How to Draw Santa Claus

Sketch Santa Claus's head. Santa is a round and jolly character, so many of your initial sketches will involve circles and ovals. Draw a circle near the top of the page. Add a horizontal oval below for his neck and beard.

• Draw the oval overlapping the first circle slightly. The top half of the oval should overlap the circle to form the head.
• Add guiding lines for the face. Draw a vertical line down the center of the circle and a horizontal line across it. The horizontal line should align with the top of the oval. These lines will help you place the eyes and nose.
• Add two more horizontal lines near the bottom of the circle for the mouth.
• Use a pencil for the main outlines. Draw lightly so you can easily erase any mistakes.

Draw two large circles for the body. The first circle should intersect the bottom of the oval representing Santa's head. The top of this circle should align with the horizontal line at the lower part of the face. The second circle should be larger and overlap the first one. The top of this circle should touch the midpoint of the first circle, forming the torso.

• The upper circle will represent Santa's chest. Make it round and slightly larger than the head.
• The lower circle will form Santa's belly. This circle should be about one and a half times larger than the chest circle.

Sketch the arms and hands. Draw two plump ovals for Santa's arms. The shoulders should start near the intersection of the face oval and the chest oval. For the hands, draw two circles with three curved lines for fingers and an inverted U-shape for the thumbs.

• At this stage, Santa will resemble a snowman.
• It's fine if the arm ovals overlap the chest circle. You can erase overlapping lines later, giving Santa's figure more depth.

Draw Santa's legs. Sketch Santa's legs similarly to his arms. Use shorter, plumper ovals for the legs extending from the belly, then add two more ovals for the feet.

• Santa has a heavier upper body, so his torso should appear larger than his lower body. Ensure these ovals aren't longer than the rest of his body.
• Start drawing the legs from the top ovals (thighs) at the widest point, near the outer edge of the belly. Angle Santa's legs slightly outward.

Start with the nose. Use the middle horizontal line as a guide. The tip of the nose should align with this line.

• Draw the nose as an almost complete circle but leave the top open.
• Add the nostrils. Draw a C-shape on each side of Santa's round nose—a forward C for the right nostril and a backward C for the left.

Draw Santa's mustache. Sketch two horizontal S-shapes extending from the sides of the nose, then add a few curved lines below the S-shapes to complete the lower part of the mustache.

• To balance the mustache, you can draw a small dot below the nose and ensure the curved lines meet at this point when drawing the lower part.
• Add two curved lines on either side, starting from the top of the nose. Extend these curves down to the edges of the mustache to define Santa's cheeks.

Draw Santa's eyes. Create two large inverted U-shapes above the cheeks for the eyes.

• For a less cartoonish look, use smaller circles above the cheeks. This will make Santa's eyes appear more realistic and separate from the cheeks.
• Add pupils to the eyes. Draw two circles inside each eye—a larger one for the whites and a smaller one for the pupils.
• If space allows, include tiny circles within the pupils to give Santa's eyes a sparkling effect. Color the pupils.

Add Santa's eyebrows. Sketch two S-shaped curves above the eyes, similar to the top of the mustache, then add thick, curved lines to form the upper part of the eyebrows. Connect these lines to the S-shapes to complete the eyebrows.

• If space is limited, you can draw rounded rectangles above the eyes instead of thick eyebrows.

Draw Santa's beard. Start with curved lines on either side of Santa's head, beginning at ear level. Outline the outer edge of the oval you drew for the head to define the beard. Refine the beard for a polished look.

• More jagged lines will give the beard a cartoonish appearance. For a realistic look, use softer S-shaped curves.
• Extend the beard downward so it reaches Santa's chest.

Draw Santa's hat. Begin at the midpoint between Santa's eyebrows. Unlike the eyebrows and mustache, use smaller, rounded strokes to create the white trim of the hat, resembling small clouds. Follow the head outline when drawing the hat's body.

• Extend the trim outward around the head and connect it at the ears.
• When curving upward to form the hat's body, you can extend it higher than the head outline for balance.
• Start on one side of Santa's head, drawing a slight inward curve. Leave this curve open instead of connecting it to the hat's line on the other side.
• Extend the line past the opposite edge of the hat to create the pointed tip. Add a pom-pom at the top of the hat.

Draw the mouth. Sketch two U-shapes below the mustache to create Santa's cheerful smile.

• To make Santa's mouth and beard look more realistic, draw two curved lines extending from the tips of the mustache. Leave a small gap instead of connecting these lines to the outer edge of the beard.
• Now, define the sides of Santa's face. Connect the top of the beard (extending from the mustache) with two wavy vertical lines on either side of his head. Extend these curves upward and connect them to the bottom of the hat.
• If done correctly, Santa's beard will frame his face.

Redraw Santa's body. Once the face and beard are complete, refine Santa's body and start adding details.

• Outline the edges of the initial circles and ovals. Now is the time to give Santa's body a three-dimensional appearance.
• Only outline the shapes. Erase any overlapping lines to add depth to the drawing.
• When finished, you'll have a Santa figure wearing a hat but no clothing.

Sketch Santa's outfit. Santa wears a knee-length coat, a belt, baggy pants, boots, and gloves.

• Start with the coat. Draw the bottom of the coat using a curved line outside Santa's legs. The lines should flare out and reach the knees. Continue with two upward curves meeting at the waist. The coat's hem has a white trim similar to the hat.
• Add the belt. The belt is a slightly curved rectangle around Santa's belly. The bottom edge of the belt is where the coat flaps meet at the waist. Include a square buckle in the center and two loops on either side.
• Add one or two round buttons in the middle of the coat.
• Below the coat, sketch the pants with a few wavy lines. Santa also wears boots that reach his calves.
• Finally, draw rectangular cuffs at the sleeves and don't forget to include the hands.

Color Santa Claus. If desired, add extra details before coloring, such as a longer beard or a more intricate belt buckle. Erase any unnecessary lines, then start coloring.

• Santa's hat, coat, pants, and boots are red. The boots are slightly darker than the rest of the outfit.
• The trim on the hat, coat, and cuffs is white.
• You can color the gloves and belt brown or even green if you prefer.

• Use a pencil to sketch lightly, making it easier to erase mistakes.
• Take your time. While you might want to finish quickly, drawing slowly allows for greater accuracy and detail.
• If you plan to color your drawing with markers or watercolors, use thicker paper and go over the outlines with a darker stroke before coloring.