Use the videos and step-by-step drawing instructions below to learn how to draw Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Stay tooned for more tutorials!

 

The speed drawing video:

 

The written step-by-step video tutorial:

 

Intro: Start off with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. Use light, smooth strokes for sketching.

 

Step 1: Draw two circles as guides for the first part of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's body. First draw four small marks for the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. The two circles should be about the same size, and their edges should touch.

 

Step 2: Draw another circle on the top, right side as a guide for the head. This circle should be slightly bigger than the circles for the body. Don't draw this circle too far away from the body, otherwise Rudolph's neck will be too long.

 

Step 3: Inside the head, near the bottom, draw a curved, horizontal line as a guide to help you place Rudolph's eye later.

 

Step 4: Draw the guide for Rudolph's muzzle as a small arc on the right side of the head. First draw a small mark to determine the height of the arc, then connect the mark to the head using curved lines.

 

Step 5: Draw two small arcs on top of the head as a guide for Rudolph's ears. The arcs should be pointy at the top, wide in the middle and a bit more narrow at the bottom. The arc on the left should be smaller than the one on the right because of perspective.

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Step 6: Draw two long vertical lines under the circle on the right as guides for Rudolph's front legs. Bend the lines a bit near the bottom to indicate where this reindeer's hooves will be.

 

Step 7: Now draw two long vertical lines under the circle on the left as guides for Rudolph's hind legs. Bend the lines a bit to indicate where the hooves and joints will be later.

 

Step 8: Draw two vertical lines that connect the body to the head to create the guide for the neck. Draw two short horizontal lines that connect the two circles to complete the guide for Rudolph's body.

 

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

 

Step 9: Draw Rudolph's eye inside the head sitting on top of the curved horizontal line. First draw a curved line for the bottom part of the eye, then draw another curved line above for the top. The shape of Rudolph's eye should be similar to an egg.

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Step 10: Inside the eye, draw a circle for Rudolph's pupil. This circle should be pretty big in relation to the shape of the eye. Place it near the middle.

 

Step 11: At the tip of the muzzle, draw Rudolph's most famous feature: his nose! First draw a curved line for the base, then draw a circle above it for the actual nose. The nose should be a bit smaller than the pupil. Pay attention to its placement.

 

Step 12: Draw the top part of Rudolph's muzzle under the nose using a series of curved lines. First draw a line that starts on the right side of the nose and curves down and to the left inside the head. Continue drawing the line inside the head, then curve it up and end it on the left side of the nose.

 

Step 13: Now draw the bottom part of the muzzle using a curved line under the top part. Draw the bottom part of the muzzle within the shpae of the initial arc. Add a small V-shaped line in the middle for Rudolph's open mouth.

 

Step 14: For the short reindeer antlers on the head, start by drawing a small line on the top edge of the initial circle for the base. Then draw an arc similar to an upside-down letter U to complete the first antler. Draw Rudolph's other antler to the right the same way but slightly smaller.

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Step 15: Use the arcs on the head as guides to draw Rudolph's ears. First darken the lines to create the shapes of the ears. Don't overlap the lines for the antlers. Using a series of quick, short strokes, draw an oval-like shape inside the ear on the left for the inner structure.

 

Step 16: Use the initial circle and arc as guides to draw the shape of the head. Simply darken the outer edge of the guides to create the shape of the head. Don't overlap the lines for Rudolph's antlers as you draw the head. Draw the bottom of the head using a broken line.

 

Step 17: Use the second line from the right as a guide to draw Rudolph's first front leg. Follow the basic path of the guide as you draw the leg around it. Give the leg a bump near the middle to indicate the joint. At the bottom, where the guide line bends, make the shape of the hoof wider and rounder. Add a series of quick, short strokes at the bottom for the fur and a small line in front for the split in the hoof.

 

Step 18: Use the line on the far right as a guide to draw the other front leg. Draw this leg the same way as the last. Follow the path of the guide as you draw the leg's shape around it. Be sure to give the leg a bump near the middle for the joint and make Rudolph's hoof at the bottom wide. Use quick, short strokes at the bottom for the fur and add a small line at the front to split the hoof.

 

Step 19: Use the line on the far left as a guide to draw the first hind leg. Follow the path of the guide as you draw the shape of the leg around it. The hoof at the bottom should be wide and round. Add some quick, short strokes for the fur. Add a small line on the tip to split the hoof. Make the top of Rudolph's leg wider than the bottom.

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Step 20: Use the final line as a guide to draw Rudolph's other hind leg the same way. Follow the path of the guide as you draw the shape of the leg around it. Make the hoof wide and round.

 

Step 21: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of Rudolph's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Draw the shape of his reindeer tail as a small arc with a pointy tip on the upper left side of the body. Add a line on the left side of the tail for extra detail on the fur.

 

Step 22: For a more finished look, carefully go over the final sketch lines with a pen or marker.

 

Step 23: After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

 

Final Step: Color your Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer drawing using color pencils, markers or even crayons! Use light brown for the main part of the body. The underside of the body, the chest, and the neck should be blank. I accidentally colored in the neck too, oops! The left side of the tail and a small section above the hooves should also be blank. Use dark brown for the antlers. The pupil, the inside of the mouth and the hooves are black. Color Rudolph's famous nose red! If you colored in a section that you weren't supposed to (like I did with the neck), try to erase the color.

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