Easy Skull Drawing Art Tutorial
When learning how to draw a skull, there are many different ways to draw them. You can make them fun or scary. Or maybe you want your skull drawings to be more of a cartoon style.
In this art tutorial you’ll learn several different ways to draw a skull.
Learning how to draw a skull, or anything else for that matter, takes practice and repetition. The more you draw the better you will get. So practice often. And don’t forget to have fun along the way.
Let’s go ahead and get started by gathering up some supplies for your skull drawings.
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Art Supplies
- Thin black marker
- Paper or cardstock
- Markers
- Pencil
- Click Eraser, Pink Pearl Eraser
- White Gelly Roll pen
Skull Sketch Practice
Doing a skull sketch practice exercise is a really good way to get warmed up and more familiar with what you’re going to be drawing in only a few minutes.
Here’s how to do a skull sketch practice session:
- Get some paper and something to sketch with (pencil, pen, marker, etc.)
- Pull up some reference photos of skulls
- Set a timer for three or five minutes
Then simply sketch out as many skulls as you can before your timer goes off.
You can also sketch until your paper is filled with skulls, instead of using a timer. Either approach is fine. But be sure to keep your lines quick and loose. Don’t get too hung up on all the little details.
Skulls in Art
Throughout history, skulls have been used in art. Whether they are the main focal point, or used as a prop, they have made an appearance for centuries.
Symbols in art have been popular throughout history as well. They can tell an entire story all on their own. You can read more about this in Understanding Symbols in Art.
The most common meaning for skulls is to represent death. But that’s not the only thing they can represent. They can also represent change or transformation.
These meanings can also vary from one corner of the Earth to the other. For example, in Mexico skulls are used during celebration. They are used as decorations during the Day of the Dead where loved ones who have passed on are remembered.
But during this same time of year, in the United States skulls are used in decoration for Halloween which has more of an eerie vibe.
So whether you’re using skulls to celebrate Halloween, or sugar skulls to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, there are plenty of opportunities to include them in your artwork.
How to Draw a Skull Easy Step by Step Drawing
Let’s get started with how to draw a skull, the easy way. Using the technique learned in Using Shapes to Draw, begin with basic shapes as your guides. Draw a circle, with a square at the bottom.
This looks pretty silly but it helps to illustrate where everything will go. If you want to change how your skull will look you can change the placement of the facial features. You could move the eyes up higher, or down lower. Or change the shape or style of the eyes, nose, or teeth.
Have fun and experiment with your drawings. Tip: do your drawings on artist trading cards to save time.
Start by drawing in the shapes of the eyes. You don’t have to draw them exactly like mine. There are a ton of different ways to draw the eyes. Maybe you could try making them circles or ovals instead of drawing them with square edges.
Next draw the nose along the center line, and where your circle and square meet. Again, there are a lot of different ways you could draw the nose.
Sketch your skull drawing out lightly and make changes where you feel they are needed. You can always go back later and make changes as well.
Draw a couple of curved lines for the temples, right next to the eyes.
Now, draw the cheeks and a short line coming down. This is the beginning of the jaw.
Connect the inner jaw lines with a slightly wavy line. This line is where the teeth come together.
How to Draw a Skull – Teeth
Now draw the teeth. Once again, lots of options here on how to draw them.
On each side of the mouth, draw a line that follows the edge of your square, and then connects to the bottom of the lower teeth.
Then draw the lower jaw and chin.
The last step in learning how to draw a skull, is to draw the top of the head. If you want your skull to have a higher forehead, draw the top of the head a bit higher. This is another one of the ways you can change the overall look of your skull drawing.
Skull Outline
Making a skull outline is easy. Just simply trace over your pencil lines with a black pen or marker. You can make your lines thin, thick, or a combination of the two.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. A color other than black can be used as well.
How you make your skull outline will depend on your artistic style. If you’re now sure what this is yet, don’t worry. Your style will develop over time with some practice.
This is a good time to add some shading as well. When shading your skull drawings you can use black or gray. And again, experiment and try different things. Any color could be added to your skulls.
How to Draw a Cartoon Skull
Learning how to draw a cartoon skull is easy and fun. Once again we’re going to start with some simple shapes. Draw a circle with a square at the bottom.
Next, draw a face for your cartoon skull. These are really fun to make since they don’t have to be realistic. So really, anything goes.
Cartoon skulls can be drawn with or without a lower jaw. Personally, I think they look better without the lower jaw, but you can’t make yours however you want.
Cartoon Skull Outline
Making a cartoon skull outline is really easy to do. All you have to do is trace over your pencil lines with a black pen or marker. You can make your lines thick or thin. Or, you can make them a variation of the two.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. Add your own style to your artwork wherever you can.
If you don’t have an artistic style yet, don’t worry. Your style will develop over time with some practice. Just have fun and keep things relaxing and enjoyable.
You can use a black pen to add some shading as well.
How to Draw a Cartoon Skull with Markers
Although skulls are typically white, you can skill add some additional colors. Or, make them another color all together. Feel free to take some artistic liberty with everything you make.
When adding color to your cartoon skull drawing try to use colors that are similar so they can be blended together. We have a tutorial on How to Blend Markers if you need more information on how to do this.
Add a fun background to your cartoon skull drawing. There’s no limit to what you can do with this type of artwork. You can create anything you can imagine.
Easy Skull Drawing Ideas
As I mentioned earlier, the more you draw the better you will get. Repetition is your best friend, and will greatly help improve your creativity. By experimenting and trying new things, you’ll be able to develop your own artistic style.
And you’ll be able to grow as an artist. Don’t be afraid to fail and always have fun and enjoy the process. Maybe give some Sugar Skull Drawings a try.
Final Thoughts & Next Steps
Now that you know how to draw an easy skull, what’s the next step? From here you should practice as often as possible. Every day if you can. Even if it’s only for a few minutes each day.
There are a lot of different uses for your skull drawings, and many other ways to draw your skulls. They can be drawn in a cartoon style. You could leave the lower teeth and jaw off. Or any other variation you can think of.
You could also add a hat, glasses, or anything else you can think of. We have a full tutorial on How to Draw Top Hats if you need some help.
Try doing an art challenge and see how many different skulls you can make in a week. You’ll be amazed by how creative you’re drawings will start to get. There are many benefits to doing this type of art challenge.
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