How to Draw a Ghost

To show you how to draw a ghost, we decided to use a fairly simple method that includes the most important details.

We mean drawing a scary ghost with an emphasis on realism. We decided to make this tutorial more realistic so that the ghost looks convincing.

Many people imagine ghosts in completely different ways. They may appear as transparent human figures in strange clothes or simply as vague silhouettes with visible facial features.

We decided to choose the second option because it is darker and scarier, in our opinion. Implied threats are always scarier, so blurry silhouettes and indistinct outlines with facial features can look very impressive.

We chose a rather difficult angle for drawing the ghost. To simplify the process, draw the ghost completely from the front.

How to draw a ghost step by step

Step 1: Sketch the ghost’s shape

First, draw a rough outline of the ghost. This can be any shape you choose. We decided to use a pentagon with smooth, rounded corners. Place this shape in the center of your paper. Use only light strokes at this stage. We will erase many of these lines later.

Step 2: Form the ghost’s silhouette

Add some detail to this blurry figure. Smooth sweeping lines effectively suggest the position of the arms. The front of the ghost is closer to the viewer, so the figure appears very asymmetrical.

Step 3: Mark the ghost’s face

This is one of the most important parts. Outline the face with an expression of suffering. Do not draw the nose or ears. Avoid unnecessary details. Minimal detail and blurred features will make the drawing look scarier.

Step 4: Outline the ghost’s hood

Outline the upper part of the ghost. Draw two long vertical lines to the right and left of the face. Ideally, this area should resemble a hood made from old, threadbare fabric or the upper part of a sheet.

Step 5: Draw the torn sleeves

Remember the suggested arms from the second step? Draw the edges of the torn, hanging fabric. Do not place the ragged lines too frequently or too close together. Add several vertical folds along the edges of the ghost’s outline.

Step 6: Shape the fading lower edge

Add more blurry lines near the ground. These can be wavy lines or shapes resembling fog over the surface. This creates the effect that the ghost is floating above the ground and that its lower part has no clear boundary.

Step 7: Add folds to the fabric

Add more folds to the ghost. Since this is fabric, draw the folds as you normally would when depicting cloth. They should look like several vertical, smoothly curved lines. These folds are especially important because they define the main contours of the ghost.

Step 8: Erase the construction lines

Now remove the extra lines from the entire drawing. Erase the basic outlines from the first steps to reveal the final shape of the ghost.

Step 9: Add shadows to the ghost

Fill the eyes and mouth with dense, dark shading. Add small shadowed areas beneath the ghost’s hood and under some of the larger folds. This is an interesting technique because the facial features are depicted as shadows rather than with clear outlines. At this point, the final appearance of the ghost is complete. Your version may look completely different depending on your imagination.

We hope you drew a very impressive ghost drawing. If you have ideas for new tutorials, write to us in the comments. Your suggestions help us choose subjects for future guides.

Also, do not forget that our site offers a wide variety of drawing tutorials featuring different monsters.

To explore them all, be sure to visit our Myths and Legends drawing tutorials. Also, visit the Basic Drawing Tutorials collection, where we explain how to draw the human figure, an essential skill because many monsters are based on human anatomy.