How to Draw a Hammer

Completed hammer drawing with a metal head, wooden handle, and light shading.

A hammer is a very simple object, both in its construction and in the way it is drawn. In this tutorial, you will see how to draw a hammer consisting of a simple head and handle.

At the end, you will see how and where to add shadows to give the tool volume.

How to draw a hammer step by step

Step 1: Sketch the hammer head

At first, draw a simple rectangle. Next, sketch a triangle above the rectangle. These two simple shapes will form the head of our hammer. Use very light lines at this stage because we will refine them in the following steps.

Sketching the hammer head with a rectangle and simple triangular shape.

Step 2: Add the hammer handle

Now sketch out the handle of our hammer. It can be either straight or slightly widened toward the end, as in our example. Mark the handle with two long lines extending from the center of the hammer head.

Adding the long hammer handle slightly widened toward the lower end.

Step 3: Form the tool’s contours

Using light and smooth lines, add details to the hammer and form the final shape of the head, as shown in our example. Make the claw narrower toward the end and slightly smooth the sharp transitions.

Refining the hammer head and handle with smooth light contours.

Step 4: Clean the hammer drawing

Take an eraser and remove all unnecessary guidelines. After that, draw the hammer in more detail with clear and dark lines. Pay attention to the contours of the head and the place where it connects to the handle.

Cleaning the hammer drawing and tracing the head and handle with dark lines.

Step 5: Add shadows and highlights

On the head of our hammer, draw some shadows and highlights. Also add shadows to the underside of the handle using hatching. Make the hatching slightly denser in the darkest areas to give the hammer more volume.

Finishing the hammer drawing with shadows on the head and underside of the handle.

As you have seen, drawing a hammer is a very simple task. Other forms are just as easy to draw. Change the shape of the head and handle, and you will get a completely different result.

The main thing is to follow the same sequence of steps. The basic shape and general construction of the object will remain the same.

You can find many other simple objects with the same T-shaped construction. Many of them even have the word “hammer” in their names because of this characteristic shape.

Visit our Mjolnir drawing tutorial to see how to construct a weapon version of this object. Or see our jackhammer drawing tutorial for a more modern tool with a similar name.