Drawing is a skill that can be learned and most importantly – developed.  So, let’s keep things going here by drawing a very organic creature – an octopus.

There are plenty of lessons out there on drawing “cartoon” octopi. In this lesson, we’ll draw one that is a little more realistic. This means that we’ll work to get accurate proportions. How far you take your drawing with the details and textures is completely up to you.

For this drawing, we’ll simply look at the shapes that make up the octopus and draw them as a framework. Then from there, we’ll add the details and a few hints of texture.  Let’s get started…

Step 1 – Draw Shapes for the Head of the Octopus

We’ll begin with the head and work outward. The shape and size of the head will be used to compare the length and thickness of the tentacles when we draw them. Draw two simple shapes for the octopus’s head.  A large oval and a smaller circle will do the trick.  These lines may overlap just slightly. The larger oval will become the part of the head that extends out, while the smaller shape will connect the head with the rest of the body.

Step 2 – Draw a Shape for the Body and Lines for the Tentacles

Now we’ll add the lower portion of the body and some guidelines for the tentacles. We’re only concerned with the general shape, so it’s acceptable to draw with loose, light lines. Extend the main body by drawing a shape just below the head.  This shape is similar to a triangle.

Then we’ll draw the tentacles of the octopus by drawing a few lines that extend out from the main body.  These lines can curl a bit at the end to create the look of an octopus in motion. These lines may vary in length. Notice how the tentacle that’s closest to the viewer is much longer than the tentacles on the opposite side of the body. You’ll also notice that even though an octopus has eight tentacles, only six of them are visible from this angle.

We can also draw a small “u” shaped mark for the eye. The eye is positioned on the side of the head, within the smaller shape that we drew in the first step.

Step 3 – Make the Tentacles Thicker

Now we’ll make the tentacles a little thicker using the lines that we drew in the last step as a guide. You may use the guidelines as the center of the tentacle or you can just add another line. We’ll also refine the bottom edge of the body of the octopus in this step. Notice how we’ve curved the line as it extends upward into the triangular shape that we drew previously. We’ll also connect the back edge of the head with the body using a slightly curved line.

Step 4 – Draw the Suckers

Now that we have the basic structure of the form in place, we can now add a bit of detail to the tentacles by drawing a few suckers. Small circles work well for creating this texture. Be sure to vary the sizes of the smaller circles. Some may be very tiny, while others can be slightly larger. Be sure to add suckers only on the bottom portions of the tentacles. So as you add them, you’ll need to decide which parts of the tentacles are the bottom sides.

You’ll also notice that we’ve added an irregular outline in areas. This gives the impression of suckers without having to draw them. The top sides of the tentacles are smooth, while the sides underneath are textured.

Step 5 – Finish the Drawing of an Octopus

While we have a good amount of visual information in place, we still need to add a few details to finish the drawing. We can add the small blower hole that comes off the side of the head. We’ll also add a few lines around the eye to make it appear as though it’s slightly recessed in the head.  Also, a few lines are added to create the illusion of a pattern on the body.

We can go over our pencil lines with ink to create a high contrast drawing. When you draw the contours with ink, be sure to vary the thickness of the line. You may make the line thicker where you expect to find shadow or where the octopus is a little thicker. Leave the lines for the suckers and pattern skinny. This will create a bit more variety in the drawing and make it more interesting.

Here are the steps to drawing an octopus in one image…