How to Draw a Grumpy Cyclops (Easy Steps for Kids)
Draw this grumpy cyclops step by step with a pencil and eraser. It takes about 15 minutes and works for ages 5 and up. Follow the steps below. The page comes from Kevin Coulston’s book How to Draw: Grumpy Faces.

- Step-by-step drawing
- Ages 5+
- Grades K–2
- Easy
- About 15 min
You’ll need
- Pencil and eraser
- Paper, or the printed page
- Crayons, markers or colored pencils
You’ll practice
- Breaking a drawing into simple shapes
- Following steps in order
- Adding your own details
Free Drawing Page: Learn How to Draw A Grumpy Cyclops
Let’s get weird—in the best way possible—with a brand new free drawing page from How to Draw: Grumpy Faces! Today’s featured character is a hilariously miserable monster with one huge eye, a stuck-out tongue, and a mop of wild curly hair. This is your chance to learn how to draw a grumpy cyclops—and it’s just as fun and silly as it sounds. If your kids love expressive cartoon characters, especially ones that are a little quirky and over-the-top, they’re going to love this grumpy little guy. The free page walks you through how to draw a grumpy cyclops step by step, using the same easy-to-follow six-step format I use in all my drawing books. It’s a great way to ease into drawing cartoon characters with big personalities—and in this case, some big grumpiness too.
About the Book: How to Draw: Grumpy Faces
How to Draw: Grumpy Faces is one of my personal favorite drawing books to make—and now it’s one of my favorite ones to share. Inside, you’ll find 50 hilariously cranky characters, each with their own unique look and exaggerated grumpy expressions. If your kids enjoy drawing faces full of personality, they’ll love learning how to draw a grumpy cyclops, along with dozens of other ridiculous, fun-to-draw characters. Each drawing is broken into six steps, making it easy for beginners to follow along without feeling overwhelmed. These aren’t just any grumpy faces either—expect angry robots, sour aliens, annoyed grandpas, fussy animals, moody monsters, and of course, our one-eyed, tongue-out grumpy cyclops. The goal of this book is simple: help kids (and creative adults!) draw silly cartoon faces while building real drawing skills along the way. The structured format helps with proportions and details, while the goofy expressions keep it light and super fun.
Why Drawing Grumpy Characters is So Much Fun
Let’s be real—drawing expressive characters is one of the best parts of cartooning. Learning how to draw a grumpy cyclops isn’t just about drawing a funny monster with one eye. It’s about learning how to show mood, emotion, and personality through simple shapes and exaggerated features. With this free page, kids get to:
- Focus on face shape and features
- Practice symmetry (even with just one eye!)
- Work on drawing curly hair and silly details
- Use creativity to exaggerate emotion
Plus, once they’ve finished learning how to draw a grumpy cyclops, they can customize the character any way they like—maybe add a grumpy little pet, a thought bubble, or even a background to show why he’s so cranky in the first place.
Part of the Bigger Picture: The How to Draw Series
How to Draw: Grumpy Faces is just one book in a much larger collection of drawing activity books I’ve created, all designed for kids who want to explore art in a fun, accessible way. If you’ve ever picked up one of my books before, you know what to expect: hand-drawn, silly, and super engaging characters that kids actually want to draw. From animals and monsters to robots and fairies, the How to Draw series includes a huge variety of themes. And every single one follows that same six-step approach that makes drawing feel less intimidating and way more fun. If your kids enjoy learning how to draw a grumpy cyclops, there’s a whole universe of other characters waiting for them in the series.
Here are a few reasons parents and teachers keep coming back to these books:
- Kid-tested designs – All of my characters are hand-drawn and designed with young artists in mind.
- Skill-building disguised as fun – While your child learns how to draw a grumpy cyclops, they’re also developing fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and visual planning.
- Great for all ages – While aimed at kids 5 and up, even older kids (and adults!) get a kick out of drawing these characters.
- Perfect for screen-free entertainment – Just grab a pencil and some paper—no batteries required.
Free Activity Page (save and print):
How to Use the Free Page
Download the free drawing page, print it out, and give it a try! Whether your child follows each step exactly or uses the guide as a jumping-off point for their own version, they’re learning valuable drawing techniques in a low-pressure, creative way. Once they’ve finished, challenge them to draw their own unique monster. What would a grumpy cyclops's best friend look like? How about a grumpy cyclops in disguise? The possibilities are endless once kids feel confident with the basics. And if they’re hungry for more, How to Draw: Grumpy Faces is packed with 49 other expressions to master—from furious to pouty to absolutely fed-up.
Ready to Draw More?
Grab the free page and dive into learning how to draw a grumpy cyclops today. It’s the perfect entry point into one of the most expressive, fun drawing books in the How to Draw series. Once you’ve mastered that silly, one-eyed frown, you’ll be hooked—and there are plenty more where that came from. Thanks for checking out the newest freebie, and I hope it inspires your young artist to explore their creativity, one grumpy little face at a time.
Draw it 3 ways
Every FirstArtBooks theme comes in three formats. Trace it, draw it step by step, or copy it square by square: the more ways kids draw a character, the better they know it.
- How to Draw
Draw it step by stepYou’re on this pageSee all How to Draw books - Trace Then Color
Trace Then Color A Grumpy Cartoon FaceA close cousin · Ages 3+See all Trace Then Color books - Draw by Grid
Draw A Grumpy CyclopsThe same character · Ages 7+See all Draw by Grid books
Finished? Draw the scene next
- Add a background: draw a monster school with a chalkboard.
- Write one line under your picture to finish this story:
The teacher asked a question, and…
That’s a picture book page. Draw two more and you have a whole story.
Draw it, then write about it
Give your grumpy cyclops a name and a job. What makes it happy, and what makes it grumpy? Write two or three sentences.
Print a draw-and-write sheet: a box for the drawing and lines for the story. Primary lines (K–2) · Regular lines (grades 2–5)
Want to make it a whole story? Try the comic story starter or fold a mini-book in Story Studio.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
- It looks scary when you wanted silly.
- Make the eyes big and round and the teeth small and square. Big eyes make any monster friendly.
- All the parts are crowded together.
- Draw the body big first, and leave room for arms, horns and feet around it.
- The horns or arms don’t match.
- Draw one side, then the other right away while you still remember the size.
- Pressing hard from the very first step.
- Use light, sketchy lines first. You can erase them easily and go over the lines you keep at the end.
More in 10 common drawing mistakes kids make.
Talk about it
For the grown-up: ask one or two of these while your child draws. There are no wrong answers.
- Is this monster scary, silly or shy? What makes you think so?
- What does this monster like to eat for breakfast?
- What shapes can you find in your drawing?
- What would you change if you drew it again tomorrow?
More ideas in 25 questions to ask kids about their art.
Questions about this drawing lesson
What age is this grumpy cyclops drawing lesson for?
Ages 5 and up (about grades K to 2). Younger kids can follow along with a grown-up, one step at a time.
How long does it take?
About 15 minutes. Kids who add their own details or a background often keep going longer.
What supplies do you need?
Pencil and eraser; paper, or the printed page; crayons, markers or colored pencils.
What size does it print?
Nothing needs printing: draw along on any paper, Letter or A4.
Can kids draw the grumpy cyclops without printing the page?
Yes. Draw on any paper and copy one step at a time from the screen.
For teachers: grade, timing and standards
Grades K–2, about 15 minutes. Step-by-step drawing, easy level.
National Core Arts Standards (visual arts)
- VA:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work: students build drawing skills by following a sequence of steps.
- VA:Cr3 Refine and complete artistic work: students add their own details, expressions and color to finish the character.
See every lesson by standard, plus the math in grid drawing, on the arts standards map.
Copies: print as many as your class needs. More in the teacher resources, the Monsters hub and our no-prep sub plans.
Get the free Monster Drawing Pack
12 printable monster pages to draw, trace and color, sent with your welcome email. After that, Kevin’s newsletter brings new free pages and book news.
Take the idea into a book
Want more characters to draw, trace or color? Explore these related books and see which approach fits your next creative session.

How to Draw: Grumpy Faces
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Trace Then Color: Grumpy Faces
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Draw by Grid: Grumpy Faces
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →More like this: all 26 free monster drawing lessons and pages →
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