Learn how to draw a frog the easy way, starting from one potato shape and two round eyes. A cute, beginner-friendly step-by-step guide with no experience needed.
A frog is one of the friendliest animals to start with, because almost the whole thing is built from one rounded shape and two bubble eyes on top. In this guide you'll learn how to draw a frog step by step, from that first simple body to its bendy back legs and a wide happy smile. No experience needed, and you can make it a cute frog or a more realistic one.
We'll draw a sitting frog, since that pose shows off the big eyes and folded legs that make a frog look like a frog. Keep your lines light at the start so they're easy to fix, then darken your favorites at the end. Let's begin.
What you'll need
- A pencil and an eraser
- Plain paper
- Optional: a black pen for outlining, plus green crayons, markers, or colored pencils
How to draw a frog step by step
Step 1: Draw the potato body
Start with one rounded shape for the body, a little larger on one end and smaller toward the other, like a potato lying on its side. The homeschool art guide from The Good and the Beautiful teaches kids to begin a frog with exactly this potato-like shape before adding anything else. It's an easy, non-scary place to start. Draw it lightly.
Step 2: Add the two eye bumps
On top of the body, draw two circles side by side for the eyes. Frog eyes sit high up and stick out above the head, almost like two bubbles. Drawing instructor Carlos Gomez starts his frog with simple light circles as guides for the body and eyes, drawn faintly so they're easy to refine later. Keep yours light too.
Step 3: Draw the face
Inside each eye circle, add a round pupil and leave a tiny white dot for shine. Then draw a long, wide curved line across the front of the body for the mouth. A big smile that curves up at the ends gives your frog a cheerful look. Add two little dots for the nostrils above the mouth.
Step 4: Add the front legs
From the lower front of the body, draw two short front legs reaching down to the ground. End each one with little rounded toes, usually three or four per foot. The front legs are small and thin compared to the back ones, so keep them simple.
Step 5: Draw the big back legs
This is what makes a frog look ready to hop. On each side of the body, draw a folded back leg: a rounded thigh that bends up, then angles back down to a wide foot with long toes. The back legs are much bigger than the front. Drawing both as C-curves keeps them even.
Step 6: Outline and erase guide lines
Trace the lines you want to keep with a firmer stroke or a black pen, then erase the leftover guide marks. Don't jump to tiny details before this point. Block in the big simple shapes first, then add the eyes, toes, and any spots last, so the proportions stay easy to fix.
Step 7: Color your frog
Color your frog green, and try shading it light to dark, the way Gomez recommends in his colored-pencil demo: lay down a light layer first, then build up darker greens only where you want shadow. Add a paler belly, a few darker spots on the back, and rosy cheeks for a cute look.
What artists recommend (and common mistakes)
- Start with the potato, not the toes. The most common beginner mistake is jumping straight to the eyes and feet before the body exists. Block in the big rounded body and the leg curves first, then add details.
- Draw light, then darken. Faint guide lines are easy to erase if a shape ends up too big or off-center. Press hard only once you like the placement.
- Put the eyes on top. Frog eyes sit high and bulge above the head. Eyes drawn flat on the face look more like a fish than a frog.
- Make the back legs bigger. A frog's power is in its folded back legs. If the front and back legs are the same size, it loses its hoppy look.
Fun variations to try
- A cute frog: Make the eyes huge, the body extra round, and add pink cheeks and a tiny smile.
- A tree frog: Use round sticky toe pads at the end of each foot and pop in big orange eyes.
- A frog on a lily pad: Draw a flat oval under your frog with a wedge cut out, and add a little water below.
- A jumping frog: Stretch the back legs out long behind the body to show it mid-leap.
Frequently asked questions
How do you draw a frog easy? Start with one potato shape for the body, add two circles on top for the eyes, then draw a wide smile, small front legs, and big folded back legs. Building from one rounded shape keeps the whole thing simple.
How do you draw a cute frog? Make the eyes large and round with a shiny white dot, keep the body chubby, and add a big curved smile and rosy cheeks. Cute is mostly about big eyes and round shapes.
Where do a frog's eyes go? High up on top of the head, bulging above it like two bubbles. This placement is the main thing that makes a frog read as a frog instead of another animal.
Keep drawing and coloring
Once your frog is hopping, give it some pond friends. Try how to draw a duck for the water's edge or how to draw a butterfly for the lily pads, browse more easy animal drawing ideas, then print our free animal coloring pages to color a whole pond of your own.