How to Draw an American Football

Finished American football drawing with stitched laces, seam, and surface shading.

An American football differs greatly from most other objects that we call balls. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will show you how to draw an American football, convey its characteristic elongated shape, depict its texture, and add very simple shadows to create volume.

How to draw an American football step by step

Step 1: Sketch the football’s oval shape

First, outline the ball as an oval. Place its long axis almost horizontally and taper both ends symmetrically. The middle section should look fuller than the tips. Try to make the football as symmetrical as possible. Use very light lines at this stage.

Sketching the American football's oval outline with light construction lines.

Step 2: Mark the football’s central seam

Using a long, slightly curved line, outline the central seam on the football. Run it from one pointed end toward the other. Its curve should follow the shape of the ball. Use light lines because you will refine the drawing later.

Adding the football's slightly curved central seam with light lines.

Step 3: Sketch the football’s laces

Use short lines to sketch the football’s laces. Place them across the seam near the center, with the marks running perpendicular to its direction. These lines should also follow the slight curve of the football’s surface. Draw these lines lightly. Look at your drawing in a mirror to spot errors in its shape.

Sketching the football's laces with short, lightly drawn lines.

Step 4: Refine details and add stitches

Erase all unnecessary guidelines. Then use clear, dark lines to refine the football’s details. Trace the outer contour with smooth, confident strokes, then darken the seam and each lace. Add small stitches with short lines between the lace marks. Make these stitches similar in length.

Refining the American football's details and adding short stitches with dark lines.

Step 5: Shade the football’s surface

First, determine the light source, then shade the football with simple hatching. Place the darkest strokes along the lower curve, where the surface turns away from the light. Follow the football’s elongated volume with curved lines. The texture and shadows following the rounded form of the ball are exactly what, together, will help create volume in your football drawing.

American football with defined laces, seam, and crosshatched surface shadows.

An American football has a very unusual and characteristic shape, and it is important to convey its volume correctly when drawing it.

For example, when you draw a ball of a regular shape, you are constructing a spherical form with a particular texture or pattern. In those cases, the basic principles of drawing a sphere apply almost completely.

Here, however, the surface pattern and the shadows follow the form somewhat differently. So if you do not manage to draw an American football successfully on your first try, simply try again, keeping its overall form in mind and concentrating on it first, and only then on the details.

If this tutorial was too simple for you, you can draw an American football player holding this ball in his hands.