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

Spider drawing ideas always get a big mix of reactions in my studio. A few kids squeal, a few lean in closer, and by the end of class every single one of them is proudly holding up a smiling little spider dangling from its thread. That's the magic of a cartoon spider: once it has big friendly eyes and rosy cheeks, it's more cuddly than creepy.

Here's the trick I share with everyone: a cartoon spider is just two circles, one big and one small, with a straight line on top and eight bent legs, four on each side. That's it. The legs look complicated at first, but we'll draw them one side at a time, and each leg is simply a line with a little knee bend in the middle.

In this tutorial we'll draw a cute purple spider hanging from a silver thread, using the six-step practice sheet below. I'll share my favorite pro tips, the three mistakes that make spiders look messy or spooky, and some easy fixes for wobbly legs. Grab a purple crayon and a silver one, and let's get drawing.

The 6 steps to easy spider drawing ideas

Step 1 — Draw the body

Start with one round circle in the middle of your page for the spider's body. Draw it lightly so it's easy to fix. Try to leave plenty of space on both sides, because eight legs are going to stretch out left and right, and some room above for the head and thread.

Make this circle a nice medium-large size, a bit bigger than a coin on a regular sheet of paper. A plump, round body is what gives a cartoon spider its cute, bouncy look, while a thin or skinny body can start to look more like a real bug.

Step 2 — Add the head

On top of the body, draw a smaller circle for the head, just touching or slightly overlapping the top of the body circle. It should be about half to two-thirds the size of the body, like a snowman's head sitting on a snowball.

Real spiders have two main body parts, and this little head-and-body stack is a fun, simple way to show that. Keep the head centered right above the body, since our spider is hanging straight down from its thread.

Step 3 — Add the thread

From the very top of the head, draw one thin straight line going all the way up to the top of your page. This is the silk thread your spider is hanging from. Spiders make this silk themselves and use it like a rope to lower themselves down gently.

Keep this line as straight as you can and nice and thin. Because the spider is hanging, the thread should go straight up and down, not at an angle. It helps show that gravity is pulling your little spider gently downward.

Step 4 — Add four legs on the left

Now draw four legs coming out of the left side of the body. Each leg goes out and up to a knee, then bends and goes down to the foot, a bit like an upside-down letter V or the roof of a little house. Space the four legs evenly from the top of the body to the bottom.

Let the top two legs point a bit more upward and the bottom two point a bit more downward, like the spokes of a fan. You can draw each leg as a single thick line or as two lines close together, whichever feels easier.

Step 5 — Add four legs on the right and the face

On the right side, draw four more legs to match the ones on the left, like a mirror. Try to put each knee at about the same height as its partner on the other side. When you're done, count them all: your spider should have eight legs in total.

Now give your spider a friendly face on the head. Draw two big round eyes with a large white highlight in each, and a small, happy curved smile underneath. Big eyes and a smile are the secret ingredients that make a spider sweet instead of scary.

Step 6 — Finish and color

Go over the lines you want to keep and erase any extra guide marks, especially where the head overlaps the body. Check that your legs are all connected to the body and that the thread reaches all the way from the head to the top of the page.

Color the body, head and legs a soft purple-black. A great way to get this color is to color everything purple first and then add a light layer of black on top. Leave the eyes bright white with black pupils, add two rosy pink circles on the cheeks, and color the thread silver or light gray.

Common mistakes to avoid

Too many or too few legs

It's very easy to lose count and end up with a spider that has six, seven or even ten legs. Six legs actually belong to insects, like ants and beetles, so getting eight is what makes it a real spider.

Draw the legs in two groups of four, one side at a time, and count out loud as you go. When you're done, count all eight again before you color.

The legs are straight sticks

Straight legs sticking out from the body make the spider look stiff, like a sun drawing or a pincushion. They also lose that bouncy, springy look that makes cartoon spiders so fun.

Give every leg a knee bend. Go out and up to the knee, then down to the foot. That simple bend makes the legs look alive and lets your spider look like it's wiggling on its thread.

The face is small or has sharp teeth

Tiny eyes, angry eyebrows or pointy fangs quickly turn a cute spider into a spooky one, which can be scary for little ones. For this tutorial, we're going for friendly all the way.

Use big round eyes with sparkly highlights, a simple curved smile and pink cheeks. Those three details make your spider look like a friend you'd be happy to meet.

Troubleshooting

The legs on each side don't match

If one side looks bunched up and the other spread out, lightly mark four little dots on each side of the body before drawing, at the same heights on both sides. Then start each leg from a dot. The dots act like a guide so the legs come out evenly.

My spider looks like a bug or a beetle

Beetle-looking spiders usually have a head that's too big or too few legs. Keep the head smaller than the body, make sure there are four legs on each side, and add the thread going straight up. The dangling thread is a great clue that says 'spider'.

The coloring is so dark I can't see the face

If everything turned very dark, draw the eyes again on top with a white gel pen or crayon, then add the pupils. Next time, color with soft purple first and add only a light layer of black, so the spider stays a gentle purple-black instead of pitch dark.

Key takeaways

FAQ

Is a spider easy to draw for kids? Yes — a cartoon spider is just two circles, a straight line and eight bent legs. Drawing the legs four at a time on each side makes it simple, and most children aged five and up can finish this sheet in about fifteen to twenty minutes.

How many legs does a spider have? Spiders have eight legs, four on each side of the body. Insects like ants and ladybugs have six legs, so eight legs is one of the easiest ways to tell that an animal is a spider.

What colors do I need for a spider drawing? For this friendly spider you'll need purple and black to make a soft purple-black body, pink for the cheeks, and silver or light gray for the thread. Leave the eyes white with black pupils so they really stand out.

How do I make my spider drawing look cute instead of scary? Give it a round, plump body, big round eyes with white highlights, a happy smile and rosy pink cheeks. Skip fangs and angry eyebrows, and use a soft purple color rather than solid black to keep it friendly.

And there is your friendly spider! Whether its legs came out perfectly even or a little bit wiggly, you just drew a sweet little creature dangling happily from its thread. Try drawing a whole family of spiders at different heights, or add a big web behind them, and come back tomorrow for a new tutorial.

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