumage that we commonly see in adult penguins, baby penguins are born completely covered in light gray, brown, or white plumage. These colors change as they grow for about one-year-old.
6 species of penguins: Chinstrap, Emperor, Adelie, Macaroni, King, and Gentoo
6 species of penguins: Chinstrap, Emperor, Adelie, Macaroni, King, and Gentoo
  • There are 17 species of penguins. The pictures above are a few others  that live in the southern ocean around Antarctica.
  • A raft is a group of penguins in the water, but a waddle is a group of penguins on land! Rookery, colony, and huddle are other terms for a group of penguins.
  • The ocean at the bottom of the world is home to many penguins. The Southern Ocean is another name for it. Still, most scientists consider it to be a part of both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

April 25th is the World Penguin Day, an annual celebration of the northern migration of Adélie penguins, a species of penguin that is native to Antarctica. It is also a way to raise awareness of these amazing creatures.

Let's make our cute penguin drawing!


Penguins are amazing sea creatures, and they're easy and fun to draw using basic shapes!

Here's a simple step-by-step guide we've crafted, especially for young artists!

Check out the video tutorial below to see how to draw them, plus some other cute things to draw!

Materials

  • Any type of paper
  • 1 pencil
  • 1 eraser
  • Coloring materials (if you want to color your penguins)

Baby Penguin Drawing (Overview)

Numbered instructions on how to draw a baby penguin

Instructions

Basic shapes including circle, square, triangle, rectangle, straight line, and curved line.

Step 1. Draw these basic shapes: a circle, a square, a triangle, a rectangle, a straight line, and a curved line.


We will use these basic shapes to draw our beautiful little penguins.

outline of penguin's body using rectangle, circle, and triangle

Step 2. Let’s start with the body.


Let's use a rectangle for the body. On top of it, draw a circle for the head, then at the bottom, draw two triangles for the feet.

Outline of penguin's body with the beak

Step 3. Draw the beak.


For the beak, let's draw a curved triangle on the right side of the head.

Outline of penguin's body with the flipper.

Step 4. Draw the flippers.


Let's do a stretched out triangle-
ish shape that curves on one of its corners for the flippers.

Step 5. Make the rectangular body rounded.


Draw curves on the corners of the rectangular body to make it rounded. 

The rectangle we drew in Step 1 made it easier for us to change the shape. Continue the curved line at the back of the body to the top of the head.

drawing of a standing penguin to the right.

Step 6. Add details to the head.


Draw a small circle near the middle of the head for the eye, then draw a line in the middle of the beak to show where it opens up.

drawing of a furry baby penguin

Step 7. Draw the fur pattern all over the body.


Using small triangles, draw fur patterns all over your penguin's body.

You can color the baby penguin brown and gray.

Swimming Penguin Drawing (Overview)

Numbered instruction on how to draw a swimming penguin

Instructions

Penguin's head and body drawn using an oval and a circle.

Step 1. Draw the body.


Similar to our step in drawing the penguin's body, you can use a rectangle before making the body rounder. But if you are confident enough in drawing an oval, you can do so.

Since our penguin is swimming, let's draw a horizontal rectangle that is slightly tilted. Then, draw a circle on one side for the head.

Drawing of a swimming penguin with a beak

Step 2. Draw the beak.


Draw a curved triangle for the beak that is pointed to the direction it is swimming.

Drawing of a swimming penguin with a flipper

Step 3. Draw the flippers.


Penguins use their flippers in the water, similar to how other birds use their wings in the sky; they flap it. 

To show movement on your flipper, draw a stretched out triangle-ish shape that is either up or down.

Drawing of a swimming penguin with the feet

Step 4. Draw the feet.


Let’s use triangles for the feet.

Drawing of a swimming penguin with the tail

Step 5. Draw the tail.


For the tail, draw a triangle-
ish shape that overlaps the feet. Add small lines at the edge of the tail for texture.

Drawing of a swimming penguin with lines connecting the head to the body

Step 6. Connect the head to the body.


Draw small curved lines from the body to the head to connect the two.

Drawing of a swimming penguin

Step 7. Erase the connecting lines and add details.


Great job! We finally have our baby and big swimming penguins. You can draw more of them to have a whole family of adorable penguins! 

Tips for art-mazing success:

  • Color your beautiful penguins! Baby penguins can either be gray or brown. Adult penguins are mostly black and white. You can always color them any way you want!
  • Practice drawing other varieties of penguins.
  • You can draw penguins in different backgrounds: underwater, on a beach, on ice, or even in your room!

Here are some of the awesome penguins created at the Creativity School by our young artists!

Colored drawing of a penguin with glasses and shoal
Adult and baby penguins with their tummies on ice
Colored drawing of an adult and baby penguin in the Arctic
Colored drawing of a cute penguin caricature

Artworks from Creativity School by Angelica S (top-left), Jayna A. (top-right), Mili S. (bottom-left), and Saanvi R. (bottom-right)

What's your favorite animal to draw and paint? Leave a comment below!

Get the best of Creativity School! Join now for more drawing and painting lessons.

Check also these awesome blogs for more instructions on how to draw other kinds of animals!

How to Draw and Paint an Elephant

How to Draw a Monkey and a Zebra

How to Draw Sea Creatures

How to Draw a Frog and a Peacock

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