How to draw a crocodile — easy step by step drawing ideas

Crocodile drawing ideas get a big cheer in my studio every single time. There's something about a long, toothy grin that kids find absolutely hilarious, and when that grin belongs to a friendly cartoon crocodile strolling across the page, the giggles start before the first line is even drawn. It's one of my favorite animals to teach because it's so long and so simple.

Here's the secret I share with every student: a crocodile is basically a long, flat oval with a rectangle stuck on the front and a triangle stuck on the back. That's it. The long snout, the tapering tail and the row of bumps along the back do all the heavy lifting, and four short little legs finish the job. Once you see those shapes, a crocodile stops feeling tricky and starts feeling fun.

In this tutorial we'll draw a friendly crocodile walking along in side view, with a long snout and a big smile, in six easy steps using the practice sheet below. I'll share the pro tips that help my young artists most, the three mistakes that turn a crocodile into a lizard or a log, and a few troubleshooting fixes. Grab an olive green crayon and a lighter yellow-green one, and let's get drawing.

The 6 steps to easy crocodile drawing ideas

Step 1 — Draw the body

Start with one long, flat oval lying sideways across the middle of your page. It should be much longer than it is tall, a bit like a stretched-out jellybean. Keep it roughly in the center, since a crocodile needs lots of room on the left for its snout and lots of room on the right for its tail.

Crocodiles are low, long animals that stay close to the ground, so a flat body shape is key. If the oval is too round and tall, your crocodile will start looking more like a hippo or a pig than a sleek river reptile.

Step 2 — Add the long snout

From the front of the body, draw a long rectangle stretching out toward the edge of the page. Round off the tip slightly so it doesn't look too boxy, and let the top of the snout rise into a small bump near the back where the head will be. This is the crocodile's head and jaws all in one shape.

The snout should be long, roughly as long as half the body. A crocodile's long snout is its signature feature, and it's what sets it apart from lizards, frogs and other reptiles with shorter faces.

Step 3 — Add the tail

From the back of the body, draw two lines that slowly come together until they meet in a point, forming a long, tapering tail. Let the tail curve gently, either slightly up or slightly down, so it looks relaxed rather than stiff like a stick.

Crocodile tails are very long and strong, often as long as the rest of the body. Don't worry if your tail stretches nearly to the edge of the page; that's exactly how it should look.

Step 4 — Add the legs

Under the body, draw four short legs: two near the front and two near the back. Give each leg a little bend in the middle, like an elbow or knee, and finish it with a small foot and three or four tiny rounded toes. The legs should be short compared to the long body.

To show that your crocodile is walking, make the front leg and back leg on the near side step forward, while the two on the far side step back a bit. That staggered pattern gives a sense of movement, as if your crocodile is strolling happily along the riverbank.

Step 5 — Add the eyes, teeth and bumps

Draw the eye sitting on top of the head, on the bump at the back of the snout, like a little half-circle peeking up. Add a round pupil with a white highlight dot. Then draw a long, curved smile along the snout and add a row of small triangle teeth poking up and down along the edge of the mouth.

Finally, draw a row of small rounded bumps along the top of the back, starting just behind the head and running all the way down the tail. Make them a little bigger on the back and smaller as they reach the tip of the tail.

Step 6 — Finish and color

Trace over the lines you want to keep with a darker pencil or marker, then erase the guide lines, especially where the snout and tail join the body. A clean, confident outline helps all those little teeth and bumps look crisp.

Color the body, snout, legs and tail an olive green, then use a lighter yellow-green for the belly along the underside. Color the bumps along the back a darker green so they stand out, and leave the teeth bright white. Keep the eye white or yellow with a dark pupil and a white highlight.

Common mistakes to avoid

The snout is too short

A short, stubby snout is the most common reason a crocodile drawing ends up looking like a lizard, a frog or a gecko. It's easy to underestimate just how long a crocodile's snout really is.

Aim for a snout that's about half as long as the body, or even longer. It may feel too long while you're drawing, but once the teeth and smile are added, a long snout looks just right.

The body is too round and tall

When the body oval gets too round, the crocodile starts to look like a pig or a hippo standing on short legs. Crocodiles are famous for being long, flat and low to the ground.

Keep the body oval stretched out and flat, several times longer than it is tall. Keeping the legs short also helps the body stay low, just like a real crocodile's.

The teeth are drawn too big and sharp

Big, jagged teeth can quickly make a crocodile look scary, which isn't what we want for a friendly cartoon. Oversized teeth also crowd the mouth and make the smile hard to see.

Draw small, rounded triangle teeth spaced evenly along the smile line. Combined with a big round eye and a curved grin, small teeth keep your crocodile looking cheerful and silly.

Troubleshooting

My crocodile looks like a lizard

Lizards and crocodiles share a similar shape, so the difference is in the snout, teeth and back. Stretch the snout longer, add the row of little triangle teeth along the smile, and draw the row of bumps along the back and tail. Those three details say "crocodile" loud and clear.

The tail runs off the edge of the page

If you run out of room, curve the tail gently upward or downward instead of keeping it straight. A curved tail takes up less space and looks more relaxed. Next time, start the body a little further to the left to leave extra room behind it.

The bumps on the back look messy

Try drawing the bumps as a row of small rounded humps, all touching each other, rather than separate spikes. Start with the biggest bumps in the middle of the back and make them smaller as you move toward the head and the tip of the tail.

Key takeaways

FAQ

Is a crocodile easy to draw for kids? Yes — a cartoon crocodile is made from simple shapes: a long flat oval, a rectangle for the snout, a tapering tail and four short legs. Most children aged five and up can finish this sheet in about fifteen to twenty minutes.

How do I draw crocodile teeth? Draw a long curved smile along the snout first, then add a row of small triangles poking up and down along the edge of the mouth. Keep them small, rounded and evenly spaced so the crocodile looks friendly and funny rather than fierce.

What colors do I need for a crocodile drawing? Olive green for the body, snout, legs and tail, a lighter yellow-green for the belly, a darker green for the bumps along the back, and white for the teeth. Yellow works nicely for the eye, with a dark pupil and a white highlight.

What's the difference between drawing a crocodile and an alligator? The easiest difference to show is the snout — a crocodile has a longer, narrower, more pointed snout, while an alligator has a wider, rounder U-shaped snout. Crocodiles also often show teeth along both the top and bottom of the mouth when it's closed, and they're usually a lighter olive green.

And there's your crocodile! Whether its grin came out wide and goofy or its tail wiggled right off the page, you just drew one of the most famous reptiles on the planet. Try drawing it again floating in a river with just its eyes and bumps peeking out, and come back tomorrow for a new tutorial.

More tutorials: All tutorials · How to draw a turtle · How to draw a chameleon · How to draw a dinosaur