Welcome to the Pencils Castle Drawing Hub! This is your ultimate, constantly growing collection of Easy Drawing Guides for Kids, currently featuring dozens of fun, creative, and adorable subjects.
Designed by a senior graphic designer, our Simple Step-by-Step Tutorials break down complex shapes into manageable lines, guaranteeing success for absolute beginners, young artists, and everyone in between. Get ready to grab your pencil and paper—it’s time to learn how to draw!
We are dedicated to making the learning process simple, high-quality, and completely stress-free. With every guide, you get:
- Original Artwork: Every tutorial is based on our professional, original designs, ensuring a polished, modern, and high-quality final result every time.
- Simple Steps: Our easy-to-follow instructions focus on core shapes and sequential progression, making even complex subjects accessible to young hands and minds.
- Free Printable Worksheets: Access a printable PDF practice sheet with every guide! This valuable resource includes the full step-by-step instructions plus a blank space for immediate, hassle-free drawing practice.
- Themed Collections: Explore our organized collections—from cute animals to magical creatures—allowing you to turn drawing practice into themed educational fun.
Whether you need a calming, screen-free break or a themed educational activity, you can dive into our easy drawing guides right now to master new skills and keep kids entertained and inspired.
Magical Creatures Drawing Guides
Animals Drawing Guides
Pets
Farm Animals
Bugs and Insects
Sea Animals
Birds
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Shop Our Kids Drawing Books
Discover a world of creativity with our drawing books!
Each book is filled with cute activities to keep little hands busy with screen-free fun.
How to Draw 101 Animals
This exciting drawing book features 101 step-by-step tutorials. With easy shapes, simple steps, and tons of cute animals to choose from.
unleash the animals!
How to Draw 101 Cute Stuff
Learn to draw 101 cute characters and fun items! This book breaks down adorable designs into simple, step-by-step lessons for kids.
get the cute stuff!20 Fun Activities to Do with These Easy Drawing Guides
These step-by-step guides are not just for copying—they are tools for developing creativity, improving fine motor skills, and sparking imagination! Here are twenty fantastic ways to use these tutorials to level up your drawing practice:
1. The Creative Style Swap
- Start by following the drawing guide exactly as shown to learn the basic shapes.
- Now, try drawing the same subject again, but deliberately change the style: try drawing it as a cartoon character, a realistic sketch, or a simple geometric design.
- Experiment with different textures and shading techniques to give the drawing a new personality.
2. Draw Your Own Mini Comic Strip
- Select two or three simple subjects (e.g., a bee, a puppy, and a bird) from different guides.
- Use the tutorials to draw the subjects onto a piece of paper divided into 3-4 panels.
- Add speech bubbles or thought bubbles to the characters, turning your drawing into a funny, short story.
3. The Memory Retention Challenge
- Choose a simple guide and study the steps carefully for five minutes.
- Put the guide away (or cover it up).
- Try to draw the entire subject from memory, relying only on the shapes you remember. This is a great exercise for visual recall.
4. Turn Drawings into Stickers or Magnets
- Draw the subject onto heavy card stock or printable sticker paper.
- Color the drawing vibrantly and cut it out neatly.
- If using card stock, glue a small magnet piece or a double-sided tape loop to the back to turn your finished art into custom refrigerator magnets or wall decals.
5. Exaggeration and Perspective
- Draw the subject once following the guide perfectly (e.g., a simple cat).
- Next, draw the cat again, but exaggerate one feature drastically (e.g., give it enormous eyes, tiny legs, or a massive tail).
- This helps kids understand proportion and adds humor to their art!
6. Collaborative Drawing Game (The Add-On)
- The first person draws only the very first step of the guide (e.g., the main circle).
- The second person looks at the guide and adds the second step.
- Continue passing the paper back and forth until the drawing is complete. This encourages attention and teamwork.
7. Create a Custom Art Portfolio
- Use the drawing guides to draw large, detailed subjects (one per corner) onto a plain folder or binder.
- Use these drawings to decorate the outside of a plain portfolio where all the finished art pages and worksheets will be stored.
8. The Color Key Challenge
- Before starting the guide, select only three crayons or markers (e.g., blue, green, and yellow).
- Complete the entire drawing using only those three colors.
- This forces creativity and makes the artist think about how colors can be mixed or used for shading.
9. Make Mini Flip-Book Animations
- Tear off the bottom right corner of a small notepad or stack of paper.
- On the first page, draw the subject in a starting position (e.g., a small dog sitting).
- On the next page, draw the dog slightly moved (e.g., one paw raised).
- Continue for 10-15 pages. When you flip the pages quickly, the drawings appear to move!
10. The Texture Fill Experiment
- Draw the outline of the subject following the steps exactly.
- Instead of using color, fill in the large sections using different drawing techniques: cross-hatching (lines crossing), stippling (dots), or scumbling (scribbled circles).
- This helps develop control and understanding of line quality.
11. Custom Greeting Cards
- Draw the chosen subject in the center of a piece of paper.
- Carefully fold the paper into a card shape once the drawing is complete.
- Write a personalized message inside for a friend or family member.
12. “What If?” Scenario Drawing
- Draw the subject (e.g., a simple cat).
- Now, draw the same cat but imagine a “what if” scenario: What if the cat was flying? What if it was underwater? What if it was covered in flowers?
- Draw the subject reacting to this impossible or new environment.
13. Focus on Negative Space
- Draw the subject (like a simple fish or butterfly).
- Instead of coloring the object itself, focus on shading and drawing the empty space around the object.
- This technique trains the eye to see the background and foreground equally, a core art skill.
14. Turn Drawings into Stencils
- Complete a simple guide on sturdy card stock.
- Carefully cut out the major shapes of the finished drawing.
- You now have a custom stencil to use with paint or sponge printing!
15. The Grid Method Practice
- Draw a simple grid (e.g., 4×4 squares) lightly over a finished drawing.
- Draw the same 4×4 grid onto a new, blank sheet of paper, but make the new grid slightly larger.
- Copy the lines from the small grid square by square onto the large grid. This is the professional way to practice scaling and proportion.
16. The Background Story
- Complete the chosen drawing subject (e.g., a happy puppy).
- Now, challenge yourself to spend three times as long drawing a detailed background that tells a story about the subject (a park, a house interior, or a beach).
17. DIY Pendants or Keychains
- Draw a small subject (like a bug or a bird) onto shrinking plastic (Shrinky Dinks) or heavy cardboard.
- Color it brightly.
- If using cardboard, cut it out and cover it in clear packing tape to seal it. Punch a hole and attach a key ring or string for a personalized gift.
18. Line Quality Experiment
- Draw the same subject five times using five different tools: a fine-tip pen, a thick marker, a crayon, a light pencil, and a piece of charcoal.
- Compare how the different tools change the appearance and texture of the final image.
19. Sketchbook Journaling
- Use the drawing guide to create a simple subject at the top of a journal page.
- Below the drawing, write a short story, poem, or fun fact about the subject (e.g., facts about the animal, a story about the object). This combines art with literacy.
20. The Time Limit Race
- Set a timer for 60 seconds.
- Try to complete the entire drawing outline from your chosen guide before the timer goes off, focusing only on speed and capturing the main lines.
- This helps loosen up the artist and encourages quick sketching skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Our Simple Step-by-Step Tutorials are specifically designed for absolute beginners and young children. Each guide breaks down the final drawing into the simplest possible shapes (circles, squares, lines) and builds upon them sequentially. If you can draw a basic shape, you can successfully follow our guides. We guarantee success for first-time artists!
The PDF practice sheets are provided in the standard international and US letter paper size: 215.9 mm x 279.4 mm (8.5 inches x 11 inches). This ensures easy printing on all standard home and classroom printers.
The worksheets are free for personal and educational use. Commercial use, including resale or redistribution, is strictly prohibited.
You only need the essentials! We recommend starting with a simple pencil (like an HB or 2B) and an eraser. Once you feel confident with the lines, you can move on to outlining the final drawing with a thin black marker or a pen, and then adding color with crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers.
For practice, standard 20 lb bond printer paper works great and is cost-effective. However, if you plan to create a final artwork that you want to keep, we recommend using a slightly heavier paper, such as sketchbook paper or thicker card stock (around 65 lb), as it holds color better and prevents indentations.
Thank you for visiting Pencils Castle! We’re excited to help your child explore and create! Happy Drawing!