Hippo Drawing Ideas
Twenty-four hippo drawings you can copy straight onto paper, from a hippo sitting with a watermelon slice to a hippo wearing a party hat. Every one is a clean pencil outline drawn by hand, with no shading and no colour. Pick one, keep it next to you, and copy it line by line.
Nothing in this category yet.
How to draw a hippo step by step
A hippo is one of the easiest animals to draw because its whole body is made from rounded shapes. There are no sharp points anywhere, so a shaky line still looks friendly.
- Draw a large oval for the body. Keep the line light so you can adjust it.
- Add a big rounded head at one end, slightly wider than it is tall.
- Draw two small rounded ears on top of the head, and two round eyes near the top of the face.
- Add a wide, flat snout with two small round nostrils on top. This is what makes a hippo look like a hippo rather than a pig or a bear.
- Add four short, thick legs under the body. For a sitting hippo, tuck the legs underneath instead.
- Finish with a small curly tail at the back.
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 hippo should you start with
If this is your first hippo
Start with the simple standing hippo or the plain sitting hippo outline. Both face you squarely with nothing else on the page, so you are only thinking about one shape at a time. The baby hippo is also forgiving, because its rounder proportions hide small mistakes.
If you have drawn animals before
Try the hippo wearing a party hat, the hippo wearing a scarf or the hippo holding a ball. The hippo 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 hippo standing under an umbrella and the hippo holding an umbrella are the hardest here, because the umbrella has to line up with the hippo’s hand and head. Draw the hippo first and add the umbrella last, and the rest follows.
What you need
An HB pencil, plain paper and an eraser. A 2B pencil helps if you want darker final lines. 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 hippo look like a hippo
- The snout is too narrow. A hippo snout is wide and flat with the nostrils sitting on top, not the front. Narrow it and you have drawn a pig instead.
- The legs are too long. Keep them short and thick, close to the ground. Long legs make the hippo look like a horse.
- The body is too thin. A hippo’s body should be a big, rounded oval. A slim body loses the hippo shape completely.
Hippo or baby hippo
Same drawing, different proportions. For a baby hippo, make the head bigger compared to the body, the eyes larger and rounder, and the legs shorter and stubbier. The baby hippo drawing on this page already uses these proportions, which is why it reads as young and friendly.
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 balloon and the pumpkin drawings all suit seasonal or birthday cards. If you want to use one in something you sell, write to us first.
Questions people ask
What is the easiest hippo drawing on this page?
The simple standing hippo or the plain sitting hippo outline. Both face forward with no props and are built from a few rounded shapes.
Are these hippo drawings free to download?
Yes. Every drawing here can be downloaded and printed for personal use, school use or classroom use at no cost. For commercial use, please contact us first.
Can young children draw these?
Most of them. The simple sitting hippo, the standing hippo, the baby hippo and the hippo wearing a party hat all suit children around five and up. The umbrella drawings suit older children and adults.
Why does my hippo look like a pig?
Almost always the snout. A pig snout is small and round at the very front. A hippo snout is wide and flat with the nostrils sitting on top. Widen it and move the nostrils up.
How do I draw a hippo sitting down?
Draw the rounded head first, then tuck a wide oval body underneath it with the legs folded in close to the belly. Add short front legs coming down and finish with a small curly tail.
How do I draw a baby hippo instead of an adult?
Use the same shapes and change the proportions. Bigger head, larger rounder eyes and shorter, stubbier legs. The baby hippo drawing on this page already uses these proportions.
What pencil should I use?
An HB for the light guide shapes and a 2B for the final lines. If you only have one pencil, an HB is fine. Press lightly at the start so the guides rub out cleanly.
Are these drawings made by hand?
Yes. Each one was drawn in pencil on plain paper and photographed. They are not computer generated or traced from photographs.