How to Draw a Cuttlefish

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Cuttlefish in 5 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Cuttlefish.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Cuttlefish - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: A cuttlefish is an aquatic animal related to the squid. To draw one, let's start with the head. Make two humps for the top of the head. Then draw a long curve that bends right and down

Step 2: Now draw the face tentacles. Each tentacle is just two lines that meet at the end. Try to make the endings of your tentacles bend, and point in slightly different directions.

Step 3: Cuttlefish have very special, weird looking eyes. Make a circle with a pie-piece missing from the top to make the outside of hte eye. Then draw a small sideways hourglass shape to make the interior of the eye, and you're done!

Step 4: Now draw the body. It will be one long loop that starts with a flat line that is drawn to the left, from above the head. Near the end there should be a small dip down, before turning up. Then there should be a gentle curve to make the rear of the animal, and a curved line should bend down and to the right to finish.

Step 5: Now draw the 'skirt' around the body of your Cuttlefish. It should be a wobbly line that starts at the divot you made near the back of the animal, that curves up, around, and then below the Cuttlefish to then join to the body just left of the head. Then draw another line between the skirt and the lower tentacles, and you're done! You've drawn a Cuttlefish.

Interesting Facts about Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are not actually fish. Cuttlefish are mollusks. They live in ocean waters. Cuttlefish have green blood and three hearts. They have the ability to change their color and pattern in order to attract a mate and camouflage with their surroundings. Sometimes male cuttlefish make themselves look like females so that they can steal another male’s mate.

Did You Know?

  • Cuttlebone is the oval-shaped, calcium-rich skeleton of the cuttlefish.
  • Cuttlefish eat small fish, crabs, and shrimp. They are carnivores.
  • Cuttlefish can see backwards, but they cannot see colors.
  • Female cuttlefish lay about 200 eggs at a time, and they die after giving birth.
  • There are 120 species of cuttlefish. The largest, appropriately named the giant cuttlefish, is about three feet long. The smallest species is the flamboyant cuttlefish, which is only a few inches long.
  • Because cuttlefish are excellent at camouflaging, there might be many more species people have yet to discover.

Cuttlefish are related to octopus and squid. Like their relatives, they have tentacles (which surround their mouth), and they eject ink to scare off predators. Due to their size, they have many predators, which include dolphins, sharks, birds, and humans. If you’ve ever eaten calamari, you might have eaten cuttlefish.

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