25 easy doodles you can draw in five strokes

The easiest doodles are built from shapes you already know: a circle, a curve, a U and a dot. Each of these 25 takes five strokes or fewer, and every stroke is spelled out, so you can copy it in a notebook or on a photo.

How the steps work

A stroke is one line drawn without lifting your pen or finger, and each dot counts as one. Draw a little bigger than feels natural and don’t slow down: a quick, slightly wobbly line looks friendlier than a careful one. If a doodle comes out lopsided, draw it again next to the first. The third try is usually the keeper.

One to three strokes

1. Heart Two strokes. From the dip at the top, curve out and down to the point on the left, then do the same on the right.
2. Star One stroke. Start bottom left, go up to the top point, down to bottom right, up to the far left, across to the far right, and back to the start.
3. Sparkle One stroke. Four curves that bend inward and meet at four points, like a diamond with its sides pressed in.
4. Crescent moon Two strokes. A big C, then a smaller curve inside it that meets the C at both tips.
5. Cloud Two strokes. A row of three or four bumps in one go, then a flat line under them to close it.
6. Planet Two strokes. A circle, then a flat, tilted curve across its middle that sticks out on both sides for the ring.
7. Rainbow Three strokes. Three arcs, each one a little smaller and tucked inside the last.
8. Leaf Three strokes. One curve up and one curve back down to make a pointed oval, then a line through the middle.
9. Fish Three strokes. One looping line that crosses itself at the back to make the tail, like a ribbon. Then a dot for the eye and a small curve for the gill.
10. Love letter Three strokes. A rectangle, a V across the top for the flap, and a small heart where the flap comes to a point.

Four strokes

1. Smiley face A circle, two dots for eyes and a curve for the smile. Move the face lower in the circle and it gets cuter.
2. Cat face One stroke for the head and both ears: up to a point, dip, up to a point, then round the bottom back to the start. Two dots for eyes and a small w for the mouth.
3. Ghost One stroke: up, round over the top and down, then a wavy line back to the start. Two dots for eyes and an O for a surprised mouth.
4. Mushroom A dome for the cap, a U under it for the stem, and two big dots on the cap.
5. Coffee cup A U for the cup, a line across the top, a C on the side for the handle and one wavy line of steam.
6. Flower A small circle, the petals as one bumpy line around it, a stem, and one leaf.
7. Tulip One stroke for the flower: a U with a W across the top. Then a stem and two long leaves.
8. Bow A sideways figure eight in one stroke, a dot in the middle for the knot, and two short tails hanging down.

Five strokes

1. Sun with a face A circle, one zigzag line all the way around it for rays, two dots for eyes and a smile.
2. Bunny Two long U shapes for the ears, a circle under them for the head, and two dots for eyes.
3. Chick A circle, a small v on one side for the beak, a dot for the eye, a curve for the wing, and one zigzag underneath for both feet.
4. Snail A spiral, a long soft line under it for the body, two short lines for antennae and a dot for the eye.
5. Cactus A tall rounded pickle shape, an arm on each side bending up, a short pot, and a line across the pot for the rim.
6. Ice cream cone A V for the cone, one bumpy line on top for the scoop, two crossing lines on the cone for the waffle, and a dot for a cherry.
7. Pizza slice A long triangle, a curved line along the wide end for the crust, and three circles for pepperoni.

Why rough lines are fine on a photo

On a photo, a doodle doesn’t need to be neat. With Draw in Tada, an iPhone app, My lines keeps your lines exactly as you drew them and makes them wiggle like a hand-drawn cartoon, so a wobble looks like it’s meant to be there. If you’d rather have it tidied up, Make it cute has AI turn your rough lines into a cute doodle that moves.

1. Open Tada, tap Draw and pick a photo.
2. Draw one of the doodles above where it fits: a sun in the sky, a cat face on a mug, hearts around a friend.
3. Choose My lines or Make it cute.
4. Tap Save. It goes to Photos as a Live Photo with the doodle moving.

My lines is free and made on your phone, as many as you like. Make it cute uses 1 AI tada (you get 3 free) and redraws only your lines, never your photo. For more things to draw, see cute doodles, or read how to draw on photos on iPhone.

Questions

More you can do

• Cute doodles to draw
• Doodle ideas
• Draw on photos
• Doodle ideas that move
• All guides