Hedgehog Drawing Ideas

How to draw a hedgehog step by step

A hedgehog looks tricky because of all its spikes, but the body underneath is just a simple rounded shape. The spikes are the last thing you add, not the first.

1. Draw a rounded oval for the body. Keep the line light so you can adjust it.
2. Add a small pointed snout at the front, with a tiny circle for the nose on the end.
3. Draw two small round ears near the top of the head, and two dot eyes just above the snout.
4. Add short little legs and feet peeking out from under the rounded body.
5. Draw the spikes last. Short, quick lines all over the top and back of the body, pointing outward. You do not need to draw every spike, just enough to fill the shape.

Darken your final lines at the end and rub out the guide shapes. That last step is what makes a drawing look finished rather than sketched.

Which hedgehog should you start with

If this is your first hedgehog

Start with the simple sitting hedgehog or the standing hedgehog outline. Both face you squarely with nothing else on the page, so you are only thinking about the body shape and the spikes.

If you have drawn animals before

Try the hedgehog wearing a party hat, the hedgehog with a scarf or the hedgehog holding a balloon. The hedgehog stays simple and you are adding one small prop, which is a good way to make a drawing feel finished without more difficulty.

If you want a challenge

The hedgehog crawling low to the ground is the hardest here, because the body stretches out sideways instead of sitting in a round shape. Draw the long curve of the back first, and the legs and spikes follow.

What you need

An HB pencil, plain paper and an eraser. A 2B pencil helps if you want darker final lines, especially for the spikes. Nothing on this page needs a tablet, a light box or special paper, and none of these were drawn with any.

Three things that make a hedgehog look like a hedgehog

• The spikes are too neat. Real hedgehog drawings look best with spikes of slightly different lengths pointing in slightly different directions, not a perfectly even row.
• The snout is too short. A hedgehog has a longer, more pointed snout than most round animals. Shorten it too much and it starts to look like a different animal.
• The legs are too long. A hedgehog’s legs are short and mostly hidden under its rounded body. Long legs make it look like it is standing on stilts.

Ways to use these drawings

Copy any of these by hand, or download and print them for yourself, for your children or for your classroom. They work as colouring sheets, tracing practice, a warm up before a bigger drawing, or line art for a card. The party hat, the gift box and the balloon drawings all suit birthday cards. If you want to use one in something you sell, write to us first.