Art Class Made Easy: Fun and Easy Hawaiʻi Drawing Tutorials Keiki Will Love

Hawai‘i artist Karen Obuhanych teaches kids how to draw adorable lions, tiger and unicorns, oh my!

April 6, 2020

Brie Thalmann,

If your kiddos are getting restless, we’re here to help with a handful of super-fun art tutorials, courtesy of artist Karen Obuhanych, one of our favorite local illustrators.

Her creature-filled works never fail to put a smile on our faces.

A mom herself, Obuhanych began making her “Drawing With Shapes” Instagram videos as a way to share the techniques she used to teach her own 4-year-old daughter how to draw animals. Her quick (all are under three minutes) and easy instructionals show keiki how to use familiar lines and shapes to create cuddly crocodiles, sweet elephants, too-cute tortoises and more.

“I really just wanted to create something during this tumultuous time that is joyous and fun, and encourages artists of any age to get creative,” she says.

Tip: If you find yourself as crazy for Obuhanych’s illustrations as we are, you can snag some of her prints at her KTO Art Etsy shop here—they’re perfect for brightening up keiki bedrooms.

1. CROCODILE

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Per request, a crocodile (or alligator) tutorial. If you or your littles have animal requests for this series, let me know in the comments. Mahalo!💚💚💚 #drawingshapes #crocodile #alligator
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Mar 27, 2020 at 9:29am PDT

2. TIGER

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Black stripes and a big tail, oh my! Did you know that tigers are the largest cat species? And they are the only 💯 completely striped cats, even their skin is striped! All you need for this tiger is: orange pen black pen pink pen paper Enjoy! If you make your own tiger, post it to IG and tag me so I can see it😊🐯🐾
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Mar 18, 2020 at 9:22am PDT

3. ELEPHANT

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I’ve been wanting to make “how to” videos on drawing animals using familiar shapes and lines. I figured now would be a good time. This is how I teach my daughter to draw😋 Try it out! Draw one elephant, or two, or a whole herd. Have fun, post your results and tag me so I can see! #spreadthelove #drawingwithshapes
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Mar 16, 2020 at 3:34pm PDT

4. GRIZZLY BEAR & POLAR BEAR

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Draw A Bear! Or Two!! Per request, a grizzly bear 🐻 and bonus polar bear! For the polar bear, I used a very light grey to make the shapes and then traced the outline in darker grey. Have a great day!! 🤎🤍 Side note: I’m using dbl tip markers for permanence, but I really enjoy using Crayola Washable Markers with my daughter.
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Apr 1, 2020 at 11:33am PDT

5. CHAMELEON

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Draw a Chameleon! My daughter’s favorite thing to draw. We make a game out of it, catching the fly. It’s very fun! Hope you enjoy it! #drawingshapes #chameleon
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Mar 23, 2020 at 9:49am PDT

6. LION

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Another big cat, couldn’t help myself🦁 drawing with shapes is so fun. And I love to see the kiddos’ interpretations.
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Mar 19, 2020 at 8:50am PDT

7. UNICORN

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I think we could all use some magic for our Monday. Per request from @erikalynnejones and her daughter. Thanks for the suggestion! 🌈 🦄 ❤️ #unicorns #drawingwithshapes
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Mar 30, 2020 at 9:48am PDT

8. TORTOISE

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Using a lot of semicircles for this one! Easiest way to draw a semicircle- draw a rainbow arch, connect the ends. Have fun with this guy! 🌈🐢💚 #tortoise #drawingwithshapes
A post shared by Karen Obuhanych (@kto_art) on Apr 3, 2020 at 9:23am PDT