How to Draw a Helicopter (Easy Step by Step)
A helicopter is a great first vehicle to draw because it is mostly ovals and straight lines. You will build a round body, a window, a short tail with a little fin, and a long skinny blade, then add legs and a skid to hold it up. Each part is easy on its own, and together they look like a helicopter ready to take off.
- Easy
- 12 minutes
- 9 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawingIn this article (7 sections)
How to draw a helicopter step by step
How to Draw a Helicopter · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch this oval. It only shows where the big parts go, so press softly. You will erase it at the end.
Step 2: The oval body
Start with a big, wide oval in the middle of your page. This is the body of the helicopter, and everything else will attach to it.
Step 3: The window
Inside the top right of the body, draw a short straight line along the bottom and a straight line going up from its left end. Then curve over the top and down to the right end, like a half circle with a flat floor.
Step 4: The tail
On the left side of the oval, draw one line from the upper left of the body that goes out to the left. Draw a second line from the lower left of the body that curves out to meet it. Close the end with a small curve so the tail looks like a short, tapered tube.
Step 5: The tail fin
Above the tail, draw one curved line that starts near the far left end, arches up and over, and comes back down to touch the top of the tail near the body. This makes a little fin.
Step 6: The tail rotor
At the left end of the fin, draw a small circle. Then draw a short curved line going down from the circle to join it to the end of the tail.
Step 7: The rotor pole
Draw a short straight line going up from the top middle of the oval. This pole holds up the big spinning blade.
Step 8: The big blade
On top of the pole, draw a long, skinny rectangle with fully rounded ends, like a pill. Make it wide so it stretches past both sides of the body.
Step 9: Legs and skid
Under the body, draw two short slanted lines going down, a little wider apart at the bottom. Join their bottoms with one long straight line, and curl up the right end like the tip of a ski.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your helicopter? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a hot air balloon or how to draw a tractor next.
Tips for drawing a helicopter
- Draw the body oval big and light first. Everything else attaches to it, so leave room on the left for the tail and above for the blade.
- The tail is the trickiest part. Start both lines at the body and let them sweep out to the left, then close the end with a small curve. Try it lightly first.
- Use a ruler or the edge of a book for the skid at the bottom, then curl just the right tip upward by hand. Make the two legs lean out a little so the helicopter looks steady.
Free helicopter coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this helicopter 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 helicopter drawing
Try a bright red or yellow body with a light blue window, and gray for the blade and skid. For a creative twist, turn it into a rescue helicopter with a white cross on the body, or color the sky behind it with a sunset.
Helicopter fun fact for kids
A helicopter can hover in one spot, fly backward, and even fly sideways, which airplanes cannot do. The big spinning blades on top are called the main rotor.
Questions about drawing a helicopter
What shapes do I need to draw a helicopter?
You need one big oval for the body, a long rounded rectangle for the blade, and a few straight and curved lines for the window, tail, legs, and skid. A small circle goes at the end of the tail.
How do I make the helicopter look like it is flying?
When you color it, paint a blue sky behind it and add white clouds around it. The skid does not touch the ground, so the helicopter already looks like it is hovering.
How do I draw the tail so it is not wobbly?
Draw each tail line in one slow stroke, moving your whole arm instead of just your fingers. If it wobbles, lightly sketch the path first and trace over it.
