How to Draw an Elf: Easy Step-by-Step Art Lesson for Kids
Here you’ll find an easy step-by-step tutorial for how to draw an Elf Tutorial Video and an Elf Coloring Page. He’s pretty easy to draw!
Elf Drawing
Drawing an Elf
Now your students can mix a little bit of body drawing practice with the holidays by learning how to draw an elf. This simple cartoon version has a basic human shape, but with an oversized head and pointy ears. And the great thing about drawing oversized heads is that it makes that cute face SO much easier to do.
This tutorial will walk students through drawing the symmetrical body and his colorful set of elf clothes. And those that wish to draw a girl elf can improvise on adding some more hair, or other accessories. This tutorial is not the one and only way to draw an elf, rather just a starting point for students to create their own.
Coloring tip: If coloring with crayons, try pressing extra hard on one side to create a little bit of a shadow. Or you are using markers, then an extra layer will do the trick too. The Stabilo® brand that I link to in my materials list do this shading trick really well.
Why Draw with Guides?
You may have noticed that all of the tutorials on this website have a dashed vertical line and horizontal line running through each step. If students make their own centered lines on their own paper, before drawing, they will have an easy reference to follow. All they need to do is fold their sheet of paper in half both ways, and make a crease. The best part is, by the time the drawing is done, the creases will have disappeared!
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Elf Coloring Page
Materials for an Elf Drawing
Note: This post contains affiliate links.
- Drawing Paper. Don’t substitute it with copy paper or construction paper. The surface will get fuzzy, erasing might cause holes, and the colors will generally not look as bright. *affiliate link
- Stabilo Markers. The large pack provides lots of fun color choices, several shades of each color, including a few choices for skin. The tips are perfect for coloring, and there’s even a promise that they will work after being uncapped for 8 weeks! *affiliate link
- Pencil. The Ticonderoga brand are the most reliable, make nice dark lines when you need them, and are the easiest to erase. *affiliate link
- Black Sharpie Marker. Great for making a crisp outline to your drawing. Use them when you want your outline show up, but not be so heavy that it detracts from other things. *affiliate link
One Minute Elf Drawing Video
Step by Step Directions to Draw an Elf
Time needed: 45 minutes
Step by Step how to draw an Elf
- Draw the U shaped head.
- Add two pointy ears.
- Draw a hat with a bell.
- Draw the neck and collar.
- Add the elf shirt and cuffs
- Draw hands, legs and slippers.
- Add belt and leg stripes.
- Add eyes, nose, mouth and hair.
- Trace, color and add shadows.
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