A penguin doodle is one of those subjects that never runs out of jokes: that round little body, those stubby flippers, that waddle. Give it a mug too big for its face or a scarf trailing in the snow and you already have a scene worth keeping in your notebook.
Below are 31 of them, from a quick seated penguin you can finish in a few minutes to small scenes with two characters and a bit of story. Grab a black fineliner and let icy blue and cherry red marker do the rest.
Using these images: free for personal projects such as printing, coloring, cards, journals and gifts. Handmade items that include them may be sold up to 30 pieces per design. More than that is commercial use and is not permitted, and neither is selling or sharing the images themselves or passing them off as your own. Please ask before any other use.
Start with the easiest penguin in the whole set: a simple standing body, a round head, two stub flippers at the sides. Draw the oval body first, then the head on top as a smaller circle, and only after that add the white belly patch and the little triangle feet.
The mug comes next, and the joke only works if it is genuinely too big, so draw it wider than the penguin’s own head before you draw the handle. If your proportions feel off, erase just the mug and redraw it bigger rather than starting the whole doodle again.
Fineliner handles the outline and the steam lines curling up from the mug, then a quick scribble of cherry red fills the mug itself. No marker on hand still works fine, since a few diagonal pencil lines inside the mug read as cocoa just as well.
Keep the steam lines loose and a little wobbly rather than straight, since straight lines read as smoke, not steam.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue
Move from standing to sliding, which is really just the same oval body tipped onto its side. Draw the body as a long lying oval, flippers out to the sides like little wings, and the feet trailing straight back instead of planted underneath.
A striped scarf sells the motion, so draw it streaming out behind the penguin rather than hanging down, with two or three short lines across it to suggest the stripes. This is the eye level trick worth remembering here: draw the ice line low, almost level with the penguin’s belly, so you are looking at the slide from the penguin’s own height rather than from above, which makes the speed read instantly.
Fineliner draws the whole scene, then icy blue washes a thin curved line under the body for the ice, with cherry red kept just for the scarf stripes.
If straight scarf stripes look too neat, angle them slightly backward to match the direction of the slide.
Palette: Icy Blue,Cherry Red,Black
Bridge from one penguin to two by drawing this pair close together, shoulder to shoulder, under one shared umbrella. Sketch both bodies first as slightly overlapping ovals so they read as leaning into each other, then add the umbrella above them as a simple half circle on a straight handle.
Snow falling around an umbrella is the kind of detail that is easy to overdo, so keep it to five or six small dots or short dashes scattered around the edges of the frame rather than filling the whole background. If the two penguins end up looking identical and flat, vary one flipper position, tucked in on one bird and raised slightly on the other, so the pair feels alive rather than copied and pasted.
Fineliner carries the outlines and the snow marks, icy blue fills the umbrella canopy, cherry red works well as a single stripe or dot pattern on it instead.
Swap the umbrella for a single shared scarf if you want an even simpler version of this same idea.
Palette: Icy Blue,Cherry Red,Black
Give this penguin something to do with those flippers: knitting a small hat for its chick. Draw the seated body first, rounder and lower than the standing poses, then add two knitting needles crossed in front of the flippers with a little loop of wool between them.
Pressure control earns its keep here, since a soft light touch on the fineliner for the wool strand keeps it looking thin and soft, while a firmer line on the needles keeps them reading as rigid. If the needles end up looking like two random sticks, add tiny flat ends on the tips, which instantly reads as knitting needles rather than twigs.
Color the half finished hat in cherry red with a small icy blue pompom on top for contrast, and leave the wool strand uncolored so it stays delicate.
A ball of wool drawn as a simple circle with a few curved lines across it sits nicely beside the penguin if you have room.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue
This is a quieter idea after all that motion, so slow down and draw the parent penguin standing tall and still, feet planted wide apart. The chick goes on top of the feet as a small fluffy round shape, eyes closed, leaning against the parent’s belly.
Fluff on a sleeping chick reads best as short, slightly messy little flicks of the pen rather than a smooth outline, so work around the edge of the chick’s body in quick strokes instead of one continuous line. If the chick ends up looking too neat and grown up, make the head rounder and the body smaller in proportion to the parent, since a baby penguin is mostly head.
Keep color minimal on this one: a light icy blue wash on the snowy ground and nothing else, so the quiet moment between the two birds stays the focus.
This same pose works just as well without the chick’s eyes drawn at all, just two closed curved lines, which reads as peacefully asleep.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Look at real penguin chick photos for the fluffy, slightly oversized head shape before you draw this one, since it is easy to make the chick look too much like a small adult.
Skating gives you a chance to draw a penguin mid wobble, arms, or rather flippers, flung out for balance. Draw the body leaning at an angle rather than upright, one foot forward on a tiny skate blade and the other kicked out behind.
Ten minutes gets you the basic wobble: body, skates, a couple of motion lines behind the back foot. Forty minutes lets you add a scarf flying sideways, a little puff of ice chips kicked up from the blade, and a worried expression that sells the near fall.
The spot this goes wrong is usually the skate blades, which can end up too long and thin and start looking like knives, so keep each blade short, no longer than the foot itself.
Fineliner for everything, with icy blue scribbled just under the blades for the ice surface and a dusting of white space left for the ice chips.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
The joke in this one is the snowman looking suspiciously like the penguin building it, so draw the snowman first with the same round belly and the same simple triangle beak shape in carrot form. Then draw the real penguin beside it in a near identical pose, so the two read as mirror images.
Stack the snowman from two circles, a smaller head on a larger body, and give it two little stick flippers pressed into the sides just like the penguin has, which is what makes the gag land. If the two figures end up too similar to tell apart, give the real penguin a scarf or hat that the snowman does not have.
Cherry red works well as a scarf on the live penguin only, leaving the snowman plain white and black, which helps the eye sort out which is which at a glance.
Draw a small carrot nose on the snowman in cherry red too, a tiny detail that adds warmth to the whole scene.
Palette: Cherry Red,Black
Draw the igloo first as a simple dome made of a curved outline with a grid of curved brick lines across it, then cut a doorway low on one side just big enough for the penguin to peek through. The penguin sits inside with a small open book held in both flippers, head tilted down toward the pages.
This is a good one to test candle doodle style light sources if you want to try something new, since a single candle beside the penguin throws a warm little glow across the page that works nicely against all that icy blue outside.
If the igloo brick lines start to look too rigid and architectural, curve them gently to follow the dome shape rather than drawing them straight across, which keeps the whole thing feeling hand drawn.
Fineliner for the igloo and penguin, icy blue for the snow around the base, and a small patch of cherry red on the book cover for a pop of color.
Palette: Icy Blue,Cherry Red,Black
This one turns a penguin into a tiny shopper, so draw the body walking, one foot forward, with a small bag hanging from one flipper. The bag can be as simple as a rounded rectangle with a curved handle, and a fish tail or head poking out the top makes the contents obvious without drawing the whole fish.
Keep the fish shape basic: an oval body, a triangle tail, one curved line for the gill, nothing more detailed is needed when most of it is hidden in the bag anyway. If the bag looks stiff and boxy, round off its bottom corners, since a soft rounded shape reads as a fabric or paper bag far better than sharp corners do.
Fineliner handles the whole scene, with icy blue used sparingly on the fish scales and cherry red as a stripe or patch pattern on the bag itself.
Add a short shopping list sticking out of the bag’s top for a nice extra detail if there is room.
Palette: Icy Blue,Cherry Red,Black
Draw this penguin huddled low, shoulders hunched up near the ears, wrapped in a blanket that only shows the head poking out the top. A hot water bottle tucked against its belly, drawn as a simple flattened oval with a cap on one end, finishes the scene.
Shivering reads well with a few short wavy lines drawn just outside the body outline on either side, almost like motion lines but vertical and jittery rather than smooth. If those lines end up looking like rain instead of shivers, shorten them and angle a couple inward toward the body.
Color the hot water bottle in cherry red, which also warms up the whole mood of the drawing against the icy blue of the blanket.
No red marker on hand still works, since a plain outline water bottle with a few short heat lines rising from it reads just as warm.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Stand this penguin at a small stove or just holding a frying pan directly, since the apron and the action carry the joke without needing a whole kitchen drawn around it. Draw the pan first as a circle with a handle, then the pancake mid flip above it as a smaller circle with motion lines curving around it.
Tie the apron on with two simple strap lines over the shoulders and a knot at the back, and let the apron hang a little loose and crooked rather than perfectly straight, which suits a penguin shape anyway.
Cherry red works well as the apron color with a small icy blue trim or pocket detail, a nice reversal of where those colors usually sit in this set.
If the flying pancake looks flat, add two or three short curved lines trailing behind it to show the arc it is flying through.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Catch this penguin right at the moment of impact, snow exploding across one side of its face while it laughs rather than minds. Draw the body first in a slightly off balance pose, one foot lifted as if stumbling sideways, then add the snowball as a rough circle with a burst of small snow chunks scattered around the point of contact.
The mistake to watch for here is making the snow splash too neat and round, so scatter the chunks unevenly, some bigger, some tiny, some further from the face than others. An open beak drawn as a wide oval rather than a simple line, plus a couple of small motion lines around the head, sells the surprised laugh.
Icy blue fills the snowball and its splash chunks, keeping the rest of the palette simple so the splash stays the clear focus.
Add tiny stars or sparkle marks near the head if you want a cartoonish exaggeration of the impact.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Draw a simple bus stop sign first, a thin post with a small rectangular sign on top, then stand the penguin beside it bundled in earmuffs. The earmuffs are just two small circles connected by a curved band over the head, easy to draw but instantly recognizable.
This is a good moment to think about eye level and light: set the horizon line low, near the penguin’s feet, so the sign and the falling snow tower slightly above, which gives the scene a cold, open, waiting feeling. A single soft light source from one side, maybe a streetlamp glow if there is room, keeps the penguin’s shadow falling consistently to one side.
Cherry red works nicely as the earmuff color against all that icy blue in the background snow and sign.
If you want a simpler version, drop the bus stop sign altogether and just draw the penguin waiting with a tiny suitcase at its feet instead.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Keep this one simple and warm: two penguin bodies drawn overlapping closely, flippers wrapped around each other rather than hanging at the sides. Draw the back penguin first as a full oval, then the front penguin overlapping it by about a third, so the hug reads as one close unit rather than two separate shapes touching.
If the two heads end up at exactly the same height, the hug looks stiff, so tilt one head slightly against the other’s shoulder instead, which makes the pose feel genuinely affectionate rather than posed.
A few small swirling snowflakes drawn around the pair in icy blue finish the mood without needing any other background detail.
This is one of the simplest ideas in the whole set and works well as a quick five minute warm up doodle before tackling a busier scene.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Draw a round or oval tub shape first, rim drawn as a simple ellipse, then the penguin sitting inside with just the head and the top of the body showing above the waterline. Ice blocks stacked around the outside of the tub, drawn as simple rough squares, make it clear this is a hot tub out in the snow rather than indoors.
Steam rising off the water is the detail that sells the whole joke, so draw three or four soft wavy lines curling upward from the surface, spaced unevenly rather than in a neat row. If the steam lines end up looking too stiff and symmetrical, offset their heights and curve directions slightly.
Color the water in icy blue with a lighter touch than the ice blocks around the rim, which keeps the water reading as warm and inviting by contrast rather than cold.
A relaxed closed eye expression on the penguin, two simple curved lines, finishes the mood nicely.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Give this penguin a small rounded backpack on its back, straps drawn as two simple curved lines over the shoulders, and a confident forward walking pose with one foot stepping ahead of the other. A book or two peeking out the top flap of the backpack adds a nice small detail if there is room.
If the backpack ends up looking stuck onto a flat body rather than worn, curve the straps to follow the round shape of the penguin’s back rather than drawing them straight, and let the backpack bulge slightly at the bottom where it would rest against the body.
Cherry red works well as the backpack color, a cheerful contrast against the plain black and white penguin and whatever icy blue sits in the background.
This idea pairs nicely as a themed set with the sketchbook ideas drawings article if you enjoy drawing small daily life scenes like this one.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Tip the head back and open the beak wide for this one, since the whole pose hinges on that upward tilted face. Draw the body standing still, head thrown back further than feels natural at first, beak open in a wide oval shape facing straight up toward the falling snow.
Scatter a handful of snowflakes above the head at different sizes, some closer to the beak than others, which helps lead the eye toward the catch. If the head tilt looks awkward or the neck seems too long, shorten the neck area and let the head sit almost directly on the shoulders, which is closer to how a real penguin’s proportions work anyway.
Keep color light on this one, just a touch of icy blue on a couple of the larger snowflakes, so the small moment of joy stays the focus rather than the palette.
Closed, happy eyes rather than open round ones finish the contented expression nicely.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
This is the classic penguin pratfall, so commit fully to the pose: body flat on its back, both feet kicked straight up in the air, flippers flung out wide for balance that clearly is not working. Draw the body as a flattened oval lying down first, then the two stick legs pointing up, feet splayed at the top.
A few short straight motion lines behind the body and a tiny scatter of ice chips near the hips sell the slide without needing much else. If the pose reads as lying down calmly rather than falling, angle the whole body slightly diagonal rather than perfectly horizontal, and widen the gap between the two kicked up feet.
Icy blue works well as a thin streak under the body showing the slide path across the ice, kept to one simple curved line.
A wide open beak and surprised round eyes finish the comic timing of the whole scene.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Roll this penguin up in a blanket so only the head pokes out one end, like a tiny feathered burrito tucked in for the night. Draw a long rounded rectangle shape first for the wrapped blanket body, then add the head at one end and a tiny pair of feet peeking out the other if there is room for the joke.
A few curved fold lines across the blanket shape, following its roundness rather than cutting straight across it, give the fabric a soft, wrapped feel rather than looking like a stiff tube. If the blanket ends up looking flat, shade one side slightly darker with the fineliner using light crosshatching, which suggests the roll of the fabric.
Color the blanket in icy blue with a cherry red stripe or pattern running along it for a cozy touch.
Half closed sleepy eyes and a small content expression finish this one perfectly.
Palette: Icy Blue,Cherry Red,Black
Draw a simple round hole in the ice first, a flattened oval shape, then seat the penguin beside it with a tiny fishing rod held in one flipper, line dropping straight down into the hole. The rod itself can be just a thin curved line with a small loop at the tip for the reel.
This is a good subject for a before and after version: the ten minute version is just the seated penguin and the rod over the hole, while the forty minute version adds a fish peeking up just below the surface of the hole and a small bucket beside the penguin with a fish tail sticking out of it.
If the ice hole ends up looking like a plain flat circle, add a thin rim of slightly darker icy blue around its edge, which gives it some depth without much extra work.
A small patient, half closed expression on the penguin suits the quiet mood of this one well.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Draw the parent penguin first, leaning forward slightly with one flipper stretched back holding a rope, then the sled behind it as a simple flat rectangle on two curved runners. The chick sits on top of the sled, small and round, gripping the sides.
Rope under a bit of tension reads better with a slightly curved line rather than a perfectly straight one, since the curve suggests the pull of the weight behind it. If the whole scene feels static, tilt the parent’s body forward a touch more and angle the sled slightly behind rather than directly in line with it, which creates a sense of forward motion.
A cherry red blanket draped over the sled for the chick adds warmth and a nice color accent against all the icy blue snow around them.
This pairs naturally with the sleeping chick idea earlier in this list if you want to draw a small two part story of the same pair across the day.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Sit this penguin in front of a simple bowl, a wide shallow oval shape, with a spoon in one flipper that is clearly oversized for the job. Draw the spoon first since it sets the scale for the whole joke, then build the bowl and the penguin’s body around it at a proportion that makes the spoon look absurd by comparison.
One measuring trick helps here: hold the spoon’s bowl shape up against the penguin’s own head size as you sketch, and if the spoon is not at least half that wide, the gag will not read clearly on the page.
Steam rising off the soup in a couple of soft curved lines, plus a cherry red bowl rim, finish the warm, comic mood of the scene.
If the flipper holding the spoon looks awkward, simplify it to a basic curved shape wrapped around the handle rather than trying to draw individual grip details.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Draw the ice floe first as a simple flat irregular shape floating on open water, then balance the penguin on top in a basic yoga pose, one foot lifted, flippers stretched overhead or out to the sides for balance. Keep the pose simple rather than anatomically ambitious, since a penguin shape only bends so far anyway.
If the balance pose looks wobbly in a way that was not intended, widen the standing foot slightly and lower the center of the body closer to the floe, which reads as more stable and intentional.
Open water around the floe drawn in icy blue with a few short horizontal lines for gentle waves grounds the whole scene and makes clear the floe is floating rather than sitting on solid ground.
A calm, closed eye expression suits this one far better than a wide eyed surprised look, since the whole point is serenity.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Draw the penguin leaning forward into a downhill ski pose, knees, or the penguin equivalent of knees, slightly bent and body angled forward rather than upright. Two short ski shapes under the feet and a pair of simple ski poles held in the flippers complete the setup.
A bobble hat sits on top of the head, drawn as a rounded dome shape with a small pompom circle at the peak, which is an easy, satisfying detail to add last. If the skis end up looking too short and stubby to be convincing, lengthen them so they extend noticeably past the feet on both ends.
Color the bobble hat and its pompom in cherry red, a nice warm accent against the icy blue slope lines trailing behind the skis.
A scarf flying sideways from the speed, drawn the same way as in the belly sliding idea earlier, adds extra motion if there is room for it.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Draw a simple square or rectangular window frame first, divided into four panes with one crossing horizontal and one vertical line, then place the penguin behind it, upper body only, one flipper raised in a wave. Snow piled along the windowsill outside, a simple curved mound shape, sets the scene without needing a whole cabin exterior drawn.
This is a good subject for practicing a warm light source: a soft yellow or cherry red glow suggested just inside the window, behind the penguin, makes the whole scene feel lit from within against the cold blue outside, which is a nice contrast to try.
If the window panes end up uneven, draw the outer frame first as a clean rectangle, then divide it last, rather than trying to build the grid and frame at the same time.
Icy blue for the snow on the sill and a warm cherry red glow inside the glass finish the cozy feeling of the whole scene.
Palette: Icy Blue,Cherry Red,Black
Set up a tiny easel first, three thin legs and a small canvas propped on top, then stand the penguin in front of it holding a paintbrush in one flipper. The canvas can show a simple sketch of the sea, just a horizontal line for the horizon and a few wave curls below it, a nice small drawing within the drawing.
If the easel looks unstable or the legs seem to float apart from each other, draw them all meeting at roughly the same point near the top where the canvas rests, which is how a real easel actually balances.
A little palette held in the other flipper, a simple oval with a few dots of color on it, adds a nice extra detail if there is room, with icy blue and cherry red as two of the paint dots.
This one works nicely as a nod to the watercolor meadow style of painting ideas, if the reader enjoys drawing other artists at work too.
Palette: Icy Blue,Cherry Red,Black
Draw two icebergs first, simple jagged triangular shapes with flat tops, spaced apart on the page, then string a hammock between them as a gentle curved line with a few short cross lines suggesting the woven fabric. The penguin lies inside the curve of the hammock, body relaxed and slightly sagging into the dip.
If the hammock looks stiff and flat rather than sagging under the weight, deepen the curve of its main line and let the penguin’s body sink slightly below the level of where it ties to each iceberg.
Cherry red works nicely as a simple striped pattern across the hammock fabric, a cheerful warm note against all that icy blue of the icebergs.
A small knot drawn where the hammock ties to each iceberg finishes the construction logic of the scene and is a satisfying little detail to draw last.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
This idea plays on scale the same way the cocoa mug one did, so draw the boots first, two tall oversized shapes with simple sole lines, clearly built for feet much bigger than the chick’s own. The chick stands inside them, small and fluffy, legs barely reaching down into the boot shafts.
Measure the boots against the chick’s own body height as you sketch: if the boot top does not reach at least halfway up the chick’s body, the scale joke will not read clearly enough on the page.
A slightly wobbly, unsteady stance, one boot tipped a little to the side, sells the comedy of trying to walk in something far too big.
Color the boots in cherry red for a cheerful, toylike feel, with the chick itself left mostly in soft icy blue shading for contrast.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Draw the penguin lying flat on its back first, body as a simple oval, then the flippers swept outward and slightly upward from the body in two curved arcs, as if mid sweep through the snow. The feet spread apart in a similar wide sweeping curve below.
The detail that sells a snow angel rather than just a penguin lying down is the fan shaped trail each flipper and foot leaves behind, so add a few short curved lines following each limb’s arc, fanning outward from the body.
If those trail lines look too busy, simplify to just two or three per limb rather than filling the whole fan shape in.
Icy blue for the snow trails and the ground beneath the whole figure keeps this one calm and wintry, with a small content closed eye expression finishing the peaceful mood.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Give this penguin a loose, energetic pose, one foot kicked out, flippers thrown up or out to the sides mid move, rather than the usual upright standing posture. Draw the headphones last, a simple curved band over the head with two rounded ear cups, so they sit naturally once the head position is settled.
A few short curved motion lines around the flippers and feet capture the sense of movement without needing a busy background. If the dance pose looks stiff, exaggerate the tilt of the body further than feels natural, since a bit of overacting in the pose is what makes a dancing doodle actually read as dancing.
Color the headphones in cherry red for a fun pop against the black and white body, with a small music note or two floating nearby in icy blue if there is room.
This is a fun one to pair with the dancing penguin idea from the animal doodle painting ideas article for more lively animal poses.
Palette: Cherry Red,Icy Blue,Black
Finish the set with this quiet domestic scene: draw a small shovel first, a simple flat blade on a long thin handle, held in both flippers mid push through a pile of snow. The step itself can be just two or three short horizontal lines beneath the penguin’s feet, enough to suggest a doorway without drawing a whole house.
Once this basic pose works well, vary it next time by changing the penguin’s expression, tired and grumbling, cheerful and whistling, or determined with narrowed eyes, since the same shoveling pose can carry very different moods with just a small change to the face.
A neat pile of shoveled snow to one side, built from a few overlapping curved mounds, shows the work already done and adds a nice sense of progress to the scene.
Icy blue fills the snow pile and the ground, kept simple so the penguin and its effort stay the clear focus of the whole doodle.
Palette: Icy Blue,Black
Try this same shovel and step setup with a watering can and spring flowers instead of snow, a quick way to turn a winter doodle into a spring one.
What to Do Next
Pick one idea that made you smile and grab a plain notebook page to try it on first. Start with the simpler poses near the top of this list, get comfortable with the basic penguin shape, then work your way down to the busier scenes once that shape feels easy to draw from memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What pens work best for a penguin doodle like these?
A black fineliner in a fine tip, around 0.3 to 0.5, gives the cleanest outline for a penguin doodle. Add alcohol markers or gel pens in icy blue and cherry red for small accents once the ink is fully dry.
How do I keep my penguin doodle looking cute and not stiff?
Round every shape slightly rather than drawing straight edges, since penguins are mostly soft curves with almost no sharp angles. Tilt the head or a flipper off center too, since perfect symmetry is what makes a doodle look stiff.
Do I need to draw a background for these penguin doodle ideas?
No, most of these work fine with just a few snow dots, a single ice line, or no background at all. A small prop like a mug, sled or scarf tells the story without needing a full scene drawn around it.
What is the easiest penguin doodle idea for a beginner to start with?
The cocoa mug penguin and the two hugging penguins are the simplest poses in this list, both built from one or two basic ovals. Start there before moving on to action poses like skating or skiing.
How do I add color without it looking messy on a penguin doodle?
Keep color to one or two small areas per drawing, like a scarf, hat or mug, rather than filling in the whole penguin. Let the black fineliner carry most of the drawing and use icy blue and cherry red only as accents.
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