Animal drawing wheel

The shapes method

1. Find the biggest shape first. An owl is an egg, a crocodile is a long flat box, a penguin is a bowling pin.
2. Add the head as a second shape and join it to the body with a neck line or none at all.
3. Mark where the legs, fins or wings go with simple lines. Count them: beginners often add an extra leg.
4. Draw around the shapes with a confident outline, then erase the construction lines.
5. Add the one feature everyone recognizes: the elephant’s trunk, the zebra’s stripes, the chameleon’s curled tail.

Levels and games

• Level 1 (ages 5–7): a cartoon version from circles and ovals, with big eyes.
• Level 2: look at a photo of the real animal and draw it from the side, the easiest angle for most animals.
• Level 3: draw it moving: running, swimming, landing. Start with a single curved line for the spine.
• Drawing relay: spin, and each player has 60 seconds to add one part before passing the paper on.
• Mash-up: spin twice and draw the front half of one animal with the back half of the other. A shark-giraffe is a great conversation starter.

Make it yours

Swap the list for a theme your class is studying: ocean animals, rainforest animals, farm animals, birds. Use Remove the winner after each spin so every child gets a different animal for a class mural, and project it in full screen so everyone sees the result.