This cartoon angel is about as simple as a Christmas drawing gets, which is the point. Art for Kids Hub made the lesson for young artists, and you can watch a dad draw it side by side with his five-year-old son. You start with a circle, add big eyes and a smile, give her a dress, wings and a halo, then fill the sky with stars. It takes about ten minutes, coloring included.
You need a black marker, paper and colored pencils. That is the whole list.
An easy angel drawing built from simple shapes
Every part of this angel is a shape a preschooler already knows. The head is a circle. The eyes are circles. The dress is two curves and a line. The hands are tiny circles on the end of a stick. Even the wings are one straight line and a row of bumps. Kids who can draw a circle can finish the whole drawing without help.
The order matters more than the shapes. Face first, then body, then hair, then wings. Drawing the hair after the body lets the hair lines run down into the dress, so it reads like a hood or long hair framing her face.
Markers, paper and coloring supplies
A fine point black permanent marker gives you the bold outline in the video. Plain printer paper is fine for practice, but heavier sketch paper holds up better when kids press hard with colored pencils. The angels here get a yellow halo and stars, peach skin, pink cheeks and blond hair. Crayons or washable markers work too. At the end, the outline gets traced again to make it extra thick, which makes the angel pop off the page.
Angel drawing ideas and variations
- Night sky. Cut the finished angel out and glue her onto black construction paper. The video suggests this, and the yellow stars glow against it.
- Flapping wings. Add short motion lines next to each wing tip so it looks like she is flying.
- Different hair. Swap the rainbow line for curly hair, braids or a short bob. Give her any hair color you like.
- A choir. Draw three small angels in a row with open mouths for singing.
Christmas cards, tree toppers and classroom art
A small angel makes a sweet Christmas card front or a paper tree topper. Cut her out, tape her to a straw and slide it over the top branch. Classrooms can line a hallway with a whole sky of angels. Pair her with a Christmas tree drawing or a Santa drawing for a full holiday scene, and add a few snowflakes in place of stars. For something to hang, see homemade Christmas ornaments.
Common problems
- The head came out squished. That is fine. A lumpy circle gives the angel more personality.
- One wing is huge. Wings do not need to match. Make the second one close in size and move on.
- The halo looks like a hat. Leave a gap between the halo and the head so it floats.
- No room for the wings. Start the head a little smaller and in the center of the page. The wings need space on both sides.
Want more practice? Start with how to draw for the basics.
