Learn How to Draw a Hippo in 6 Easy Steps
Draw this hippo in 6 easy steps with a pencil and eraser. It takes about 15 minutes and works for ages 5 and up. Print the free step-by-step page below, or draw along with the video. The page comes from Kevin Coulston’s book How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals.
- Step-by-step drawing
- Ages 5+
- Grades K–2
- Easy
- About 15 min with the video
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
How to Draw a Hippo (Free Cute Cartoon Animal Drawing Page)
Today’s post features a free drawing page from my book How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals, and this one is all about a big, friendly favorite. The free page shows how to draw a hippo in a cute cartoon style that’s simple, approachable, and fun for kids of all ages.
Hippos are great drawing subjects because they’re naturally round, expressive, and full of personality. In cartoon form, those qualities really shine. This free page breaks everything down into easy steps so learning how to draw a hippo feels doable, even for beginners.
If your child loves animals and enjoys drawing characters that look friendly instead of realistic, this page is a perfect place to start.
How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals
Watch it being drawn
Watch the pencil draw it one step at a time, then grab a pencil and try it yourself.
About How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals
The free hippo page comes from How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals, a book focused on teaching kids how to draw animals using a friendly, cartoony style. Every animal in the book is broken down into simple steps that follow the same structure.
Once kids understand the process, they can apply it to every drawing in the book. That consistency makes learning faster and more enjoyable. Drawing a hippo today can easily turn into drawing other animals tomorrow.
The animals are designed to feel cute, expressive, and approachable, making the book especially appealing to younger artists and beginners.
Why Hippos Work So Well as Cartoon Characters
Hippos might be massive animals in real life, but in cartoon form they’re often drawn as gentle, happy, and slightly goofy. That contrast is part of what makes them so appealing.
When kids learn how to draw a hippo, they get to work with:
- Large rounded shapes
- Simple facial features
- Clear, readable expressions
- Easy-to-balance proportions
The cute cartoon hippopotamus featured on this free page has a soft body shape, a big smile, and friendly eyes. There’s nothing intimidating about it, which helps kids stay relaxed and confident while drawing.
How the Free Drawing Page Is Structured
The free page from How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals follows a clear step-by-step process designed to remove guesswork. Each step builds on the last, starting with basic shapes and gradually adding details.
Because the steps are easy to follow, kids can move at their own pace. They can stop early, repeat the drawing multiple times, or try drawing the hippo again without looking once they feel confident. Learning how to draw a hippo becomes a fun activity instead of a frustrating one.
Designed for Kids and Beginners
This cute cartoon hippo page was designed with beginners in mind. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is success.
When kids successfully complete a drawing, it builds confidence. When they realize they can repeat the process, that confidence grows even more. Learning how to draw a hippo using simple steps helps kids understand that drawing is something they can learn, not something you’re either “good at” or not.
This page works well for:
- Beginner artists
- Kids who enjoy animals
- Homeschool art lessons
- Quiet time or screen-free activities
- Art warm-ups before coloring
Encouraging Creativity Beyond the Steps
After kids learn how to draw a hippo, many of them want to personalize it. That’s where creativity really starts to show.
Some kids add accessories like hats or scarves. Others change the expression, draw a baby hippo, or place the hippo in a scene with water, grass, or other animals. The step-by-step drawing gives them a solid foundation, but it doesn’t limit imagination.
That balance between structure and freedom is a big part of why this series works so well.
Part of the How to Draw Series
How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals is part of my larger How to Draw series. Each book focuses on a specific theme while using the same easy-to-follow drawing process.
Once kids learn how to draw a hippo, they’re better prepared to tackle other animals and characters using the same approach. The repetition builds confidence and helps drawing feel familiar instead of intimidating.
Try the Free Cute Cartoon Hippo Page
If you’re looking for a simple, fun drawing activity, this free page is a great way to learn how to draw a hippo in a cute cartoon style.
It works well as a standalone activity or as an introduction to How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals. Whether your child draws it once or turns it into a whole page of hippos, the goal is the same: make drawing fun, approachable, and rewarding.
Free Activity Page (save and print):
Download this free worksheet to learn how to draw a hippo
Sometimes all it takes is a friendly cartoon hippo to help drawing finally click.
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 ColorTrace Then Color booksTrace it, then color itNo free page of this one yet. See the Trace Then Color books (ages 3+)
- Draw by GridDraw by Grid booksCopy it square by squareNo free page of this one yet. See the Draw by Grid books (ages 7+)
Fun facts about the real hippo
- Hippos spend most of the day in water to stay cool.
- A hippo can't really swim. It walks or bounces along the bottom of rivers.
- Hippos come out at night to eat grass on land.
Draw your hippo, then add one of these facts in a speech bubble or on the back of the page.
Finished? Draw the scene next
- Add a background: draw a busy zoo with a ticket booth.
- Write one line under your picture to finish this story:
Nobody noticed the gate was open, so…
That’s a picture book page. Draw two more and you have a whole story.
Draw it, then write about it
Give your hippo a name. Where does it live, and what does it love to do? Write two or three sentences.
Directed drawing and writing worksheets for this lesson: Hippo Directed Drawing and Writing Worksheet, with a kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd–3rd grade writing page.
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
- The head is too small for a cartoon look.
- Cartoon animals are cute because their heads are big. Make the head almost as big as the body.
- The eyes are too far apart.
- Keep the eyes close together near the middle of the face. Leave about one eye’s width between them.
- The legs don’t line up with the body.
- Draw the legs straight down from the bottom of the body, so the animal looks like it’s standing on the ground.
- 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.
- Where does this animal live, and what does it eat?
- If this animal could talk, what would its voice sound like?
- What name fits this character?
- Which step was the trickiest? What did you do to get past it?
More ideas in 25 questions to ask kids about their art.
Questions about this drawing lesson
What age is this hippo 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, including time to pause the video. 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?
US Letter (8.5 by 11 inches). Use Print this page or Download PDF above. On A4 paper, choose “Fit to page” in the print settings.
Can kids draw the hippo without printing the page?
Yes. Draw on any paper and copy one step at a time from the screen, or pause the video after each step. Classroom mode shows one step at a time, full screen.
For teachers: grade, timing and standards
Grades K–2, about 15 minutes. Step-by-step drawing, easy level. The video does the teaching: press play and let students draw along.
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. Use classroom mode above to show one step at a time on your board. More in the teacher resources, the Animals hub and our no-prep sub plans.
Get the free Animal Drawing Pack
12 printable animal 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: Cute Cartoon Animals
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
How to Draw: Food Monsters
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Trace Then Color: Cartoon Food Monsters
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →More like this: all 55 free animal drawing lessons and pages →
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