It looks easy. He’s basically just two green circles and a mouth, right? Wrong. If you’ve ever tried to draw Kermit the Frog on the back of a napkin or in a sketchbook, you probably realized pretty quickly that there is a very fine line between "beloved Muppet icon" and "creepy green blob."
Jim Henson’s most famous creation is a masterpiece of minimalist design. But minimalism is actually a trap for artists. When a character is this simple, every single millimeter of placement matters. If the eyes are a fraction of an inch too wide, he looks like he’s having a crisis. If the collar points are too short, he loses that lanky, swamp-dwelling silhouette. Honestly, the secret isn't just in the hands; it’s in the soul of the felt.
Why Everyone Struggles to Draw Kermit the Frog
Most people start with a perfect circle for the head. That is your first mistake. Kermit’s head is more of a squashed football or a "rounded diamond" shape. It’s organic. Remember, the original Kermit was famously made from an old coat belonging to Henson’s mother, with two halves of a ping-pong ball for eyes. That DIY aesthetic is baked into his DNA.
If you want to draw Kermit the Frog accurately, you have to think about how a puppet moves. He doesn't have a rigid skull. His "skull" is a human hand. This means his mouth doesn't just open and close—it folds and creases. When his mouth is open, the top of his head actually flattens out.
The Eye Placement is Everything
Let’s talk about those ping-pong balls. Kermit’s eyes aren't just stuck on top of his head; they are nestled into it. They have these subtle "hoods" or lids made of green felt that overlap the white spheres.
- The pupils are the real kicker. They aren't circles.
- They are horizontal slits with slightly pointed ends.
- They look like "lining" or a very thin, stretched-out diamond.
If you draw round pupils, he stops being Kermit and starts being a generic frog. It’s a tiny detail, but it’s the difference between professional fan art and a doodle that looks "off." The pupils also aren't centered. They usually point slightly inward, giving him that focused, slightly anxious, but always kind expression.
Getting the "Pointy" Collar Right
The collar is Kermit’s most defining accessory. It’s not a shirt; it’s a jagged, star-like shape that sits around his neck. It usually has 11 or 12 points, depending on which version of the puppet you're looking at. Don't make them perfect triangles. In the actual Muppet builds, these are made of stiffened felt. They flop a little. They have character.
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When you draw Kermit the Frog, make sure the collar points follow the curve of his shoulders. He doesn't really have "shoulders" in the human sense—his arms just sort of sprout from his torso. The collar hides the seam where the head meets the body. Use it to create depth.
Those Lanky, Noodly Limbs
Kermit is thin. Extremely thin. His arms and legs are essentially long, green noodles.
He’s a "rod puppet," meaning his hands are controlled by thin metal wires. Because of this, his wrists are often bent at sharp angles. His fingers are long and spindly, usually four of them, and they don't have knuckles. They are just soft, tapering points.
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When you’re sketching the legs, remember the "flipper" feet. They are massive compared to his ankles. They have a distinct webbing. If you draw his feet too small, he looks top-heavy and loses that iconic "perched on a log" vibe.
The Mouth: The "V" Shape
The interior of Kermit’s mouth is almost always a deep, flat red or a dark pink, with a black "throat" section way in the back. But the shape is what matters. When his mouth is wide open, it forms a wide "V."
The bottom lip—if you can call it that—is actually the bottom of the puppet's jaw. It’s straight. The top part is what arches. If you curve the bottom of the mouth too much, he looks like he’s smiling like a human. Kermit doesn't smile with his lips; he smiles with his whole face.
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Common Pitfalls to Avoid
I see this all the time: people make his torso too round. Kermit is more of a pear shape, but a very deflated pear. He’s not "fat" like Fozzie or "bulky" like Miss Piggy. He’s a lean, mean, banjo-playing machine.
Another big one? The color. Kermit is a very specific shade of "spring green." If you go too dark, he looks like a forest frog. If you go too neon, he looks like a highlighter. If you're working digitally, look for a warm, yellowish-green.
Expert Tips for Success
- Sketch the "Action Line" first. Kermit is rarely standing stiff. He’s slouching, leaning, or sitting with his knees tucked up. Draw a curved line to establish his posture before adding the shapes.
- Use the "Crosshair" method for the face. Even though his head is a weird shape, draw a light horizontal line where the eyes will sit. This ensures they don't drift.
- Don't forget the "pointed" elbows. Since he’s a puppet, his joints are just folds in fabric. They tend to look a bit sharper than human elbows.
Practical Steps to Master the Muppet Look
To truly master how to draw Kermit the Frog, you need to move beyond static reference photos. Go watch a clip of The Muppet Show or The Muppet Movie. Watch how his head compresses when he talks. See how his arms flop when he’s excited (the classic "Yay!" arm flail).
Start by drawing just the head ten times. Vary the mouth positions. Try one where he’s doing his "scrunch face"—that iconic look of exasperation where his mouth is a tiny horizontal line. Once you nail the expression, the body is just the icing on the cake.
Use a soft pencil for the initial shapes so you can erase the overlapping lines of the ping-pong ball eyes. When you go over it with ink, keep your lines quick and fluid. Kermit is about energy and movement. A stiff drawing of Kermit is a dead drawing of Kermit. Focus on the flow of his long limbs and that slightly tilted head that suggests he’s really listening to you.