Drawing Cute Christmas Characters: Beginner Tips

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 10 July 2023 6 min read

There's a unique warmth and joy that comes from being able to draw so cute Christmas characters. Whether you're sketching a jolly Santa Claus or illustrating a playful Rudolph, the process of bringing these festive figures to life on paper is an experience everyone should enjoy. This guide will walk you through some beginner tips, helping you to gather your materials, understand basic shapes, practice drawing techniques, and of course, draw your very own cute Christmas characters.

1. Gather Your Materials

Before you can begin to draw your cute Christmas characters, you'll need to gather your materials. The quality of your sketchbook, pencils, and colors can greatly influence your drawing experience. With the right tools in hand, you'll be well on your way to creating your own festive masterpieces. Let's explore the items you'll need:

Choosing the Right Sketchbook

Think of your sketchbook as your personal canvas. It's where your creative ideas will take shape. When choosing a sketchbook, look for one with medium-weight paper—this type of paper is sturdy enough to handle erasing and shading. Brands like Moleskine and Strathmore make great sketchbooks that are perfect for drawing so cute Christmas characters.

Selecting Quality Drawing Pencils

Your pencils are the tools that will bring your characters to life. It's recommended to start with a basic set of graphite pencils. A set from Staedtler or Faber-Castell should include a range of pencils from hard (H) to soft (B) leads. These varying hardness levels will be useful when you're mastering shading techniques later on.

Finding the Perfect Colors

Colors bring vibrancy and personality to your characters. Crayola colored pencils or Prismacolor Premier colored pencils are both excellent choices. These sets offer a wide range of hues, allowing you to perfectly color your cute Christmas characters. Remember, there's no strict rulebook for colors—feel free to experiment and find the combinations that make your characters shine.

2. Learn Basic Shapes

Before diving into the details, it's important to understand the basic shapes that make up all drawings. Learning to draw circles, squares, triangles, and ovals will give you a strong foundation to draw so cute Christmas characters. These shapes form the body, head, arms, and even the tiny details like eyes and noses. Let's start:

Creating Circles and Squares

Most of the cute Christmas characters you'll draw will have round, chubby bodies and faces—the staple of cuteness. Start by practicing drawing perfect circles. For the shapes with straight lines, such as presents or Santa’s hat, squares come into play. Practice drawing these until you're comfortable with their form and symmetry.

Understanding Triangles

Triangles might seem a bit out of place when talking about cute and chubby Christmas characters, but they have their role! Think of Santa's iconic hat or a Christmas tree. These are essentially triangles. Mastering this shape will help add variety to your drawings.

Building with Ovals

Ovals are the elongated version of circles and are fundamental when it comes to drawing so cute Christmas characters. They work perfectly for creating things like elongated eyes, rosy cheeks, or even the bodies of characters like Rudolph or an elf. Practice drawing ovals of different sizes and orientations until you get the hang of it.

3. Practice Drawing Techniques

Now that you've got your basic shapes down, let's move onto some drawing techniques that will help bring your cute Christmas characters to life. Shading, outlining, and texturing are the three pillars that will give your drawings depth and character. Here's how you can master them:

Mastering Shading

Shading is a technique that adds depth to your drawings, giving them a 3D feel. It can be the difference between a flat Santa hat and one that looks fluffy and real. Start by learning to add light and dark shades to your basic shapes. This will help you understand how light falls on different shapes. As you draw so cute Christmas characters, you'll be able to apply these techniques to give them more depth and realism.

Perfecting Outlining

Outlining helps define the boundaries of your characters and objects. A strong, confident outline can make your Christmas characters pop off the page! Practice outlining your basic shapes to gain confidence. Remember, the aim is not to make a rigid boundary, but to give a clear structure to your cute Christmas characters.

Exploring Texturing

Texturing adds the final touch of realism to your drawings. It gives surfaces a feel—be it the roughness of a Christmas tree or the soft fluffiness of Santa's beard. Texturing is all about observation. Look at objects around you and try to replicate their texture on your basic shapes. As you get better, you can start adding textures to your draw so cute Christmas characters as well!

4. Draw Christmas Characters

Now that we've built up our skills, it's time for the fun part—creating your very own draw so cute Christmas characters! We'll start with some of the most iconic figures of the season: Santa Claus, Rudolph, and a delightfully cute elf. Remember, the goal is not perfection, but to enjoy the process and create something uniquely yours.

Sketching Santa Claus

First up on our list is the jolly old man himself—Santa Claus. Start with a round shape for his head, add a triangle for his hat, ovals for his eyes, and don't forget his signature fluffy beard! Remember to use your shading techniques to make his hat and coat look three-dimensional. And how about adding a cute little round belly for Santa? It's these small details that will make your Santa Claus come alive on the page.

Illustrating Rudolph

Next, let's draw Rudolph, the most famous reindeer of all. Begin with a circle for his head and large ovals for his eyes—remember, we're drawing cute Christmas characters, so big eyes are a must! Draw a smaller circle for his shiny nose, and don't forget those iconic antlers. With a little practice, you'll have a Rudolph everyone will love!

Creating a Cute Elf

Lastly, it's time to create a cute Christmas elf. Start with a circle for his head, triangles for his hat and ears, and rectangles for his body. Add some ovals for his wide eyes and a few lines for his hair. Don't forget to give your elf a big, cheerful smile. Remember, it's all about having fun and letting your creativity shine!

5. Finishing Touches

Now that you've sketched your cute Christmas characters, we're onto the final stage—adding the finishing touches. This is where your characters start to take on a life of their own as you add color, details, and shadows. But remember, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process. So, are you ready? Let's put the final touches on your draw so cute Christmas characters!

Adding Color to Your Characters

Adding color is like adding personality to your characters. Use your colored pencils or markers to fill in your sketches. Santa's coat and hat in bright red, Rudolph's nose a shiny red, and the elf's clothing in cheerful greens and reds. Remember, you don't have to stick to traditional colors—feel free to experiment and make your characters uniquely yours. And hey, who says Santa's suit can't be purple?

Giving Life Through Details

Details are what make your characters come alive. Add patterns to Santa's coat, twinkles in Rudolph's eyes, or stripes on the elf's stockings. These small additions can make a big difference. And don't forget to add a background—maybe a snowy landscape or a cozy Christmas scene. It's your world, you get to decide!

Polishing with Shadows and Highlights

Finally, add depth and dimension to your characters with shadows and highlights. Use a darker shade for areas that are away from the light, and a lighter shade for areas that are illuminated. This will give your characters a sense of volume and make them look more lifelike. And voila, you've just completed your draw so cute Christmas characters! Give yourself a pat on the back—you've done an amazing job!

If you enjoyed our blog post on "Drawing Cute Christmas Characters: Beginner Tips," you'll love the workshop 'How to Create CUTE Character Design' by Alba. This workshop will teach you the techniques and secrets to designing adorable and memorable characters that will bring your festive creations to life. Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your character design skills!