How to Draw a Diplodocus (Easy Step by Step)
The diplodocus is a gentle giant, and it is easy to draw because it is mostly smooth curves and simple pillars. You will build it from a curved belly, a long swooping neck, a curvy tail, and four rectangle legs. Take your time with the neck, and you will end up with a friendly dinosaur ready to stomp across the page.
- Easy
- 10 minutes
- 6 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawingIn this article (7 sections)
How to draw a diplodocus step by step
How to Draw a Diplodocus · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Belly and back curves
Start with a wide, curved smile shape low on your page for the bottom of the belly. Then add a short curved line a little above and to the right of its end, which will be the rump.
Step 2: Neck, head and front leg
Draw a long curve that swoops up like a tall slide and rounds off into a small head, then bring a line back down the other side of the neck and across the back to the rump. Add a tall, skinny leg with a rounded bottom hanging down from the left end of the belly.
Step 3: The tail
At the right end of the body, draw a curve that sweeps out and down. Draw a second curve underneath it and join the two at a rounded tip.
Step 4: The back leg
Under the right end of the body, draw a tall, skinny leg with a rounded bottom. It should look like a sturdy pillar that stops at the same ground line as the front leg.
Step 5: The middle legs
Add two more pillar legs in the gap under the belly, side by side. Make them the same height as the other legs so your diplodocus stands steady.
Step 6: The eye
Near the front of the head, draw one small, round dot for the eye.
All done!
Go over your lines with a marker, then color it in.
Finished your diplodocus? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a Parasaurolophus or how to draw a plesiosaur next.
Tips for drawing a diplodocus
- Draw the neck as two lines that stay about the same distance apart, like a tall, bendy road. If it gets too thin at the top, the head will look squished.
- Keep all the legs the same height by lightly marking one line on the ground first. Then each leg can stop right on that line.
- Make the tail tip rounded, not pointy, and keep the two tail lines curving the same way so the tail looks smooth.
Free diplodocus coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this diplodocus 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 diplodocus drawing
Try soft greens and grays with a lighter belly, or give your dinosaur a rainbow of spots along its back. For a creative twist, draw a few leafy treetops beside the long neck so it looks like the diplodocus is having lunch.
Diplodocus fun fact for kids
The diplodocus was one of the longest dinosaurs ever found, measuring roughly 80 to 90 feet from nose to tail tip. It ate only plants, and its small head had thin, peg-shaped teeth for stripping leaves from branches.
Questions about drawing a diplodocus
What shapes do I need to draw a diplodocus?
You need a wide curve for the body, a long curved shape for the neck and head, a curved tail that ends in a rounded tip, and four tall rectangles with rounded bottoms for the legs.
How do I make my diplodocus look cuter?
Make the eye dot a little bigger and the head a little rounder. A big round eye makes the face look friendly right away.
Why does the diplodocus have such a long neck?
A long neck let it reach lots of leaves without moving its heavy body much. Many scientists think it held its neck low and swept it from side to side to graze across plants.
