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

Squid drawing ideas always spark a lively conversation in my studio. As soon as I start sketching that tall, pointy head, someone shouts "octopus!" and we get to talk about the difference: a squid has a pointed top with two little fins, eight short arms and two extra-long tentacles. By the end of the lesson, every child can spot a squid from across the room, and they're very proud of it.

The trick that makes this ocean friend easy is thinking of the squid's head, which scientists call the mantle, as a tall bullet shape pointing straight up. Everything else hangs from the bottom of that shape: a rounded face area, a bundle of short wavy arms and two long curly tentacles. There's no tricky perspective and no difficult proportions, just simple shapes stacked from top to bottom.

In this tutorial we'll draw an upright, friendly squid with curling tentacles in six easy steps using the practice sheet below. I'll share the pro tips that help my youngest artists most, the three mistakes that accidentally turn a squid into an octopus or a rocket, and a few troubleshooting fixes for wiggly arms. Grab a soft pink crayon and a pencil, and let's get started.

The 6 steps to easy squid drawing ideas

Step 1 — Draw the mantle

Start with a tall, rounded bullet shape pointing straight up in the upper middle of your page. This is the squid's mantle, the part most people call its head, although it actually holds most of the squid's body inside. Draw the two sides curving gently in toward a rounded point at the top, and leave the bottom open for now.

Make the mantle tall and fairly narrow, roughly twice as tall as it is wide. Leave plenty of space underneath it, because the arms and tentacles will hang down below and need lots of room to curl.

Step 2 — Add the fins

At the very top point of the mantle, add two small triangle fins, one sticking out on each side. Together with the pointed tip, they make a shape a bit like an arrowhead or the top of a kite.

These fins are what squids use to steer and glide gently through the water, and they are one of the easiest ways to tell a squid from an octopus. Keep them small and neat, and try to make both sides match.

Step 3 — Add the face area

Now close the bottom of the mantle with a rounded lower edge. This curved section is the squid's face area, where the big eyes and smile will go in step five. It should look a little wider and rounder than the narrow top of the mantle.

You can draw a gentle curved line across the mantle just above this edge to show where the face begins. That little line gives the squid a clear head section and makes it much easier to place the eyes later.

Step 4 — Add the arms

Under the face area, draw eight short wavy arms hanging down. Each arm is two gently wiggly lines that come together in a rounded tip. Start with the arms in the middle and work your way outward, letting the outer arms curve out to the sides a little.

Keep these arms fairly short, about half the height of the mantle or a little less. The long tentacles come in the next step, and the difference in length between the short arms and the long tentacles is exactly what makes this drawing look like a squid.

Step 5 — Add the long tentacles and face

Now add the two long tentacles. Start them from the middle of the arm bundle and let them stretch down well past the short arms, ending in little curls or slightly wider paddle-shaped tips. One can curl to the left and one to the right, which makes the squid look playful and balanced.

In the face area, draw two big round eyes with dark pupils and a small white highlight in each one. Add a gentle smile between them, just below the eyes. Real squids have enormous eyes for seeing in the deep ocean, so your cartoon eyes can be big too.

Step 6 — Finish and color

Trace over the lines you want to keep with a darker pencil or fine marker, then erase your middle guide line and any extra sketch marks, especially where the arms overlap. A clean outline makes the curling tentacles look smooth and graceful.

Color the whole squid a soft pink-red, then add a few lighter pink spots scattered across the mantle. Along the underside of the arms and the tips of the tentacles, draw little pale circles for suckers. Keep the eyes dark with their white highlights showing, and add a touch of darker red to the smile.

Common mistakes to avoid

The squid ends up looking like an octopus

When the mantle is round like a balloon and all the arms are the same length, most people will see an octopus instead of a squid. This is the most common mix-up in my studio, and it's easy to understand because the two animals are close cousins.

Keep the mantle tall and pointed, add the two triangle fins at the top, and make sure the two tentacles are clearly longer than the eight arms. Those three features are what make a squid a squid.

The arms are drawn as stiff straight lines

Straight, stiff arms make the squid look like a rocket or a stick broom rather than a soft sea creature. They also make the drawing feel frozen instead of floating gently in the water.

Give every arm a gentle wave or S-curve as it hangs down, and let the tips curl slightly. Even a small wiggle in each arm makes the whole squid feel like it's swaying in the current.

The mantle is too short and wide

A short, wide mantle squashes the squid and pushes it toward looking like a jellyfish or a mushroom. It also leaves little room for the fins to sit on a proper point.

Draw the mantle roughly twice as tall as it is wide, with a clear rounded point at the top. If yours came out short, simply erase the top and extend it upward before adding the fins.

Troubleshooting

My squid is leaning to one side

A leaning squid usually means the two sides of the mantle aren't matching. Lightly draw a vertical guide line down the center, then check that each side curves the same amount. Adjust the side that's bulging out, and your squid will stand up straight.

The arms are a tangled mess

If the arms are crossing all over each other, erase back to the face area and start again with just the four front arms, drawn side by side. Then tuck the remaining four behind them so only their tips peek out. Fewer visible lines always look tidier.

The tentacles look the same as the arms

When the tentacles are the same length as the arms, they disappear into the bundle. Make them at least twice as long as the short arms, and give them curly or slightly wider tips so they stand out clearly as something different.

Key takeaways

FAQ

Is a squid easy to draw for kids? Yes — a cartoon squid is built from simple shapes stacked top to bottom: a tall bullet-shaped mantle, two small fins, a rounded face and a bundle of wavy arms. Most kids aged five and up can finish it in about fifteen to twenty minutes.

What's the difference between drawing a squid and an octopus? A squid has a tall, pointed mantle with two triangle fins on top, eight short arms and two extra-long tentacles. An octopus has a round, balloon-like head with no fins and eight arms that are all about the same length.

What colors do I need for a squid drawing? A soft pink-red for the body, a lighter pink for the spots on the mantle, and a very pale pink or white for the little suckers. Keep the eyes dark with a small white highlight, and add a touch of darker red for the smile.

How many arms does a squid have? A squid has eight arms plus two longer tentacles, so ten limbs in all. The tentacles are longer and have wider tips, which the squid uses to reach out and grab its food.

And there is your squid! Whether your tentacles came out beautifully curly or a little bit wild, you just drew one of the cleverest creatures in the whole ocean. Try drawing it again zooming sideways with its tentacles trailing behind, or give it a few bubbles and a friendly fish to swim with, and come back tomorrow for a new tutorial.

More tutorials: All tutorials · How to draw an octopus · How to draw a jellyfish · How to draw a whale