How to Draw a Starfish

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Starfish in 6 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 Starfish.

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

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

Step 1: Let's draw a starfish! Starting with the top arm, trace a curved triangular shape. Here's a hint: your starfish's arm will be in the shape of your left thumb!

Step 2: Now, draw the starfish's right arm the same way you did the first one. Here's a hint: turn your page so that you can have an easy time drawing the arm!

Step 3: Turn your page again and draw the third arm.

Step 4: Draw the fourth arm the same way you drew the first three.

Step 5: Turn your page one last time and draw the starfish's fifth arm! Now, add lines down the middle of each arm and stop right before you get to the middle. Here's a hint: keep the lines curved in the same way you drew the arms.

Step 6: Last, have fun drawing dots all over the arms of you starfish. Here's another hint: avoid making dots in the middle! There's your starfish! Most starfish have only five arms, but some kinds of starfish have many more! The sun star, for example, can have up to 40 arms! At the end of each arm, starfish have one eyespot to help them see, although not very well! They can only see light and dark shades.

Interesting Facts about Starfish

Starfish, also known as sea stars, are actually not fish. Unlike fish, they do not have gills, fins, or scales. They of course, resemble the shape of stars, and they are a variety of colors. There are about 2,000 species of starfish. They are related to sand dollars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.

Did you know?

  • Although most starfish have five arms, some have many more. The sun star, for example, can have up to 40 arms.
  • Starfish have one eyespot at the end of each arm. They cannot see very well, only light and dark shades.
  • Starfish cannot swim. They have tube feet that help them move along.
  • Starfish live in all seven oceans. They live on the ocean bottom as well as more shallow areas.
  • Starfish have spines on their skin that look like bumps.
  • Starfish have suckers on the feet. They help them open up shellfish, such as oysters, to eat.

Starfish can grow an arm that they lost, and this is called regeneration. It takes about one year to grow an arm back. Sometimes, from one arm, a whole new starfish can be formed. This is because all of the starfish’s vital organs are in their arms.

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