How to Draw a Swimmer (Easy Step by Step)
Learn to draw a happy swimmer character with easy step-by-step instructions. You'll build your swimmer using simple shapes like a rounded head, a barrel body, and leaf-shaped arms.
- Begin your swimmer drawing with simple shapes.
- Form the head using a big rounded shape.
- Create the body with a barrel shape.
- Draw the arms using leaf shapes.
- Combine these easy shapes to make a happy character.
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This little swimmer stands by the lane rope with both arms held out wide, ready for a swim. The drawing is built from simple shapes: a big rounded head, a barrel for the body, and leaf shapes for the arms. Each shape is easy on its own, and together they make a happy character.
- Medium
- 15 minutes
- 11 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawingIn this article (7 sections)
How to draw a swimmer step by step
How to Draw a Swimmer · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch these 2 ovals. They only show where the big parts go, so press softly. You will erase them at the end.
Step 2: Big round head
Draw a big rounded shape for the head, a little wider than it is tall. Leave a small gap at the bottom where the neck will go.
Step 3: The swim cap
Draw a gently curved line across the upper part of the head, from one side to the other. Everything above the line is the cap.
Step 4: The goggles
Near the top of the cap, draw two small circles side by side. Join them with a short straight line in the middle.
Step 5: Happy face
Draw two little dots for eyes below the cap line. Add a curved smile under them, like a small bowl, and start the body with a short line down from the left side of the head.
Step 6: The striped body
Under the head, draw a short rounded barrel shape, a little narrower than the head. Add one curved line across the middle to make a swimsuit stripe.
Step 7: The long arms
From each side of the body, draw a long pointy leaf shape stretching down and out, like arms held wide. Make both arms the same size.
Step 8: The hands
Draw a small circle at the tip of each arm for the hands. Tuck each one right where the arm shape ends.
Step 9: The feet
Under the body, draw two small curved shapes side by side for the feet. Leave a little space between them.
Step 10: Legs and lane rope
Draw two short straight lines going down from the body to the feet for the legs. Then draw long straight lines across the page below the feet and add little circles along them for the lane rope floats.
Step 11: The wavy water
At the very bottom, draw a long wiggly line that goes up and down like gentle waves. Start at one edge and wiggle all the way across.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your swimmer? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a surfer or how to draw a kid with a flag next.

Tips for drawing a swimmer
- Draw the head big and light first. Everything else is easier to place when you can see how much room is left below it.
- The arms are the trickiest part. Start with one pointy leaf shape, then copy its size and angle on the other side so they match.
- Draw the goggle circles after the cap line, and keep them the same size. Tracing around a coin or a bottle cap can help.
Free swimmer coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this swimmer coloring page at full size and print it. It is the same drawing you just learned, with clean lines ready for crayons or markers.
How to color your swimmer drawing
Try a bright swim cap in red or yellow, a blue swimsuit, and blue and green water. For a creative twist, give the swimmer a rainbow cap and color each float on the lane rope a different shade.
Swimmer fun fact for kids
Swimmers wear goggles to keep pool water out of their eyes. Many pools add chlorine to the water to keep it clean, and chlorine can make unprotected eyes sting.
Questions about drawing a swimmer
What shapes do I need to draw a swimmer?
You need a big rounded shape for the head, a barrel for the body, and long leaf shapes for the arms. Small circles make the goggles, hands and floats.
How do I make my swimmer look cuter?
Draw the eyes small with a curved smile below them. Making the head extra large compared to the body also adds charm.
How do I draw water around a swimmer?
Use one long wiggly line that goes up and down like a gentle wave. Add a second wave under it if you want the pool to look deeper.






