Get ready to draw a cheerful little crawler! Caterpillars are amazing creatures that grow up to be beautiful butterflies. This simple guide uses easy circle shapes to show you how to draw a cute cartoon caterpillar with a happy face. Let’s get started and grow our drawing skills!
I’ve also created a special free printable PDF worksheet just for you! It’s a downloadable sheet with the step-by-step instructions printed right on the page, giving you a dedicated practice area. It’s the perfect way for young artists to try drawing their adorable caterpillar.
More Drawing Related to Caterpillar
Easy 5 Steps How to Draw a Caterpillar + Free PDF Worksheet
Follow these five simple steps to draw a cute cartoon caterpillar!
Drawing Materials
- Paper
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- Our Caterpillar Drawing Guide PDF Worksheet (optional)
Start by drawing lightly so that you can easily erase if you make any mistakes.
Step 1: Draw the Caterpillar’s Head Outline
Begin by sketching a neat circle for the caterpillar’s head.
Step 2: Draw the Body Segments
Attached to the head, draw five smaller, rounded shapes in a line to create the segmented body of the caterpillar.
Erase any part of the head outline where the body attaches to make it look connected.
Step 3: Add the Legs and Antennae
- Under the first four body segments, draw two tiny curved lines for legs on each segment (for a total of eight tiny legs).
- Draw two short, curved lines sticking up from the head, ending each with a small dot for the antennae.
Step 4: Draw the Caterpillar’s Face Details
On the head, draw two large dots for the eyes, two tiny dots for rosy cheeks, and a small curved line for a happy smile.
Step 5: Color Your Cute Caterpillar!
Now, it’s time to add your favorite colors! Caterpillars are often green, but you can choose any fun color! Color the head yellow and the body segments a bright green.
Free Caterpillar Drawing Practice PDF Worksheet!
Ready to bring your cute caterpillar to life? Don’t wait—our free printable worksheet is here! This special page is designed with blank space for practice, alongside the complete step-by-step guide. Download it and use it to improve your caterpillar drawing skills.
Click below to get your printable worksheet and have fun drawing!
Terms of Use: You can print as many copies as you need for your kids, students, or groups. To share, please link to this page. Please don’t sell, email, post, or share these files in any other way. Thank you!
caterpillar drawing worksheet pdfExplore our 22 Caterpillar Coloring Pages
If you’ve loved drawing your happy caterpillar, you will enjoy our collection of 22 caterpillar coloring pages. We have many outlines you can print out and fill with bright greens, yellows, and any exciting colors you imagine! Grab our sheets and keep exploring the garden world of this little crawler!
5 Ways to Make Your Caterpillar Drawing More Fun!
Draw a Leaf: Draw a green leaf for your caterpillar to crawl on.
Draw a Cocoon: Draw a cocoon hanging from a twig nearby to show where it might turn into a butterfly later.
Give It Spots: Add small dots to its body segments for a pattern.
Change the Body: Try drawing a very long caterpillar with eight or nine body segments!
Add a Party Hat: Give your caterpillar a funny little party hat on its head.
How to Fix Common Caterpillar Drawing Mistakes
- Body Segments: The body should be made of separate, but touching, rounded shapes. Make sure the shapes in Step 2 are circles or ovals, not one long sausage shape.
- Head Size: The head circle in Step 1 is noticeably larger than the body segments. Make sure the head stands out!
- Leg Placement: The tiny legs in Step 3 should be drawn under the body segments, not the head.
- Wobbly Line: Make sure your body segments are lined up smoothly so your caterpillar doesn’t look like it’s wiggling too much!
Helpful Caterpillar Drawing Tips and Tricks For Kids
- Practice Circles: Since this drawing is all about circles, try drawing them freehand several times before starting the guide for smoother shapes.
- Shading: When coloring, use a darker shade of green along the bottom edge of the body segments to make them look round and three-dimensional.
- Smiling Face: Give your caterpillar a big, curved smile and make the eyes bright yellow, as shown in Step 4, to make it look cheerful.
- Future Plans: You could draw a tiny, colorful butterfly flying above your caterpillar to show its exciting future transformation!
Caterpillar Fun Facts for Kids
- Extreme Eaters: Caterpillars are always hungry! They can eat up to 27,000 times their own weight during their short lifetime.
- Many Legs: They look like they have many legs, but only the three pairs of legs near the head are the “true” legs. The others are called prolegs.
- Metamorphosis: A caterpillar is the larval stage of a butterfly or a moth. This change is called metamorphosis.
- Camouflage: Many caterpillars use their colors or patterns to hide from birds and other animals by blending in with leaves or twigs.
More Fun Drawing Guides:
Explore our How to Draw a Butterfly for Kids
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Grab our How to Draw a Dragon for Kids
Discover our How to Draw a Bird for Kids
Don’t miss our How to Draw a Frog for Kids
Looking for more fun animal drawings? Check out our How to Draw Animals Tutorials for more easy step-by-step guides to drawing animals.
