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Based on a video by Art for Kids Hub
Opens their YouTube channel
Steps written out by Crafting Step by Step · Published · Updated
Featured inTop 5 Easy Christmas Drawings
A wrapped present is one of the easiest Christmas drawings you can teach a kid, and this version from Art for Kids Hub keeps it to a handful of shapes. You draw a long rectangle for the lid, a square box under it, a big bow on top and a ribbon running down the middle. Then you color it. It takes about five minutes.
You need a black marker, paper and something to color with. The video uses a Sharpie, and the creators suggest putting a second sheet under your drawing so the ink does not soak through to the table.
Most kids want to draw the box first. Starting with the lid works better. The lid is a long, skinny rectangle, so it sets the width of the whole gift. The box hangs under it and stays a little narrower, which is what makes the lid look like it sits on top. If you draw the box first, the lid tends to come out the same width and the present looks flat.
The bow does the rest. A knot and two loops read as a gift from across the room, even with wobbly lines.
Printer paper is fine for practice. For a finished piece, use a heavier drawing pad so markers do not bleed. A fine point black permanent marker gives the bold outline in the video. For color, the video suggests markers, colored pencils, oil pastels or paint. Washable markers are the fastest choice for little kids, and colored pencils let older kids add stripes and shading.
Size matters more than supplies. Make the lid stretch across about half the page and leave a few inches above it for the bow. A present that fills the sheet is easier to color and looks better on the fridge.
Green with a red bow is the classic look. One of the two presents in the video gets yellow diagonal stripes for wrapping paper, and that small change makes it pop. You can also try polka dots, snowflakes, or plaid. Draw a tall, thin box for a different shape, or stack three presents of different sizes into a pile. Leave a small white streak on each bow loop to make the ribbon look shiny.
Cut it out and tape it to a window or a classroom door. Draw a small one on folded cardstock for a Christmas card, or punch a hole in the corner and turn it into a gift tag; our Christmas gift tags guide has more ideas. Want a real bow to match? Try a wrapping paper bow. A row of drawn presents also looks great under a Christmas tree drawing.
Want more to draw? Try how to draw a candy cane, or start with how to draw for the basics.
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Draw a Christmas present in 8 easy steps: a lid, a square box, a big bow and a ribbon, then color it. An easy project: about 25 minutes. You need 4 things, including washable markers or colored pencils, black fine point permanent marker and pencil and eraser. The 8 steps start with draw a Long Rectangle for the Present Lid, draw the Square Present Box Under the Lid and draw the Rounded Knot of the Present Bow.
8 steps, about 6 minutes. Tap a picture to jump to that step. Your progress saves automatically.
Tick each step off as you go.
Near the top of your page, draw a long line across and a short line down at one end. It looks like a big L that fell over. Draw the top line the same length, then close the other end. You now have a long, skinny rectangle. This is the lid of your present, and it sets how wide the whole gift will be.
Turn your paper as you go. It is easier to draw a straight line when your hand moves in a comfortable direction.
Start a little in from each end of the lid. Draw two straight lines going down, and make them the same length. Go down far, because a square has four equal sides. Connect the bottoms with a straight line across. The box is a bit narrower than the lid, so the lid looks like it sits on top of the gift box.
Draw both side lines before the bottom. It is easier to make them match.
In the middle of the lid, draw a small square shape sitting on the top line. Round the corners instead of making them sharp. Go up, across, and back down. This little bump is the knot of the bow, where the ribbon is tied. Keep it small. The bow loops attach to each side of it next.
Center the knot on the lid so both bow loops get the same amount of room.
Start at the side of the knot. Draw a curve that goes up and then comes back down to the lid, like a big rounded A. Do the same thing on the other side of the knot. Now your present has a bow with two loops. Make them big. A large bow looks fun and gives you room for details.
If one loop comes out bigger, make the other one match it rather than starting over.
Start next to the knot and draw a curve that comes up to the top of the loop. That line shows the inside of the ribbon and makes the bow look 3D. Repeat it in the other loop. Then add a few short wrinkle lines coming out from the knot into each loop. Two or three per side is plenty.
Keep the wrinkle lines short and close to the knot. Long lines make the bow look busy.
From each side of the knot, draw a line that comes down diagonally over the lid. Draw a second, shorter line right next to it. Connect the two ends with a small upside-down V so the ribbon looks notched. Do the same on the other side. Curving the lines a little makes the tails look like real ribbon.
The tails can overlap the lid. That makes the bow look like it sits on top of the box.
Under the knot, draw two straight lines going down through the lid. Keep them close together. Then draw two more straight lines down the box, lined up with the first pair. This is the ribbon wrapping around your gift. Once the ribbon reaches the bottom of the box, the line drawing is finished.
Skip the ribbon lines where the tails cover the lid. The ribbon goes behind them.
Pick your colors. In the video, both boxes are green with a red bow and ribbon. One gets yellow diagonal stripes so it looks like wrapping paper. Use markers, colored pencils, oil pastels or paint. Color the ribbon first, then fill in the box around it. When you are done, you can cut the present out and use it as a decoration.
Add a darker shade inside each bow loop. It makes the ribbon look folded.
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How to Draw a Present
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OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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Question 1 of 5
Which part of the present do you draw first?
Quick reference
5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.Which part of the present do you draw first?
Answer: The long lid
The lid sets the width of the whole gift, so it goes down first.
2.Why should the box be a little narrower than the lid?
Answer: So the lid looks like it sits on top
A lid that overhangs the box reads as a lid instead of a flat stripe.
3.Your box looks squished. What fixes it?
Answer: Pull the side lines down farther
A square box needs height, so its sides have to come well down the page.
4.How do you keep the bow from looking lopsided?
Answer: Match the second loop to the first
Finish one loop, then copy its size on the other side before adding detail.
5.What makes the bow loops look shiny?
Answer: Leaving a small white streak
A thin uncolored streak reads as light bouncing off satin ribbon.
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