How to Draw a Model of the Digestive System (With Pictures!)

Plus, learn how to label each organ in your digestive system drawing

Co-authored by Meredith Juncker, PhD and Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: January 14, 2026 Fact Checked

Whether you’re drawing the digestive system for a school project, a study guide, or just for fun, sketching out this biological diagram can help you to better understand the functions of your body and what happens during digestion. There are many organs involved in digesting food—but don’t let that intimidate you! We’ll walk you through each simple step to create an amazing digestive system model. By outlining each organ, coloring them in, and labeling each part, you’ll begin to truly understand what’s happening when you eat your favorite meal!

Human Digestive System Diagram: Visual Example

A simple illustrated diagram of the human digestive system

A drawing of the human digestive system should include a head and torso. Within the head, draw the mouth, teeth, and tongue, as well as an esophagus tube that goes into the torso. In the torso, draw the esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, appendix, rectum, and anus.

1

Draw the outline of a person.

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Start with just a basic sketch of a head and torso. Grab a pencil (not a pen!) and draw a head, or even a simple oval to represent the head. Then, draw a torso shape below the head. Try to draw the torso in proportion to the body as it would be on a human, but don’t worry about creating a very involved or skillful outline. A simple circle for the head and a somewhat rectangular torso (with or without arms!) will do. This is just to provide a frame of reference for your digestive model.
- If you can, draw the head in profile (rather than straight on) to make it easier to show the digestive organs in the head.
- Optionally, you can draw eyes, a nose, ears, and/or hair. You could even give your person a name if you feel like it! Just don’t draw over the torso, or you will obscure your model.
- Don’t draw a mouth yet—that’ll happen in the next step!

2

Add the mouth, teeth, and tongue.

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If your head is in profile, draw the mouth as a sideways “V” on one side of the head. If your head is facing straight-on, you can simply draw a rectangle or oval in the center of the head. Then, add a small curve at the bottom of the mouth to represent the tongue, and draw some small squares to represent the teeth.^{[1]
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What do the mouth, teeth, and tongue do? Digestion begins in your mouth, where salivary glands begin to break down food while you chew. The tongue then pushes food to the back of your throat while your teeth break the food down in a process called mastication.^{[2]
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3

Draw the esophagus.

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Sketch a small tube from the mouth, down the neck, and into the torso. Starting at the end or bottom of the mouth, draw two parallel, curving lines that extend into the neck and straight down into the center of your model’s torso. This tube should be fairly narrow (about ⅕ the width of your model’s neck). End the tube at the upper chest portion of your torso.
- For a more advanced model, include the pharynx and epiglottis, which are two small organs that help move food from the mouth to the esophagus.
  - To add these organs, draw a small diagonal line at the top of your esophagus. Later, when you label your model, designate the area above this line as the pharynx and the area below this line as the esophagus. Label the line itself as the epiglottis.
What does the esophagus do? The esophagus carries food from the mouth and into the stomach via a wavelike motion known as peristalsis.^{[3]
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4

Add the stomach.

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Sketch a bean-shaped organ at the bottom of your esophagus. At the bottom of the tube you previously sketched, continue the parallel lines to draw a balloon-like organ with a curved, bean-like shape. This is the stomach! The stomach should take up about a third of the torso’s width and sit slightly on the right side of the torso.^{[4]
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Research source} Make sure that the stomach is connected to the esophagus tube. Finally, add a small tube going straight down on the left side of the stomach (this will connect to the small intestine in a later step).
- For a more advanced model, draw a diagonal line between the esophagus and stomach to indicate the muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter.
What does the stomach do? The stomach uses gastric juices (made up of hydrochloric acid and pepsin) to break down and help digest food. Food sits in the stomach for about 3-4 hours until it becomes an oatmeal-like substance called “chyme.”^{[5]
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5

Add the liver.

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Move your pencil slightly to the left and above the stomach. Then, draw a curved and elongated triangle-like shape with rounded edges. This is the liver! The liver should be about twice the size of the stomach.^{[6]
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What does the liver do? The liver produces bile to help break down fats. Food never enters the liver, but the liver processes the nutrients that are absorbed from the small intestines.^{[7]
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6

Draw the gallbladder.

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Draw a small, short tube extending from the bottom of the liver. Then, draw a small, oval-shaped nodule coming out of this tube—this nodule should overlap with the liver. To emphasize that the gallbladder goes over the liver, consider drawing the gallbladder with a thicker or darker line.

What does the gallbladder do? The gallbladder stores the bile produced in the liver, then mixes the bile with passing food to break down fats.^{[8]
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7

Sketch the pancreas.

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First, move your pencil to the right side of the tube that’s coming out of the bottom of the stomach. There, draw a new, smaller tube extending out to the right. At the end of that tube, draw an elongated cloud-like shape that sits behind and just below the stomach.^{[9]
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What does the pancreas do? The pancreas helps to regulate blood sugar, and it also releases digestive juices that help to break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats as food leaves the stomach.^{[10]
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8

Add the small intestine.

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Draw a large, curving tube in the bottom part of the torso. Extend the tube at the bottom of the stomach downward, then draw a large, squiggly, overlapping tube. Position the small intestine in the center of the body, and let it take up about half of the torso’s width. However, make sure that the tube between the stomach and the main part of the small intestine is decently long, because the large intestine will have to squeeze in there later! End the tube near the bottom of the torso, with the end of it pointing slightly to the left.
- For a more advanced model, identify the different parts of the small intestine:^{[11]
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  - The duodenum is the tube that connects the small intestine to the stomach.
  - The jejunum is the upper section of the small intestine.
  - The ileum is the lower section of the small intestine.
What does the small intestine do? The small intestine contracts to move food through itself, with the help of bile secretions and pancreatic intestinal juices. This allows it to use villi to absorb nutrients.^{[12]
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9

Add the appendix.

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Around the end of the small intestine’s tube, draw a small, elongated, oval shape that sits closer to the left side of the torso. Don’t connect this shape to the small intestine yet (that will happen in the next step).

What does the appendix do? As far as we know for sure…nothing. It seems to have lost its purpose with evolution, but it’s still connected to the rest of the digestive system.^{[13]
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10

Draw the large intestine.

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Sketch a large, square-shaped tube around the small intestine. Start at the area right above the appendix and directly to the left of the end of the small intestine. There, draw a long, thick, squiggly tube that goes up the side of the small intestine, over the top of it (but below the stomach), and straight down the other side of it. Curve the end of this large intestine slightly under the right side of the small intestine, but don’t connect it completely.^{[14]
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- For a more advanced model, identify the different parts of the large intestine:^{[15]
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  - The cecum is where the large intestine, small intestine, and appendix connect.
  - The ascending colon is the vertical left side of the large intestine.
  - The transverse colon is the top, horizontal part of the large intestine.
  - The descending colon is the vertical right side of the large intestine.
What does the large intestine do? The large intestine processes anything that can’t be used in digestion. It absorbs what it can, like water, and then expels the rest as waste after 12 hours.^{[16]
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11

Draw the rectum and anus.

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Sketch a vertical tube that extends from the end of the large intestine. The rectum sits at the end of the large intestine, and it connects the large intestine to the anus. To represent this in your diagram, draw a wide tube from the bottom of the large intestine downward (that’s the rectum). Then, taper this wide tube into a narrower tube (that’s the anus). The anus should be at the very bottom of your torso—which completes the outline of your digestive system model!
- Technically, you could stop here, as you have a completed drawing of the digestive system. However, we’d advise you to continue with polishing up and labeling your diagram in the next steps (especially if it’s for a school assignment).
What do the rectum and anus do? The rectum stores feces until expulsion, and the anus expels that waste.^{[17]
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12

Outline and color in each organ.

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Trace your diagram with a dark pen, then use a different color for each organ. To make your digestive system drawing look more polished, take a black pen or marker and carefully draw over all the pencil lines. Then, color each organ in with a different color of crayon or colored pencil, being careful to distinguish between each organ and help each one stand out.^{[18]
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- For overlapping organs, consider using lighter and darker shades of the same color. The areas where they overlap can be darker, and the areas where it’s a single organ can be lighter.

13

Label each organ in your model.

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Write the name of each organ to make it a more informative study tool. Draw a thin line extending from each organ out toward the edge of the page. Write the name of each organ at the end of its respective line. This is great for reference, so that you can study our model and learn which organ is which.^{[19]
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- If you prefer not to write the names of the organs on your model, you could instead make a key at the bottom or on another piece of paper where you draw a little square of each color and write the name of the organ next to it. This will allow you to quiz yourself on the names of the organs (because they won’t be written right next to them).

14

Write a brief description of each organ’s function.

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Of course, it’s good to know the names of each digestive organ, but it’s even more important to understand how they work together to make digestion happen. So, optionally, write a short description of each organ (either with the labels or with your key).

Expert Q&A

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Question

What is the work of epiglottitis?

Meredith Juncker, PhD
Scientific Researcher
Meredith Juncker is a scientific researcher based in Brookline, Massachusetts. Currently working as a Senior Patent Technology Specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Meredith is able to leverage her expertise in biochemistry and molecular biology. She received a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, focusing on proteins and neurodegenerative diseases. She went on to work as a Postdoctoral Associate at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Meredith Juncker, PhD

Scientific Researcher

Expert Answer

The main function of the epiglottis is to seal off the windpipe during eating, so that food is not accidentally inhaled.

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What does the gallbladder do?

Meredith Juncker, PhD
Scientific Researcher
Meredith Juncker is a scientific researcher based in Brookline, Massachusetts. Currently working as a Senior Patent Technology Specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Meredith is able to leverage her expertise in biochemistry and molecular biology. She received a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, focusing on proteins and neurodegenerative diseases. She went on to work as a Postdoctoral Associate at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Meredith Juncker, PhD

Scientific Researcher

Expert Answer

Food that contains fat enters the digestive system and stimulates hormone production, which in turn causes the contraction of the gallbladder, allowing the release of bile into the small intestine for the absorption of fat to occur.

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What other or lesser known parts of the digestive system are there?

Community Answer

The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine. The jejunum is the middle part of the small intestine. The ileum is close to the last part of the small intestine. The caecum connects the small and large intestine.

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Tips

Take it one step at a time so that you aren’t overwhelmed. You don’t need to understand the entire digestive system immediately. Simply start with one organ, and when you have drawn that and understood its function, you can move on to the next.

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Warnings

If this is for school, follow your teacher’s instructions for creating your diagram. Your teacher might have specific guidelines that aren’t outlined here.

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