Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Squid" video after each step to draw at your own pace.





For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Draw a small circle as a guide for the squid's head. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. Leave enough on the sides for the rest of the squid's body.

Step 2: Draw a long arc on the left side of the squid's head as a guide for the squid's body or mantle. Squid have different-sized mantles. This is determined by the size of the arc. You can draw yours longer or shorter.

Step 3: Draw an angled line on the left side of the squid's mantle as a guide for the fin. First draw a line similar to a less-than sign (<), then connect that line to the mantle so the end result looks roughly like a diamond.

Step 4: Draw a couple of wavy lines to the right of the head as guides for the squid's arms. The arm length varies between different squid species, so feel free to draw the guides as short or as long as you'd like.

Step 5: Draw a couple more wavy lines as guides for more arms. The purpose of these guides is to predetermine the placement of the squid's arms. This will help in the final uniformity of the arms.