How to Draw a Zebra
A zebra is shaped like a horse, so the drawing starts with a big oval body and a long tilted head. Then come the legs, the ears, a smooth mane and a tufted tail, and the stripes go on last, each one stopping partway across. Print the tracing worksheet if you want to practice over the lines first.
Watch it come together
What you need
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Paper
- Black marker for the stripes
Steps
Step 1 of 9
Draw a big oval lying on its side in the middle of the page for the body.
Step 2 of 9
Draw a long oval tilted up and to the left, above the front of the body, for the head.
Step 3 of 9
Join the head to the body with two curved lines to make the neck.
Step 4 of 9
Draw four long legs under the body, each with a rounded foot.
Step 5 of 9
Add two big pointy ears on top of the head and a smooth curved mane along the back of the neck.
Step 6 of 9
Draw a thin tail at the back of the body and give it a fluffy tuft at the end.
Step 7 of 9
Draw a dot for the eye, a curved line across the nose and a small curve for the nostril.
Step 8 of 9
Draw curved stripes down from the back and two short ones up from the tummy, stopping in the middle.
Step 9 of 9
Finish with three short stripes on the neck and one on the bottom, each stopping before the other side.
All together
Your finished drawing. Now it is ready for color.
Ready to color?
Print the coloring page of this drawing in three levels, or color it on screen.
Go to the coloring pageTracing worksheet
Print the sheet and trace over the faint lines to practice before you draw on your own.
Questions and answers
- How do I keep the stripes from looking messy?
- Draw each stripe as one smooth curve and let it stop in the middle instead of crossing the whole body. Leaving white space between the stripes also makes the zebra easy to color later.
- What if my zebra's head comes out too big?
- That is fine: a big head makes a cartoon zebra look friendly. If you want to change it, sketch the head lightly first and erase until you like the size.
