Random animal generator
Get a random animal from land, sea, sky and the bug world, plus an optional style to draw it in. Turn on mashup mode to combine two animals into a brand new creature.
How to use the animal generator
- Press New animal for a random animal to draw.
- Add a style, like as a plush toy or with only geometric shapes, for a twist.
- Try mashup mode to combine two animals into one creature.
- Look up a photo of the real animal first, then draw it your way.
Animal drawing ideas
- a sleepy sloth hugging a branch
- a fox curled up in the snow
- an otter floating on its back with a shell
- a hummingbird sipping from a flower
- a penguin sliding on its belly
- a koala napping in a tree fork
- a giraffe peeking over a fence
- a hedgehog rolled into a ball
- an owl perched on a lantern
- a whale breaching at sunset
- a red panda eating bamboo
- an elephant spraying water
- a cat stretching in a sunbeam
- a frog sitting on a lily pad
- a puffin with a beak full of fish
- a tortoise with a flower on its shell
- a bear cub climbing a tree
- an octopus holding four different shells
- a flamingo standing on one leg
- a squirrel stuffing its cheeks
- a seahorse holding onto seaweed
- a raccoon washing its paws
- a chameleon changing color
- a polar bear on an ice floe
- a meerkat on lookout duty
- a horse running through tall grass
- a ladybug climbing a blade of grass
- a capybara with a bird on its head
- a dog shaking off water
- a pangolin curled into a ball
- a jellyfish glowing in dark water
- a bunny with one floppy ear
- a lion cub pouncing on its mom's tail
- a pelican with a full pouch
- an axolotl smiling in an aquarium
- a moose wading in a lake
- a butterfly resting on an open book
- a bat hanging under a bridge
- a duck family crossing a road
- a hamster with cheeks full of seeds
Animal mashups to try
- half owl, half cat
- half shark, half dog
- half elephant, half mouse
- half turtle, half rabbit
- half octopus, half spider
- half giraffe, half flamingo
- half penguin, half polar bear
- half fox, half butterfly
- half whale, half bird
- half frog, half dragon
- half bee, half bear
- half snail, half horse
- half lion, half hedgehog
- half crab, half dinosaur
- half sloth, half koala
- half peacock, half fish
- half pig, half bat
- half deer, half jellyfish
- half raccoon, half owl
- half axolotl, half lizard
How to draw any animal
Start with simple shapes. Most animals are a circle or oval for the head, a bigger oval for the body and lines for the legs. Get the size of each shape right before you add fur, feathers or scales. A quick look at a real photo helps you notice details like where the ears sit or how the knees bend.
For cute animals, make the head bigger and the legs shorter. For realistic ones, compare sizes carefully. How many heads long is the body?
Making great animal mashups
Pick one animal for the body shape and the other for the details. Half owl, half cat could be a cat body with owl wings and feathery ear tufts. Decide which parts help the creature move, eat and stay safe, and the mashup will look believable.
Give your new animal a name and a home. Then try turning it into a hero with the random character generator.
Ideas for teachers
- Generate one animal and have the class draw it in three styles.
- Mashup day: students invent a creature and write three facts about its habitat.
- Use rare animals like the okapi or pangolin to start a quick research activity.
For more ideas for young artists, see our drawing ideas for kids.
Keep going
- Random Character Generator for OC IdeasFree random character generator for drawing: get a species, role, personality, outfit, quirk and goal in one click.
- Drawing Ideas for Kids66 fun drawing ideas for kids: animals, trucks, silly scenes, seasons and home.
- 50 Cute Drawing Ideas50 cute drawing ideas: kittens, pandas, food with faces and cozy little scenes.
- Drawing Prompt GeneratorRandom drawing prompts with a subject, art style, mood, color palette and a creative challenge.
- Random Object GeneratorGenerate 1 to 10 random objects from household, outdoors, school, tech, food and toy categories.
Questions
How does the random animal generator work?
It picks a random animal from a hand-written list of more than 150 real animals, and can add a drawing style or combine two animals into a mashup.
What is an animal mashup?
An animal mashup combines parts of two animals into one creature, like half shark, half dog. It is a fun creature design exercise for kids and adults.
What is the easiest animal to draw?
Animals built from simple shapes are easiest, such as a cat, an owl, a fish or a snail. Start with circles and ovals and add details last.
Are all the animals real?
Yes. Every animal in the list is real, from common pets to unusual ones like the okapi, axolotl and pangolin.