How to Draw a Manatee

Improve Your Drawing Skills with Printable Practice Sheets!

Learn how to draw a great looking Manatee with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial.

By following the simple steps, you too can easily draw a perfect Manatee.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Manatee

How to Draw a Great Looking Manatee for Kids and Beginners - Step 1

How to Draw a Manatee Step 01

1. Begin by drawing the manatee's eye. Use curved lines to outline the rounded shape. Notice the pointed corner. Within the eye, draw a circle within a circle, and shade between them to indicate the pupil. Draw a curved line above the eye for the eyelid, and a thick curved line to form the eyebrow.

Easy Manatee Drawing - Step 2

How to Draw a Manatee Step 02

2. Use curved lines to outline the second eye. Notice how the bottom line doubles back to form the top of the cheek. Inside the eye, draw a circle within a circle, and shade between them. Use a curved line to contour the eyelid and a thick curved line for the eyebrow.

Easy Manatee Drawing - Step 3

How to Draw a Manatee Step 03

3. Draw the mouth using a wide, rounded "W" shaped line. Draw a curved line at the corner, and another between the sides of the "W."

Easy Manatee Drawing - Step 4

How to Draw a Manatee Step 04

4. Shade two teardrop shapes above the center of the "W" to indicate the nostrils. Draw a curved line beside each. Then, draw many short curved lines extending from the cheeks to form the whiskers.

Easy Manatee Drawing - Step 5

How to Draw a Manatee Step 05

5. Use two overlapping curved lines to draw the top of the manatee's head.

Easy Manatee Drawing - Step 6

How to Draw a Manatee Step 06

6. Draw a long curved line to outline the manatee's body.

Easy Manatee Drawing - Step 7

How to Draw a Manatee Step 07

7. Draw a curved line from the cheek to outline the manatee's belly, and another to indicate the base of the neck. Then, extend a curved line and double it back upon itself to form the flipper.

Add More Details to Your Manatee Picture - Step 8

How to Draw a Manatee Step 08

8. Draw another long curved line from above the belly, and double it back upon itself to form the remaining flipper. Draw curved lines at the base of the flipper to indicate the shoulder.

Complete the Outline of Your Manatee Drawing - Step 9

How to Draw a Manatee Step 09

9. Draw a long curved line to finish the belly and enclose the manatee's rounded tail.

Color Your Manatee Drawing

How to Draw a Manatee Step 10

Color your manatee. They are usually grey or brown, and they may have green algae growing on their bodies.

Discover more cartoon animals.

For more great Drawing Ideas tutorials, see the 100 Drawing Ideas for Kids post.

Easy, step by step Manatee drawing tutorial
How to Draw a Manatee Pinterest Image

Click HERE to save the tutorial to Pinterest!

Learn More About The Manatee Drawing

Manatees are large aquatic mammals. They are slow swimmers that feed on underwater plants. There are three species of manatee: The West Indian or Florida manatee, the Amazonian manatee, and the West African manatee.

Similar species include the extinct Steller's sea cow and the dugong, which ranges from Australia to Japan to Madagascar.

Manatees can reach lengths of 4 meters (13 feet) and weigh 590 kilograms (1,300 pounds). It has a flexible, prehensile upper lip, which it uses for communication, social interaction, and to grasp food.

Manatees sleep for about half of each day, and they have been known to live up to 60 years. Some studies indicate that they have good memories and are as smart as dolphins. All species except the Amazonian manatee travel between fresh and saltwater.

Did you know? In the South American country of Guyana, manatees have at times been kept in certain canals and waterways to keep them free of seaweed.

Scroll down for a downloadable PDF of this tutorial.

Would you like to see a manatee? It is possible to swim with manatees in certain parts of Florida. They gather at Florida hot springs to keep warm in the winter.

Manatees are endangered. One reason is that they are slow-moving, generally traveling at no more than 8 kilometers or 5 miles per hour.

Coupled with the fact that they may lie still at the water's surface, they are susceptible to boat strikes. Manatees that survive such collisions bear jagged scars on their bodies and tails.

Would you like to draw a gentle cartoon manatee? This easy, step-by-step cartoon animal drawing tutorial is here to show you how. All you will need is a pen, pencil, or marker and a sheet of paper. You may also wish to color your finished drawing.

If you liked this drawing tutorial, see also the following guides: Narwhal drawing, Orca drawing, and Baby Seal drawing.

Manatee Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages

Join now and get immediate access to thousands of printable drawing instruction and practice pages!

Printables thumbnail: How to draw a Manatee

Learn how to get access to thousands of printable pages!

Become a member sales prompt

MEMBER TROUBLESHOOTING

Still seeing ads or not being able to download the PDF?

First, check that you're logged in. You can log in on the member login page.

If you're still not able to download the PDF, the likely solution is to reload the page.

You can do this by clicking the browser reload button.

It is a circular arrow-shaped icon at the top of the browser window, typically found in the upper-left side (you can also use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+R on PC and Command+R on Mac).


Why You Can Trust Our Drawing Guides

We've been creating high-quality, easy-to-follow drawing tutorials since 2016. Rauno and the team of experienced artists are dedicated to helping people of all ages and skill levels learn to draw.

We've carefully crafted over 1,900 step-by-step tutorials, ensuring that each one is safe, beginner-friendly, and engaging. We expand our library with new drawing guides every week, adding more drawing ideas and staying up-to-date with new trends.

Our commitment to quality and accessibility has earned the trust of more than 1,700 satisfied paid members who have access to the huge library of drawing printables and ebooks, in addition to the regular step-by-drawing tutorials that are available for all readers.

You can trust Easy Drawing Guides to provide you with some of the best drawing tutorials available online.

Learn more about Rauno and Easy Drawing Guides.