How to Draw a Gnome

Start a little below the center of your page. Begin at the top of the nose and curve out to the left, down and back toward the middle. Do the same on the right side and close the shape. You want a wide oval, a bit flat on the bottom. This nose is the anchor for the whole gnome, so give it a good size. Everything else gets built around it.

The hat sits right on top of the nose. On the left side, draw a line that bends down past the nose and curls out to the side. Round off the end like a floppy flap. Repeat on the right. Then add a fold line across the top of the nose, going up, across and back down. That curve makes the brim look thick and soft.

From each end of the brim, draw the side of the hat going up. Let the lines bend in a little, then rise. They lean toward each other as they climb. At the top, curve the hat over to the right and finish with a hooked tip. The hat narrows as it goes up. Make it at least twice as tall as the nose and brim together.

Time for the hat pattern. In the center, above the brim, draw a point. Bring lines down and out toward the left and right sides of the hat, like a wide letter M. Then trace the same zigzag a little higher up so you get a band. Your lines should touch the edges of the hat on both sides. It looks like a knitted sweater pattern.

Above the first band, draw two small diamonds side by side. Add a half diamond at each edge where the hat cuts it off. Then draw a second zigzag band higher up, the same way as the first. Finish with one diamond near the tip. The pattern repeats: zigzag, diamonds, zigzag, diamond. Take your time here. This is the slowest part.

Move down under the nose. Draw a small half oval for the open mouth, like a smile. Under it, add a short curve for the lower lip. Inside the mouth, draw a curve for the tongue and fill in the top part black. That little open mouth gives your gnome a cheerful face, even without eyes.

Tuck the beard under the hat. On the left, start at the brim and draw a curve that swoops down and in, then flicks back up into a point. Repeat it again lower. On the right, curl out and back in the same way. Bring both sides down to meet in a pointy tip below the mouth. Wavy, pointed edges make it look like real hair.

The body hides behind the beard. On each side, step out from the beard and curl a line around and down. Bend it back in at the bottom. Then add a curved fold along the bottom edge that crosses under the beard tip. Erase or skip any line that would go through the beard. The beard stays in front.

Start at the side of the beard and draw the arm going up and out to the wrist. Bend it back in to the body. Add a cuff line at the wrist. For the mitten, point a thumb up, then round out the hand and pull it back to the wrist. Repeat on the other side. Sign your art, then color it: red hat, green body, red mittens.