How to Draw SpongeBob SquarePants

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: May 6, 2022 References Approved

If you can draw a rectangle, you can draw SpongeBob! Keep things simple and create a basic outline for this loveable cartoon. Add thin arms and legs before sketching his professional collar and tie. Once you've drawn your favorite sponge, go back and fill in the outline with colored pencils or markers if you like.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Drawing SpongeBob's Body

1
Draw a vertical rectangle with squiggly lines to make the head. Make the rectangle as large as you want your SpongeBob's head to be. Draw the long sides about 1 1/2 times longer than the short horizontal lines. Instead of sketching straight lines for the rectangle, make the lines wavy and irregular.^{[1]
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- Make the sponge head slightly narrower at the bottom than it is at the top.
- The wavy rectangle looks like the outline of a sponge.
2
Sketch a rectangle at the bottom of the squiggly rectangle. To outline SpongeBob's torso, draw a vertical line coming down from each side of the rectangle. Make the lines about 1/4 of the width of SpongeBob's head. Then, draw a horizontal straight line to connect the vertical lines.^{[2]
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- Leave the wavy line at the bottom of the head where it meets the torso.
Variation: Draw a narrow rectangle that extends from the right side of SpongeBob if you want to make him 3D. Sketch this rectangle so it tapers away from SpongeBob's center.

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3
Make a collar and tie in the center of the bottom rectangle. To sketch the collar, draw 2 V-shapes along the bottom wavy line of the head. Leave a gap the size of 1 of the V-shapes in between the 2. Then, draw a half-circle between the V-shapes and draw a pointed tie that extends to the bottom of the torso.^{[3]
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- To sketch the tie, draw a vertical diamond shape from the bottom of the half-circle to the bottom of the torso.
4
Draw a straight horizontal line with 4 rectangles below it to make the pants. Use a ruler to help you draw a straight line through the middle of the torso. Avoid drawing through the tie or go back and erase the line if you make it overlap. To make the belt, sketch 4 narrow rectangles below the waistline and shade them in. Make 2 rectangles on each side of the tie and leave a gap between each.^{[4]
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- Make each gap about 1/4 of the size of a rectangle.
5
Sketch 2 rectangles and long vertical lines for the legs. To make the bottom of the pants, draw 2 small rectangles that extend from the bottom of the waistline. Make them about 1/2 the length of SpongeBob's pants. Leave a gap the same size as a rectangle between them. Then, draw 2 vertical lines extending down from each pant to create a very thin leg.^{[5]
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- Make each leg about as long as the torso.
6
Draw a horizontal line on each leg to make a sock. Make a short horizontal line halfway down each leg so it connects with the vertical lines of the leg. To add detail to the sock, draw 2 more horizontal lines below the top of the sock in order to make the stripes.^{[6]
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- If you're coloring in your drawing, make the top stripe blue and the bottom stripe red.
7
Draw a horizontal figure-8 to make a shoe. Sketch 2 horizontal circles that are connected to the bottom of the leg. Shade in the circles to make a dark shoe. Then, draw a small square at the base of the shoe to make SpongeBob's heel.^{[7]
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- Repeat this for the other foot.
8
Sketch from SpongeBob's sleeve down to his fingers. Draw a small sleeve about the same size as the pant leg sticking out from the bottom of the head. Make it curve away from the side of the head and draw a horizontal line that meets the bottom wavy line of the head. To make an arm, draw 2 vertical lines coming down from the center of the sleeve to the waistline. Then, make a 4-fingered hand, keeping each finger curved and exaggerated.^{[8]
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- Repeat this for the other side of SpongeBob's body.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Sketching SpongeBob's Face

1
Draw 2 large circles in the center of SpongeBob's head. Imagine a horizontal line that runs across SpongeBob's head. Make 2 big circles on the center of that horizontal line so they're touching. Draw each circle so it almost fills the top quarter of the head. Then, draw a medium circle inside the eye to make the iris and sketch a smaller circle in that to make the pupil.^{[9]
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- Shade in the pupil until it's dark and keep the iris light since it's blue.
2
Sketch 3 straight lines coming from the top of each eye. To make SpongeBob's bold eyelashes, draw a short straight line that comes from the top of each eye halfway to the top of the head. Then, draw another short line next to it that angles away from the face. Draw a third line that's moving in the opposite direction.^{[10]
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- Remember to leave space between each lash so the 3 lashes extend across the top of the entire eye.
3
Make a large curved smile directly below the eyes. Place your pencil in between the left eye and the side of SpongeBob's head. Draw a line from this point that curves down towards the center and then back up to the opposite side of SpongeBob's head. To draw dimples, sketch an arch over each end of his smile.^{[11]
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- To make the dimples even more noticeable, make another large arch over the ends of the smile.
Tip: If you want a high level of detail, add 3 dots to each dimpled area next to his smile.
4
Draw a curved nose underneath the eyes. Position the tip of your pencil at the bottom of the left eye. Curve your pencil up to the right and then down towards the left in a swooping motion. This creates a circular nose that overlaps the right eye and swoops below where you started the nose.^{[12]
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5
Sketch 2 rectangles to make buck teeth and make a wavy line under them for the chin. Draw 2 vertical rectangles that extend from the bottom of the smile. Make the teeth the same size as the nose and leave a gap between the teeth so they really stand out. Then, make a wavy line under them that goes from 1 end of the teeth to the other.^{[13]
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- The wavy line gives the appearance of a chin.
6
Draw ovals over the entire head to give a spongy appearance. Use a light touch to sketch ovals of different sizes all over SpongeBob's head. Place some ovals close together and leave large gaps between others. Leave the ovals faint or shade them in lightly to make them look like holes in the sponge.^{[14]
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Community Q&A

Question

How do I draw the shoes?

Community Answer

Draw a bean to represent the shoe. Then from there, just draw a tiny rectangle as the heel and that is it.
Question

How do you do the last step?

Community Answer

Use markers, pastels, colored pencils etc. to color in SpongeBob. To get the correct color of his holes, find a light-brown marker and a yellow marker. Color lightly with the brown, and fill in with yellow. This also works with colored pencils.
Question

How do I draw the Crusty Crab?

Artemi

Top Answerer

See this article.