This cartoon reindeer starts with one shiny eye and ends with a big set of branching antlers. In between, you build a friendly animal out of simple curves and straight lines. The lesson comes from Art for Kids Hub, where a dad and his seven-year-old son draw side by side, so you see two versions of every step. The whole drawing takes about ten minutes, plus coloring time.
You need a black marker, a sheet of paper and something to color with. No pencil sketch is needed, and the drawings in the video come out different from each other. That is the point. Have fun and keep practicing.
Why a reindeer starts like a horse
Halfway through this lesson, your drawing will look a lot like a horse. Don't worry. A reindeer has the same long face, tall neck and straight legs. What turns it into a reindeer is the fluffy fur on the chest, the short tail and, above all, the antlers. If you have drawn our cartoon horse before, the head and legs here will feel familiar. The four-legged body also has a lot in common with how to draw a dog.
Picking paper, markers and colors
Printer paper is fine for practice. For a drawing you plan to keep, use a heavier sketch paper so the color does not show through. A black permanent marker with a fine point gives you the bold outline in the video. Washable markers are the safer pick for little kids.
Colored pencils are the best choice for coloring, because a reindeer looks best with soft blends of brown.
Coloring your reindeer
The finished reindeer uses three browns. A light beige goes on the neck and chest fur. A medium brown covers the head and body, and it blends into the beige where the neck meets the back. Dark brown fills the hooves. The antlers get a pale cream, and the inside of the ear gets a touch of pink. Press harder near the edges of the legs and belly to add a little shading. That small trick makes the body look round. Our guide on how to shade walks through it.
Want Rudolph? Color the tip of the nose bright red and draw a few short lines around it so it glows.
Christmas ideas for your reindeer drawing
Draw a reindeer on the front of a folded card and sign it inside. Make a row of small ones for a classroom window, each colored by a different kid. A tiny reindeer also fits on a homemade gift tag. Our Christmas gift tags craft shows you how to cut and finish them.
Common reindeer drawing problems
- The head is too big. Keep the first eye small. It sets the size of everything that follows.
- The legs are different lengths. Line up the bottoms of all four legs before you draw the hooves. Stretch the short ones down to match.
- The antlers run off the page. Start the drawing in the middle of the page, a little to the left, so the antlers have room on top.
- The second antler looks flat. Draw it behind the first one with smaller spikes. Overlap makes it look 3D.
Ready for another animal? Try how to draw a fox next.
