How to Draw 111 Animals and Characters, Step by Step

Break every picture into simple shapes and add one shape at a time. Most children don't struggle because they lack talent; they simply don't know where to start, and a circle or an oval gives them that starting point. In the method Ricardo Demi uses in his Magic of Discoveries books, each new line is shown in black while earlier lines turn gray, so the child sees exactly what to add and never has to compare two whole pictures. You can try the method free with a printable lion.

Free printable: how to draw a lion step by step

Most children are ready for step-by-step drawing at about five, when they can hold a pencil and copy a circle or a line. Before that, scribbling and coloring help develop pencil control; after that, guided drawing turns scribbles into recognizable pictures. Age is a guide, not a rule: some children start at four, others only become interested at eight or nine, and both are normal.

Guide: how to teach a 5-year-old to draw

A method where a picture is built from a sequence of simple shapes, one addition per step, until the full drawing appears. Each step is small enough to copy with confidence, and the finished picture shows the child that even a complex subject can be broken down into manageable steps. In classrooms the same approach is called directed drawing.

Guide: what step-by-step drawing is

It removes the hardest moment: the blank page. A child who copies one shape at a time succeeds at every step, and those small successes add up to a drawing they are proud of. Because most subjects start from the same few shapes, a circle, an oval, a curve, the child also builds a visual vocabulary they later use in drawings of their own.

Fine motor skills and pencil control, hand-eye coordination, patience and concentration, and self-confidence. Step-by-step drawing adds two more: following a visual sequence, and seeing how a complex object breaks down into simple parts. These are the same skills children need for handwriting, so regular drawing also prepares the hand for school.

They build different skills, and children benefit from both. Coloring trains control inside a line; drawing trains planning, shape, proportion and the confidence to make a picture from nothing. Many children move from coloring books to drawing at five or six, often because they want a picture that is their own. A good next step keeps coloring in the process: the child draws first, then colors what they drew.

It almost always means "I don't know where to start." Give the child a first shape they can certainly draw, such as a circle, and one small addition at a time; within a few steps, they have drawn a lion or a rocket on their own. Tracing the finished outline first also helps, because the hand learns the shape before drawing it alone.

Guide: how a beginner can learn to draw

Subjects built from round shapes: a cat, a dog, a bunny, a snail, a flower, a cupcake. They start from a circle or an oval, have few details, and are recognizable after only a few steps. Once these feel easy, children can move on to subjects with more parts, like a giraffe, a kangaroo or a dragon.

Free easy drawings to print: cat, dog, flower, house and more

Yes, and it is one of the best ways to start. Draw the same subject side by side, one step at a time: the child sees that an adult also begins with a plain circle, and it takes away some of the pressure to get it right. Adults who "can't draw" often surprise themselves too. Step-by-step books with purely visual instructions, like How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi, work for both at once.

Start with tracing and large, round subjects. At five, children are still developing pencil control, so following a dotted outline first gives them the feel of a shape before drawing it freehand. Keep sessions short and praise the attempt, not the accuracy. Instructions should be fully visual, because most five-year-olds cannot read yet.

Free printable: how to draw a cat

Let the child follow the steps alone and step in only when asked. By six most children copy circles, ovals and curves reliably, so four to six small steps per picture are within reach. This is also the age when many children leave coloring books behind and want to draw "real" pictures. Good first subjects are a cat, a dog, a bunny and a snail.

Free easy drawings to print: cat, dog, flower, house and more

Show that a complicated picture is only a chain of simple shapes. At seven children often want their drawing to look like the example, and step-by-step drawing helps them get there without becoming frustrated. Encourage them to draw the same subject twice: the second attempt is usually much better.

Guide: how to teach a 7-year-old to draw

Give more complex subjects and let the child add details of their own. At eight children can keep several parts of a drawing in proportion, so animals with long necks, tails and legs, like a giraffe, a kangaroo or a flamingo, become rewarding. A background or a second character turns a copy into their own picture.

Guide: how to teach a 7-year-old to draw

Use step-by-step drawings as a starting point, not a finish line. Nine-year-olds can take shapes learned in one drawing and reuse them in another, which is how independent drawing develops. Ask them to change a pose, add an expression or combine two subjects in one scene.

Guide: drawing for 9 and 10 year olds

Yes, especially for a child who has decided they "can't draw" and stopped trying. Ten-year-olds are often self-critical, and a method that reliably produces a good result restores confidence quickly. More experienced ten-year-olds use the steps to understand how a subject is built, then redraw it in their own style.

Guide: drawing for 9 and 10 year olds

Start every animal from its biggest shape: a circle for the head or an oval for the body. Then add ears, legs and tail one at a time, and finish with the face, which is what makes the animal recognizable. The lion is a good first animal: it starts from a circle, and the mane makes it recognizable in one step.

Free printable: how to draw a lion step by step

Round, compact animals: a cat, a bunny, a bear, a koala, a snail, a bee. They need only a few steps and look right even when the lines are not perfect. Long-legged or detailed animals, such as a giraffe, a flamingo or a chameleon, are better saved for later.

Free printable spreads from How to Draw 111

Tracing helps children practice the movement needed to make a shape before drawing it on their own. The child feels where a curve starts, where it turns and how long it runs, and the independent attempt that follows is more confident. The same principle is used in teaching handwriting. A helpful sequence has three parts: follow the steps, trace the outline, then draw it freehand, ideally twice.

For ages five to ten, about four to eight steps, with one new shape per step. With too few steps, the change from one step to the next can be too large; with too many, the activity can become tiring. Six steps is a common sweet spot: enough to build a recognizable animal, few enough that a young child finishes before losing interest.

About 15 to 20 minutes for the steps, the tracing and the child's own drawing. Coloring the finished picture can extend it. That length fits a short lesson, a quiet activity after school, or an early-finisher task in class.

Usually not, if the instructions are fully visual. An adult is most useful in the first session: showing how the new black line differs from the gray lines already drawn, then stepping back. After that, most children work on their own.

Start with a regular pencil so mistakes can be erased; that alone takes much of the fear out of drawing. Once the drawing is finished, it can be colored with colored pencils, crayons or markers, whichever the child enjoys most.

One with fully visual steps, large pictures and a dotted outline to trace. A five-year-old should not need to read and should not have to copy onto a separate sheet. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi (Magic of Discoveries) has all three: no reading, a traceable outline for every drawing, and blank space beside it. Start with the simplest round subjects and move on as the child becomes more confident.

One with enough variety to last for months. Six-year-olds progress quickly and lose interest when every picture looks alike. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi has 111 different subjects across land animals, sea life, fairy-tale characters, vehicles, sports, everyday things, nature and food. For a child just starting out, the shorter How to Draw Everything from the same series is an easier first step.

One that goes beyond the simplest pictures and shows how complex subjects are built. Seven-year-olds are ready for a challenge but still need every step to be clear. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi puts a dragon, a mermaid, a helicopter and a hot air balloon next to simple animals, so the child can choose the level for the day.

One with more detailed subjects and room to add their own ideas. Eight-year-olds enjoy drawings with several parts and like adding backgrounds and stories. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi leaves space around every drawing and adds a short fun fact to each, which curious eight-year-olds read on their own.

One that teaches how a subject is built, not only how to copy it. At nine, children start reusing shapes from one drawing in another. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi gives them 111 subjects to learn from, and because all their work stays in the book, it becomes a record of how their drawing skills improve over time.

Choose based on the child, not just their age. A confident young artist may be ready for advanced technique books; a ten-year-old who stopped drawing because they think they can't will benefit most from clear step-by-step instruction. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi is designed for ages 5 to 10 and often brings exactly that child back to drawing.

Check five things: visual steps without reading, one new shape per step, practice space inside the book, enough subjects to last, and illustrations drawn for children rather than generated. Look inside before buying if you can. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi has 111 hand-drawn subjects on 231 pages, with no AI art, and seven spreads from the book are free to print.

Free printable spreads from How to Draw 111

A book that lets them finish real drawings on their own, rather than another blank sketchbook they don't know how to fill. Look for clear steps, space to practice, and pictures the child will want to keep. How to Draw 111 by Ricardo Demi keeps every drawing in one book, so by the end it becomes a keepsake of the child's early artwork; it suits birthdays, holidays and back to school.

A step-by-step drawing book for children ages 5 to 10, published by Magic of Discoveries, an independent family publisher in Miami. Its author, Ricardo Demi, is an educator, researcher and father of two. The book has 111 drawings on 231 pages in a large 8.5 x 11 inch format. Each drawing has its own two-page spread: one page shows the steps, usually six, and the facing page provides a dotted outline to trace and space to draw it twice. It was a finalist in the Educational category of the Children's Book International Awards 2025 and is rated 4.9 out of 5 from 36 Amazon reviews.

111 subjects in eight groups: 39 land animals, 16 sea animals, 11 fairy-tale characters, 8 vehicles, 7 sports and hobbies, 6 everyday things, 10 nature subjects and 14 foods. Among them are a lion, elephant, giraffe, koala, fox, shark, whale, dolphin, octopus, unicorn, mermaid, dragon, helicopter, hot air balloon, skateboard, kite, rose, mushroom, cupcake and watermelon. The full list of subjects is on this page.

Yes, that is what it was designed for. Each drawing begins with a simple shape, such as a circle or an oval, and adds one detail at a time. Black lines show what to draw now, gray lines show what is already in place. A Readers' Favorite reviewer noted that by the end of the book children have a firm grasp of the fundamentals of drawing.

No. Practice space is built into the book. Children trace the picture and then draw it themselves on the facing page, and all their work stays together in one place.

Yes. Once a drawing is finished, it can be colored, so one session combines step-by-step drawing, tracing, independent practice and coloring. Parents often mention in reviews that their children love coloring what they have just drawn.

Yes. At two or three drawings a week, 111 subjects last a full school year. The fun fact next to each drawing can open a short science or nature conversation, and everything the child draws stays in one book, which makes progress easy to see.

Yes. It works for short art lessons, morning work, early finishers and independent art time. Each student works in their own book, so there are no loose worksheets to print, collect or organize. For K-2 classrooms, Magic of Discoveries also publishes printable directed drawing worksheets.

Directed drawing worksheets for grades K-2

A coloring book gives a finished picture to fill in; this book teaches the child to make the picture. The child builds each drawing from simple shapes, traces it, draws it alone, and only then colors it. For many children it is the natural next step after coloring books.

Both are by Ricardo Demi in the Magic of Discoveries series. How to Draw Everything is shorter and simpler, 104 pages, meant as a first introduction for ages 5 to 8. How to Draw 111 is the next step: 231 pages, a full two-page spread for every drawing with tracing and practice space, and a wider age range, 5 to 10.

How to Draw Everything by Ricardo Demi

Yes. Seven real spreads from the book, 14 pages, are free to print on the Magic of Discoveries website: the lion, elephant, zebra, parrot, monkey, crocodile and kangaroo. No registration and no email, in US Letter and A4.

Free printable spreads from How to Draw 111

On Amazon, in paperback and Kindle; the paperback is the better choice for most families, because tracing and practice happen right in the book. It is also sold through Barnes & Noble, ThriftBooks, World of Books and other booksellers. The ISBN of the English paperback is 9781963328141, and a Spanish edition is also available.