Sladjana
Crabs are decapod crustaceans that live in all the world’s oceans, fresh water, and sometimes, even on land.
They typically have a broad carapace, stalked eyes, and five pairs of legs, the first pair of which are the big claws at the front called pincers.
Their unique physical characteristic is what triggered a huge demand for crab drawing tutorial. You asked for it, so we delivered.
Fortunately, we have curated a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a crab summarized in 9 easy and simple steps.
You can apply these steps whether you want to draw a realistic-looking crab or an animated one. Each step is accompanied with comprehensible illustrations that serve as your visual guide as you follow the instructions.
Whether you are a novice or an expert in drawing, we’re sure you can follow these steps effortlessly. What’s more, you can add your own style and improvise in every step.
Feel free to mix and match colors to customize your artwork and make it unique. Let your imagination wander and unleash your creativity. Have fun and use your artistic skills!
How to Draw a Crab – Let’s get started!
Step 1
In the very middle of the page, draw an outline of the crab’s body. Simply draw two connected curved lines, with a downward curve at the top and an upward curve at the bottom. When drawn correctly, the outline should look like a sideways oval shape with pointed ends.
To ensure that the outline will be positioned in the middle correctly, draw a horizontal and a vertical line across the paper to create reference lines. The spot where the two lines meet is where you should draw the crab.
Step 2 – Draw the Crab’s Left Pincer
At the bottom of the left side of the outline we have drawn in the previous step, draw the pincer of the crab.
As you can see in the illustration, the pincer is basically an irregular oval shape divided into two claws, with one bigger than the other.
Step 3 – Next, Draw the Right Pincer
Moving on to the other side, draw another pincer on the right side of the crab’s body. It should look exactly the same as the left pincer we have drawn in the previous step.
And there you have it—you crab drawing now has two pincers!
Step 4 – Draw the Crab’s Left Walking Legs
On the left side of the crab’s body, draw three long legs that are slightly apart from each other. The shape of the legs are simply connected curved lines with pointed tips.
Bear in mind that all three walking legs must be dangling downwards.
Step 5 – Then, Draw the Right Walking Legs
Now, it’s time to draw the crab’s walking legs on its right side. Simply repeat the previous step on the other side of the crab’s body.
Step 6 – Outline the Crab’s Eyes
Draw two tiny perfect circles above the body of the crab to create the outline of the eyes. The circle shapes should not be touching the body. Make sure that the eyes are aligned and even.
Step 7 – Connect the Eyes to the Body
Attach the eyes to the body by drawing a vertical line connecting each eyeball to the crab’s body. Keep the lines thin and curved to make it appear more realistic!
Step 8 – Put a Wide Smile on the Crab’s Face
Give your crab drawing a happy face to make your drawing more fun! Starting with the eyes, draw an iris inside each eye and shade it while leaving a tiny dot unshaded.
Then, draw an upward curved line to create a huge grin.
Now, the crab looks extremely happy, doesn’t it?
Step 9 – Add Patterns and Textures
In order to make your crab drawing look more creative and realistic, add patterns all over its body.
Draw parallel lines on the joints of the crab’s walking legs. Afterwards, draw irregular circle shapes in various sizes on each of the crab’s pincers.
And there you have it; you have successfully drawn a crab. Now, all it’s missing is a splash of vivid and vibrant colors to finally complete your artwork!
Finally, here is the most exciting part—filling in the colors for your awesome drawing! This is the part where you can show off your artistic skills and your ability to mix and match various colors.
While cooked crabs may have bright red color when they hit your dinner plate, live crabs are typically brown, olive-green, and gray in color.
Feel free to color your crab drawing however you like and use any colors you prefer! And while you’re at it, why not try experimenting with different coloring materials as well?
5 Tips To Make Your Crab Drawing Even Better!
Make this crab ready for the sea with these 5 fun and easy suggestions! This crab drawing already looks so cute, but we think a background would make it look even better.
Crabs are usually found near the ocean, and with that setting you have a few options. You could have it in the water with some fish and other sea creatures for one idea. Or you could have it on the sand with a sandcastle, beach umbrella or other features!
This crab has been drawn in a fun cartoon style, but you could also go for something a bit more realistic.
The easiest way to do this would be to look up photos of real crabs and change details such as the shell or legs. Just changing these kinds of details can make a big difference!
Crabs will often hang around other ones, so you could add some friends to this drawing of a crab. To do this, simply follow the steps of the guide again and change a few of the details to make variations.
You could place them into all kinds of fun positions and activities! What kinds of activities can you think of for this crab party?
You can also make this crab look even more fun by adding some wacky accessories. For example, the crab could be wearing a top hat or maybe some sunglasses.
Drawings don’t always have to be realistic, and adding fun details like this can make the drawing take on a whole new meaning.
This goes for background settings as well, and you can come up with all sorts of imaginative settings.
Once your crab sketch is complete, you can finish it off with some color. We spoke about a few ways you can color this crab, but we would like to further suggest that you try out lots of different art mediums.
Playing around with different paints and brushes can be a great way to easily give this drawing a whole new dimension. What mediums will you use?
Your Crab Drawing is Complete!
We hope you enjoy this step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a crab. With this guide, you can surely draw and color a crab along with its complex features and elaborate details in no time.
And the most fun part is, you can customize its physical attributes and play with various colors as much as you like!
We are always updating our “How to Draw” catalog, so make sure to keep checking back on our website to take advantage of newly uploaded tutorials.
All you need is a pen and paper and you’re all set to start drawing! We are excited to see what you will draw next. We’re sure it will be just as amazing as this one!
Once you’ve finished your masterpiece, we’re certain you must be feeling very proud of yourself—as you should be! Completing this crab drawing is definitely fulfilling.
Make sure to show off your work of art and share it on our Facebook page and on Pinterest. We’re sure it looks amazing! We can’t wait to see your colorful crab drawing!
Here Is A Crab Drawing For Kids To Inspire You!
Crabs are such strange looking creatures, but they manage to look really cute despite this! Our artist Freddy has created this crab drawing for kids so that you can see what this design can look like.
It is such a cool and intriguing design, and it shows you how you can make this cute creature even more adorable! Freddy also added a bit of a background setting.
He kept it minimal so as to keep the focus on the crab, but you can also extend this background setting as well. This would be an amazing chance to create a wondrous undersea setting!
You could also draw some additional sea creatures to go with this crab sketch as well. You have something to start with, and now you can show how you would like to finish it off!
