How to Draw Christmas Lights

Start in the bottom left corner of your paper. Draw a wiggly line that goes up the left side, close to the edge, all the way to the top corner. This is the wire that holds every bulb. It does not need to be straight. Small bumps and waves make it look like a real strand of Christmas lights hanging on a wall.

At the top corner, bend the wire and carry it across the top of the page. Halfway along, draw a small loop, like a cursive letter e. Then keep going to the other corner. That little loop is where the strand twists over itself. It makes the Christmas lights border look less stiff and more like real wire.

Bend at the corner and draw the wire down the right side. At the bottom corner, turn and come back along the bottom edge. Add one more loop if you like. You can connect the end to where you started, or leave a gap near the bottom left so you can add a plug at the end. Now the frame is in place.

Pick a spot on the wire. Leave a small gap and draw an oval pointing out to the side. That is the bulb. Now draw two short lines from the bulb back to the wire. Those lines are the socket, the part that clips the bulb onto the strand. Keep the gap small so the socket lines stay short and neat.

This part is optional. Inside the bulb, draw a tiny loopy wire, a bit like a bow. It makes the bulb look like an old-fashioned Christmas light with a filament inside. Modern LED lights do not have this wire, so leave it off if you want a cleaner look. Austin skips it on his drawing, and his bulbs still read clearly.

Repeat the same steps, but point this bulb the other direction. Draw the oval, add two socket lines to the wire, then the filament if you are using it. Real strands twist, so the bulbs flip from side to side. Leave a bit more space before the next bulb than you think you need.

Keep working your way up the wire, one bulb at a time. Oval, two socket lines, filament. Switch sides as you go. Some bulbs will come out long and some round, and some socket lines will be longer than others. That is part of the charm. Pause the video here if you want more time to fill the strand.

Carry on around the top, down the right side and across the bottom until the whole wire is lit. Step back and look for big empty stretches. Fill those with one more bulb. Now you have a full border of Christmas lights around an open space, ready for a message, a photo or another drawing.

At the loose end of the wire, draw a sideways U for the plug. Close it with a curved line. Around it, draw a rectangle for the wall outlet. Below the plug, add two short lines side by side and a dot under them. That is the empty socket, and it looks a bit like a face. Your strand is officially plugged in.

Color each bulb a different color. Red, yellow, green, blue and orange all work. Try not to put the same color next to itself. Then color every socket dark green so the bulbs pop. A tan or light brown on the outlet finishes it off. Colored pencils give a soft look. Markers are brighter.