How to Draw a Rainbow: Easy Step-by-Step for Kids
How to draw a rainbow in 8 easy steps
A rainbow is a perfect drawing for practicing smooth curvy lines: two fluffy clouds, then six big arcs that stack inside each other like slices of a giant colorful bridge. There are no tricky small parts, just happy swoops from one cloud to the other.
Follow the eight steps below on paper, or tap "Draw it live" and DrawAlong will guide each line on screen, checking every stroke as you go.
How to draw a rainbow, step by step
1Draw the fluffy cloud on the left
Start with a fluffy cloud low on the left side: a bumpy puffball with a nearly flat top where the rainbow will land.
2Draw the fluffy cloud on the right
Draw a matching fluffy cloud on the right side, like the first one looking in a mirror.
3Draw the biggest arc from cloud to cloud
Now the fun part: draw the biggest arc, starting on the left cloud, swooping way up high, and landing on the right cloud.
4Draw the next arc right under the big one
Draw the next arc just inside the big one, cloud to cloud again. This will be the red and orange stripe line.
5Draw another arc inside that one
Add another arc inside that one. See the stripes appearing?
6Draw the middle arc, cloud to cloud
Draw the middle arc, keeping the gap nice and even.
7Draw the next little arc
Almost there: draw the next smaller arc inside.
8Draw the smallest arc to finish the rainbow
Finish with the smallest arc. Your rainbow now has five stripes ready for color!
Time to color!
Go classic from the outside in: coral red, orange, yellow, green, then sky blue, and leave the clouds white and puffy.
In the live version, coloring is tap-to-fill: pick a color, tap a part, done.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a rainbow a good drawing for young kids?
- Yes, it is one of the friendliest. There are only two shapes to learn, a bumpy cloud and a big arc, and then the arc repeats five more times, so kids get better with every single line.
- What if the arcs come out wobbly or uneven?
- Wobbly is completely fine. DrawAlong checks each line gently and accepts anything close, and real rainbows drawn by hand always have a little wiggle. The colors make everything look great at the end.
- What do we need to draw along?
- Nothing extra. DrawAlong runs free in the browser on a tablet, phone or computer, and kids draw right on the screen with a finger or stylus. On paper, a pencil and some crayons are all it takes.
Draw this rainbow live, right now
DrawAlong guides every line on screen, cheers your child on, and the picture always comes out great.
Try it free →