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Hobbies & crafts

How to draw a baby elephant from the side

Lay in a large oval body and circles for head and ears, add an S-curve trunk, and block simple column legs. Refine contours, suggest skin folds, and add light shading to show volume. Step images highlight proportion checkpoints.

14 clear steps·Illustrated guide
Finished pencil sketch of a side-view baby elephant with soft shading and a light ground shadow
  1. 01

    Lightly sketch a big oval for the body

    On your page, place a wide, horizontal oval slightly above center—this will be the baby elephant’s body. Keep your pencil pressure light so you can adjust later. Leave space in front of the oval for the head and trunk, and below it for legs and a simple ground shadow.

    A lightly drawn horizontal oval centered on a blank page, representing the elephant’s body.
  2. 02

    Add a head circle in front

    Draw a circle that overlaps the front of the body oval by a small amount. Size it roughly half the body oval’s height so it feels baby-like and a bit large. This circle should sit slightly higher than the middle of the body oval to allow room for the neck and chest.

    A small circle overlaps the front of the larger body oval to indicate the head position.
  3. 03

    Attach the neck and place a big ear guide

    Connect head and body with two short, gentle lines to suggest the neck. Then, on the back half of the head circle, add a large oval for the ear—nearly as tall as the head circle. Angle the ear slightly back so it feels floppy and light.

    A neck shape joins the head circle to the body oval, and a large oval marks the elephant’s ear.
  4. 04

    Lay in an S-curve for the trunk

    From the front-center of the head circle, sweep a soft S-curve downward and forward to place the trunk’s path. Let it end about level with the lower edge of the body oval. Keep it as a single guiding line for now; thickness comes later.

    A light S-curve line extends from the head circle to show where the trunk will go.
  5. 05

    Block simple column legs and small feet

    Under the body oval, sketch four straight-sided leg blocks: one under the head-side chest, one behind the belly, and two on the far side slightly overlapped. Keep them short and sturdy, with small rounded rectangles or ovals for feet. Angle the front leg a touch forward and the back leg a touch back for balance.

    Four blocky leg shapes with rounded feet are sketched under the body oval, two near and two partly hidden.
  6. 06

    Refine the back, chest, and belly curves

    Turn the top of the body oval into a smooth, slightly arched back. Shape the front of the body into a round chest, then curve into a soft belly that hangs a bit between the legs. Add a short, thin tail at the rear with a tiny tuft suggestion.

    The oval is refined into a natural back, chest, and belly with a small tail added.
  7. 07

    Place the eye and mouth corner

    Mark a small eye low on the head circle, a little behind the trunk’s base. Indicate the mouth corner with a short, gentle line where the trunk meets the head. Keep both subtle—baby elephants’ features are soft and rounded.

    A small eye and a short mouth line are placed on the head near the base of the trunk.
  8. 08

    Shape the ear and add an inner fold line

    Redraw the ear oval into a soft, wavy edge that hangs slightly away from the head. Inside it, add a curved line to suggest the inner fold, tapering as it nears the head. Keep the ear large and friendly to emphasize youth.

    The ear is refined into a floppy shape with a gentle inner fold line.
  9. 09

    Thicken the trunk and suggest the tip

    Follow your S-curve to give the trunk even thickness, slightly wider at the base near the head and narrowing toward the tip. At the end, draw a small rounded triangle or teardrop for the tip with two tiny nostril ovals. Add a few light crosswise wrinkles along the trunk’s length.

    The trunk is thickened along the guide line, with tiny nostrils at the tip and a few gentle wrinkles.
  10. 10

    Turn leg blocks into soft, sturdy limbs

    Round the corners of each leg block into pillar-like legs, slightly wider at the top and gently tapering. Add soft ankle curves above the feet. Indicate toenails with three or four small curved lines across each front edge of the near feet.

    Blocky legs are refined into rounded legs with small toenail marks.
  11. 11

    Clean up extra guidelines

    Carefully erase construction lines still visible inside the body, head, and legs. Keep the refined outer contours, the ear fold, facial features, and trunk wrinkles. Soften any heavy marks to keep everything cohesive and light.

    Most inner guidelines are erased, leaving clean outlines of the elephant.
  12. 12

    Add gentle skin folds at joints

    Place short, curved lines where the skin compresses: behind the ear’s base, at the base of the trunk, under the chin, at the top and back of each leg, and a few along the belly. Keep these light and spaced so the drawing doesn’t look overly wrinkled.

    Light, short lines appear at joints and under the belly to suggest skin folds.
  13. 13

    Shade the undersides for volume

    Pick a light source (for example, top left). Shade the opposite surfaces lightly: underside of the trunk, lower ear, belly, inner sides of legs, and the far-side legs overall. Build tone with gentle layers, then soften with a blending stump or tissue if you like.

    Soft shading appears on the undersides of the elephant to add volume.
  14. 14

    Finish with small accents and a ground shadow

    Darken the eye slightly and add a tiny highlight by leaving a speck of paper white. Deepen the crease where the trunk meets the head and the ear’s inner fold. Add a simple, soft oval shadow on the ground under the feet so the elephant feels grounded.

    The completed baby elephant drawing has a soft ground shadow and subtle dark accents.

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