Plants · Free in the app
How to Draw a Cactus
An easy step-by-step drawing for kids and beginners: 9 steps, about 2 minutes, on paper.
- 9steps
- 2 minabout
- Colorat the end
Quick answer
Draw a cactus in 9 steps: draw the left side, draw the right side, draw the left arm, then carry on one line at a time and color it in. It takes about 2 minutes with a pencil or a pen.
- Steps: 9
- Time: about 2 minutes
- You need: paper, a pencil or a pen, something to color with
- From: the Plants path in Paper Coach
This saguaro starts as one tall post with a round top, like the cactus in desert cartoons. Two L-shaped arms grow from its sides. The left one sits lower and is longer, and the right one sits higher and is shorter. Six short slanted dashes make the spines, and two shades of green finish it.
Step by step
Draw it in 9 steps
Each picture shows the lines so far: the faded ones are done, the dark ones are this step’s.
1Draw the left side
The cactus is a tall post with a round top. From the bottom left, go straight up and curve over to the middle.
2Draw the right side
Carry on over the top and straight down the right side. A short flat line closes the bottom.
3Draw the left arm
The left arm is a letter L. From the post, go out, turn up and round over the tip.
4Finish the left arm
Then the outside of the L: from the post again, out, around the elbow and up to the tip.
5Draw the right arm
The right arm sits higher and is shorter. Two lines again, inside first, both from the post.
6Draw the spines
Spines are short slanted dashes. Put four down the post, leaning left, then right, in turn.
7Add two spines
One more dash on each arm.
8Color the post
Color the post green.
9Color the arms
Color both arms light green.
Tips
Draw a cactus well
Tips for drawing a cactus
- Make the post about three times as tall as it is wide. Then it looks like a tall saguaro and not a short barrel.
- Start the round top close to the top of the post, so the curve looks like half a circle sitting on two straight sides.
- Begin both lines of an arm on the edge of the post, with a small gap between them. That gap becomes the arm's thickness.
- Keep each arm about as thick as half the post. Arms as wide as the post look heavy.
- Space the four post spines evenly from near the top to near the bottom, and switch the lean each time: left, right, left, right.
Common mistakes
- The arms stick straight out sideways like a fork, without turning up. Go out only a short way from the post, then bend up so each arm makes an L with its tip pointing at the sky.
- The two lines of an arm don't meet, so the tip is left open. Round the outer line over the top of the arm until it touches the inner line, closing the tip like a fingertip.
- The spines are long and all lean the same way, so they look like rain. Keep each dash shorter than the arm is wide, and change the lean from one dash to the next.
Make it your own
- Swap the arms: put the long, low arm on the right and the short, high arm on the left.
- Draw the arms taller so their tips reach almost as high as the round top of the post.
- Add more slanted dashes down the post and arms for a spikier cactus, still leaning them in turn.
- Try other greens: a dark green post with pale arms, or the same green for every part.
Done
Your finished cactus
Color it in as you like: the colors here are only a start.
Print it
All the steps on one page
Save it, pin it or print it, and draw from the paper.
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Good to know
How do I make the arms look attached to the cactus?
Start both lines of each arm right on the edge of the post. Don't draw a line across where the arm meets the post, so the two shapes read as one plant.
Why are the two arms at different heights?
Real saguaros grow arms at different points, so uneven arms look natural. A matched pair at the same height can look stiff, like a signpost.
How many spines should a cactus drawing have?
This one has six: four down the post and one on each arm. That is enough to say cactus without crowding the shape.
Why color the arms lighter than the post?
The lighter green helps the arms stand apart from the post where they join, so you can still see each part clearly after coloring.
How long does it take to draw a cactus?
About 2 minutes for the lines, and a few more to color it in.
Can kids follow this guide?
Yes, children from about six can follow it on their own, and younger ones with a grown-up beside them.
What do I need?
Paper and a pencil or a pen, and crayons, markers or colored pencils for the colors. An eraser helps but isn’t needed.
Updated 2026-10-26
Draw it with Lina
Paper Coach shows each line of a cactus being drawn, then waits while you draw it. This lesson is one of the free ones. 10 lessons on the Plants path, and more on every path.
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