Easy drawing · step by step

How to draw a dragon

In 12 easy steps you’ll draw a cute baby dragon hatching out of its egg, with little horns, big eyes and a happy smile, using a pencil and paper: a circle and an oval to start, then the cracked egg and soft shading.

12 steps
Beginner
Pencil and paper

Or follow the steps

A finished pencil drawing of a cute baby dragon with little horns and big eyes, hatching from a cracked egg — The baby dragon, finished

You’ll need

A pencil (an HB is fine)
Paper
An eraser

Draw a dragon, step by step

This step’s lines
Already drawn

Draw everything in pencil: the blue only shows what’s new in each step. Save all 12 steps to Pinterest

STEP 1Guide lines
Head and egg guides
Start light: a circle for the head, and a big oval underneath it for the egg. Let them overlap.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 8.
STEP 2Outline
The head
Now the head. Go down the left side of the circle, round under the chin and up the right side. Last, a curve across the top.
STEP 3Outline
The horns
Two little horns on top, like curved cones, the right one first. For each, a small curve at the base, then up to the point and back down.
STEP 4Outline
The eyes
Two big eyes, the right one first. The outside shape, then inside it a curve, an oval for the pupil and a tiny circle for the glint. Just outlines for now.
STEP 5Outline
Nose and smile
A big happy smile: the open mouth first, with a little curl at each end. Then a soft curve above it for the snout, and two little nostrils.
STEP 6Outline
The paws
Two short lines down from the chin for the tummy. Then the right paw: a round shape with little bumps along the bottom for claws. Then the same on the left.
STEP 7Outline
The egg
Now the egg: one big round curve, down and under. Then the jagged top: a zigzag in the middle with a crack running down, and a zigzag each side up to the head.
STEP 8Clean lines
Erase the guides
Rub out the circle and the oval. Only the dragon and its egg stay.
STEP 9Clean lines
Go over the outline
Now press harder and go over the outside edge of the dragon and the egg, so they stand out from the lines inside.
STEP 10Shading
Shading
The light comes from the top left. Shade the right side of the head and the egg softly, and under the chin, a little darker in the deepest places.
STEP 11Shading
Cast shadow
A soft shadow on the ground under the egg, off to the right, so it sits on the page.
STEP 12Shading
The darks
Last of all, fill in the pupils, leaving the glints white.

Tips for a better dragon

A circle and an oval
A circle for the head and a big oval underneath for the egg, overlapping. Keep them light: they get rubbed out in step 8.
Little curved horns
Two small horns on top, like curved cones: a small curve at the base, up to the point and back down.
Big eyes, big smile
Big eyes and an open, happy smile with a little curl at each end make the dragon cute rather than scary.
Zigzag the shell
A zigzag along the top of the egg, with a crack running down, shows it has just hatched.
Shade the far side
Shade the right side of the head and the egg softly, a little darker under the chin, and add a soft shadow under the egg.

The Dragon world has 9 more drawings

DrawRabbit has 95 narrated drawings in 10 worlds, from axolotls to dragons. You draw each one with a real pencil and paper, and the first drawing in every world is free.

The baby dragon
First flight
The fire breather
Asleep on the gold

Free to start · iPhone and iPad

Questions

Is this dragon easy to draw?

Yes, it’s one of the easiest: 12 steps, starting from a circle and an oval, with a cracked egg that hides the hardest part, the body.

What do I need?

A pencil, paper and an eraser. Draw the first steps lightly: the guide lines are rubbed out in step 8.

How do I draw the cracked egg?

One big round curve down and under for the egg, then a jagged top: a zigzag in the middle with a crack running down, and a zigzag each side up to the head.

Can kids draw it?

Yes. It’s made for beginners of any age. If reading the steps is hard, the draw-along talks you through each line while it draws.

What is DrawRabbit?

A drawing app for iPhone and iPad: narrated, step-by-step lessons you follow with a real pencil and paper. 95 drawings in 10 worlds, free to start, no account needed.

Made by DrawRabbit, from the app’s own narrated lesson: the step pictures are drawn by the same stroke-by-stroke player. Updated 21 October 2026.