Learn how to draw a great looking Food Chain with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial.
By following the simple steps, you too can easily draw a perfect Food Chain.
Jump to the step-by-step instructions.
What is a food chain? You can learn how to draw the food chain with the help of this step-by-step guide. You might even learn about science in the process!
In the science of ecology, a food chain is defined as "the sequence of transfers of matter and energy in the form of food from organism to organism."
Food chains typically work in this way: plants or microorganisms use sunlight to produce food. They are eaten by animals, which are, in turn, eaten by larger animals.
Eventually, the chain gets to the apex predator - an eater that is not hunted by anything larger.
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Still, this animal will eventually die. At that time, decomposers such as insects and fungi eat the animal. Its body becomes soil that feeds plants, and the cycle begins anew. In the words of a famous cartoon lion, "It's the circle of life."
Sometimes, food chains are called food webs. This is usually the case when there are many overlapping interactions, rather than a simple chain. Several different food chains can be located within a food web.
Whether you want to create an amazing science project for school or you want to study the animals and plants in your own backyard, this food chain cartoon outline can help.
If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Vegetables, Farmer, and Water Cycle.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing the Food Chain
How to Draw a Great Looking Food Chain for Kids, Beginners, and Adults - Step 1
1. Begin the food chain outline by drawing cattail plants. Use pairs of lines that meet at sharp points to draw the grass-like leaves. Extend several long, curved lines from among the leaves, and draw a flattened oval at the top of each. Then, draw a short line on top of the ovals.
Easy Food Chain Drawing - Step 2
2. Next, draw the grasshopper that feeds on the plants. Use curved lines to enclose the head, thorax, and abdomen, the thick leaper leg, the other legs, and the antennae. Draw an oval inside an oval to form the eye, and shade between them.
Easy Food Chain Drawing - Step 3
3. Draw the bird - in this case, a pigeon - that eats the grasshopper. Use curved lines to trace the body, wing, and tail. Notice the "U" shaped lines that form the feathers of the tail, wing, and chest. Draw the triangular beak and oval-shaped eye. Use "V" shaped lines to draw the toes and feet.
Easy Food Chain Drawing - Step 4
4. Draw the snake, a predator that eats birds. Use a pair of long, curved, parallel lines to outline its body. Let the lines meet at a point for the tail, and double one line back upon the other to form the head. Shade a small oval eye and draw a "Y" shaped forked tongue. Band the snake's body with pairs of squiggly lines.
MORE DRAWING TUTORIALS:
Easy Food Chain Drawing - Step 5
5. Draw the hawk. Use long curved lines to trace its outline and wing. Detail its face and texture its wing, tail, and belly.
Easy Food Chain Drawing - Step 6
6. Draw the hawk's legs. Use pairs of curved lines that diverge into multiple toes. Shade a sharp triangular talon on the end of each toe. Then, draw the tree or fence post that the hawk is roosting on. Use long curved lines for the sides of the post and lines of various lengths for the woody texture.
Easy Food Chain Drawing - Step 7
7. Draw the mushrooms. Use pairs of long curved lines for the stems and ovals for the tops. Use jagged lines to texture the bases of each mushroom, and curved lines to texture the tops.
Notice that you can see the gill-like underside of one mushroom top. Draw a curved line across it, and band it with straight lines.
MORE DRAWING TUTORIALS:
Add More Details to Your Food Chain Picture - Step 8
8. Draw arrows to show the direction of the cartoon of the food chain.
Complete the Outline of Your Food Chain Drawing - Step 9
9. Complete your food chain outline by labeling each step.
Color Your Food Chain Drawing
Color your cartoon of the food chain.
Food Chain Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages
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