How to Draw Diplodocus

The Diplodocus dinosaur’s long, skinny neck is just the start -- this dinosaur’s tail is longer than its whole body. Test your drawing skills by learning how to draw this amazing dinosaur.

Learn how to draw this Diplodocus dinosaur.
Learn how to draw this Diplodocus dinosaur.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw this Diplodocus dinosaur. You can draw it freehand while looking at your computer monitor, or you can print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it. Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in gray.

To start drawing the Diplodocus dinosaur, draw a large oval for the body.

Step 1: Start by drawing a large oval for the body. Add a long, curved shape to make the neck and head. At the end of the head, draw another oval for the snout.

To draw the legs of the Diplodocus, sketch an oblong shape for the thigh and a rectangle for the shin.

Step 2: To make the legs on the near side of the Diplodocus, draw a long, oblong shape for the thigh and a rounded rectangle for the shin of the rear leg. Add a rounded triangle on the end for the foot. For the front leg, draw an oval for the shoulder, a rounded rectangle for the upper leg, and another for the lower leg. Don't forget to include the foot at the end of the leg.

To draw the Diplodocus's tail, use two overlapping shapes.

Step 3: The Diplodocus's tail is made from two shapes. Draw one long triangle coming off the back and stretching almost to the edge of the picture. Overlapping the end of that shape, draw another, even skinnier shape that doubles back on the triangle. It should meet at a point at the end. For the legs on the far side of the body, start with a teardrop for the thigh of the back leg, an oval for the shin, and a rounded triangle for the foot. Draw a fat boomerang shape for the front leg and another rounded triangle for the foot. The Diplodocus is lifting this leg off the ground, so make sure it is not as long as the other front leg.

To draw the Diplodocus dinosaur, add lines for muscle detail or skin folds on the body.

Step 4: To make the face, add an oval for the eye and another for the nostril. Put one line above the eye like an eyebrow to make a ridge on the head, and add a long line for the mouth. Finally, draw lines to form some muscle detail or skin folds on the body.

To finish your Diplodocus drawing, use a felt-tip pen to trace over the lines, and erase extra pencil lines.

Step 5: Use a felt-tip pen to trace over the lines you want to keep, and erase the extra pencil lines.

Your dinosaur is finished! Even if you don't get it right the first time, keep practicing until you're happy with your drawing.

Get creative with color when drawing and coloring the Archaeopteryx dinosaur’s beautiful feathers. Learn how to draw this amazing dinosaur in the next section.

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