How to Draw a Child
There’s nothing more charming than capturing the innocence and magic of childhood on paper. Drawing a child can be a difficult endeavour – from reproducing their intricate features to getting the posture and facial expressions just right. You’ll be sure to feel like an accomplished artist once you’ve mastered the techniques we’ll talk about in this article.
Creating the Outline
The first step when creating a drawing of a youngster is to create the initial outline. The great trick here is to think of the result as a funny looking bean shape. A child’s body is made up of circular shapes, no matter the posture they take. So forget fancy anatomical shapes, just start by sketching a perfect circle for the head and then create connecting lines to represent arms, legs, and other body parts. Keep this initial sketch as simple and light as possible, as you’ll be adding the details later.
Once your bean shape is complete, you can start adding more details. Add dimensions, proportions and balance to your sketch, and don’t forget to take into account the clothing, hairstyle and posture of the child you’re trying to draw.
Adding the Facial Features
A child’s face is the most important feature, so spend some extra time on this part. Start by sketching two almond shapes for the eyes, then draw the eyebrows and the nose. Tip: the height of the nose is roughly the same size as the mouth.
Then draw the mouth and the ears. A nose and mouth should be kept small when capturing a youthful look. Avoid drawing all the details in the eyes – no wrinkles or crow’s feet – as this will make the face look older. Also, make sure the eyes have a glimmer of innocence, by giving them an almond shape and not round shapes like older people tend to have.
Adding the Hair
As mentioned before, hairstyle is an important factor when drawing a child. Decide if the young person that you’re sketching has long or short hair, curls, bangs or caps. If the child has long hair, draw the hair locks starting from the part at the back of the head and tweak the locks with swirly lines.
Adding the Details
Once you’ve finished sketching the basic shape of the body and the facial features, it’s time to start adding details like clothing, objects, as well as expressions to the face. Make sure that the clothing is tailored to the style of the child and pay attention to the lines and curves of the clothing. Draw the fingers and toes, as well as any other details that you consider important.
Next, add a playful expression to the face with subtle details like a smile, raised eyebrows or tight lips. Depending on the kind of emotion you’re trying to convey, add a few lines to the face without overexaggerating the features. Thicker lines tend to soften a face, so draw them carefully. You can also add some color to the scene if that’s part of your objective.
Getting the Proportions Right
Now it’s time to do an overall visual assessment of the figure and to decide if the proportions are right. Look at the position of the eyes, nose and mouth and ensure that it agrees with your initial bean shape sketch. When drawing children you’ll need to decide which parts of their body – like arms and legs – will have to be exaggerated or scaled down a bit.
Remember, some stories are better told with a bit of exaggeration. So don’t be afraid to add a fun twist to your drawing by stretching arms and legs a bit. The most important thing is to create a proportion that is real but still conveys the magic of childhood.
Smoothing Out the Cracks
Once you’ve determined that the child looks natural and everything is proportioned correctly, it’s time for the final step: a bit of cleaning up. Grab your eraser and prepare to get rid of those pencil lines. Make sure the final drawing is neat, the lines are consistent, and all squares are even.
And that’s it! Drawing a child is no easy feat, but with a bit of practice and patience, anyone can learn to capture the beauty of childhood.
