Free course: How to draw a character

How to draw a cactus

Six steps, one pencil, about eight minutes. Watch the video, follow along on paper, then print the practice sheet and draw it again.

Ages 6–13Paper + pencilAbout 8 minutes

Watch it first

The whole cactus in 20 seconds

Press playEvery stroke, in the order you draw it

Draw it step by step

Six steps to a cactus

New lines are purple. Lines you already drew turn light.

1

Start with the body

A tall shape with a round top, like a long loaf standing up.

2

Add two arms

One thick arm out and up on each side, like someone saying hello.

3

Stand it in a pot

A wide pot under the cactus, a bit narrower at the bottom.

4

Give it a face

Two dot eyes and a small smile. Keep them on the front of the cactus.

5

Lines and spines

Two long lines down the body, then tiny spikes poking out of the edges.

6

Finishing touches

A little flower on top and a stripe round the pot. Now this cactus is yours.

Go further

Now draw a cactus growing somewhere there is no desert at all.

Practice on paper

Free course

Keep drawing with a free course

Every Kubrio course is free, with no account: short films, a quiz, and something your kid made at the end.

Ingenious projects that inspire kids to make things — until they find the thing only they could make.
Ages 6–13.

How to draw a character

A free course: four short films and a quiz. Your kid ends with a character sheet they drew.

Start the free course or see every course

Keep making in Kubrio Worlds. It's where your kid keeps making after the guides and courses. It isn't open yet. Join the waitlist

Keep going

Draw something else

New guides land every Monday. Up next: