Learning How To Draw A Santa
It’s that time of year again when everyone is getting into a festive spirit, and if you’re looking to add a seasonal touch of your own, why not try your hand at drawing a Santa? Drawing Santa isn’t an overly complicated thing; all it requires is a bit of patience and practice. In no time, you’ll be able to give your artwork that Christmas cheer.
No matter your level of artistic aptitude, with just a few simple steps, you’ll be able to depict a jolly old man in red and white. All it takes is the right supplies and some helpful tips to help you along the way.
Gather Your Supplies
Nothing says winter like the look of old Saint Nick himself, so gather up your supplies and get ready to draw. You’ll need several regular size sheets of white paper, an HB pencil, and several custom colors of pencils. Start off by tracing Santa’s face onto your white sheets of paper. Do this in light strokes, as you don’t want to leave indentations in the paper. Once you have this done, you can start to add the details of his smiling face.
Bringing Santa’s Face To Life
Focus on shading for Santa’s face by lightly layering your pencil strokes. Use a darker color of pencil for your layers so that his face looks more prominent. Shade the corners of his eyes, his eyebrows, and the jolly lines of his mouth. Don’t forget to dot his nose with a red pencil; Santa’s nose is one of his most iconic features, so make sure to give it the attention it deserves.
For Santa’s beard, use light pencil strokes to draw its shape. Take your time and draw thin, feathery lines that form its pattern. Be sure to add a bit of extra shading to Santa’s cheeks and chin to capture the true look of his friendly face.
Adding The Finishing Touches
With your pencils and white paper, you can create the entire look of Santa in just a few simple steps. Start by drawing a white cap around Santa’s head. To make it look realistic, shade the cap in a darker hue and add a bit of dimension with some wispy lines. For the end result to look more realistic, draw some fuzzy-looking fur around the edges of the cap.
To finish off your festive artwork, draw the iconic red coat and the soft fur trim. With light, soft strokes simulate the furry texture of the fabric. Shade the red color on the coat lightly with a pencil, as you want it to stand out and look vibrant. Lastly, top off Santa’s look with a thin black belt around his waist.
Practice To Perfection
Drawing Santa is possible with a few basic supplies and some basic drawing techniques. Take your time and bring Santa’s face and clothes to life with soft pencil strokes and accentuate the features with delicate shading.
Remember, practice is key if you want to get your drawing of Santa just right. The more you practice, the better you’ll be. And you never know; you could even be the one who decorates the tree with your very own rendition of the jolly old fellow.
Drawing His Accessories
You can’t draw a festive Santa without his accessories. First, draw his snow-covered boots, with each boot curved up at the front like a triangle. Then sketch a bright red hat with a fluffy white trim around the edge. Santa’s hat should have a white pom pom on the top, and you can also replicate the small swirly details near the hat’s rim using curved lines.
To complete your winter wonderland drawing, add small accessories such as a present, a bag full of toys, or even a sleigh for him to ride in. To make the accessories stand out, you can use darker colors for the detail. For instance, use darker colors for his sacks, box, and reins for the sleigh.
Bringing Santa To Life With Color
Now that you have the base of your drawing done, it’s time to add vibrancy and life to your picture. Add festive colors to your white canvas to bring Santa to life. Start by filling in the body of Santa and leave a bit of white space around his figure. Then, fill in the details of his clothing and accessories with a mix of bright and soft colors. For adding a realistic look, add shadows and highlights to the drawing. Keep this in mind as you fill in the colors so that the details stand out.
Bring your drawing to life by adding a dynamic range of colors. Red and white make the perfect combination for Santa’s outfit, but other colors such as blue, green and even gold add to the festive vibe. If you want the details to stand out even further, use glitter or metallic colors for the details of his hat, boots, and suit.
Adding Textures to Your Drawing
To make your drawing look even more realistic, add subtle textural details to your drawing. Start by using different techniques when creating your pencil strokes. Stippling is a great way to draw details like snow, fur or fabric. You can also use light strokes to draw wiggly lines for the fur trim around Santa’s coat.
You can also use light colors to create shadows. A light blue pencil is great for replicating the look of the night sky, while a light pink pencil can create a soft glow. Lastly, add some stars, snowflakes, or snow-covered trees if you wish, to complete the look of Santa’s Winter Wonderland.
