This cartoon Rudolph from Art for Kids Hub is a little reindeer with one giant shiny eye, curly antlers and a bright red nose. You draw him from the side, so there is only one eye to get right. The whole drawing is made of curves, S-lines and a few L shapes. Kids can follow it in about seven minutes.
You need a black marker, paper and colored pencils. The video uses a Sharpie for the outline and colored pencils for the fur, ears and nose.
Rudolph vs. a regular reindeer drawing
Our reindeer drawing is a front-facing reindeer with a brown nose. This one is different. Rudolph sits in profile, his nose is a round ball on the end of his snout, and it gets colored red at the end. That red nose comes from the 1949 song and the 1964 TV special, and it is the one detail everyone looks for.
The eye does most of the work. A big black circle with two white highlights makes him look friendly and a bit shy. Leave those highlights white when you fill the eye in.
Rudolph drawing ideas to try next
- Flying Rudolph. Stretch the legs out front and back and add a few speed lines behind him.
- Glowing nose. Color a soft yellow ring around the red nose so it looks lit up.
- Rudolph with Santa. Put him in front of a sleigh, or pair him with our Santa drawing.
- Winter accessories. Swap the fur collar for a striped scarf, or add a jingle bell on a ribbon.
- A full herd. Draw two or three smaller reindeer flying in the sky behind him, as the video suggests.
Paper, markers and coloring supplies
Printer paper works for practice. A heavier drawing pad holds up better when you layer colored pencil. A fine point permanent marker gives the bold outline. For color, the video uses a medium brown for the body, a pale tan for the ears, eye patch, neck fur and tail, a dark maroon for the antlers and hooves, and red for the nose. Crayons and washable markers work too. Press harder on the edges and lighter in the middle for a soft, furry look.
Draw him big. The eye should sit near the middle of the page, with room above for the antlers and below for the legs.
Christmas ways to use your Rudolph drawing
Fold a sheet of cardstock and draw him on the front of a Christmas card. Shrink him down for Christmas gift tags. In a classroom, line up a row of Rudolphs on a bulletin board with paper snowflakes around them. Add a couple of trees from our Christmas tree drawing to build a bigger winter scene.
Common Rudolph drawing problems
- The antlers look like blobs. Draw one bump at a time and close each antler back into the head before starting the next.
- The head looks flat. Make the S-line curve out far for the snout, and bring the cheek line down in a big curve to meet the nose.
- He looks like he is floating. Keep all four hooves on the same level and draw the snowy ground right under them.
Want a more realistic animal? Try how to draw a deer next.
