How to Draw Hello Kitty

This very simple and cute drawing lesson will show you how to draw Hello Kitty – one of the most recognizable drawn characters in the world.

Hello Kitty was created in 1974. This simple but very memorable image of a white kitten was designed by Shintaro Tsuji – the owner of a toy company.

It is known that for a long time Shintaro hesitated when choosing a name for the cat. The main options were “White Kitty” and “Hello Kitty”.

This simple image is familiar to almost everyone, and in this lesson we will reproduce it using basic geometric shapes and forms, as well as learn how to redesign the character and customize the drawing.

How to draw Hello Kitty step by step

Step 1: Sketch the carton head shape

First, draw a horizontally elongated oval. This will be Kitty’s head. Do not make the outline too dark, because later you will need to erase part of this geometric shape. Check the proportions to keep the form symmetrical and smooth, since this shape defines the entire drawing.

Step 2: Draw the body of Hello Kitty

Sanrio characters have very cartoon-like proportions, which include a large head and a small body, so let’s try to repeat that in this step. Using a smooth shape that is narrower at the top where it connects to the head and wider toward the bottom, outline the character’s body. The torso should be noticeably narrower than the head, but its height should be either equal to the head or slightly shorter. Keep in mind that this shape represents the entire body, not just the torso, and the lower part of it will later become the legs.

Step 3: Sketch the short rounded arms

Sanrio characters are very simple and are made almost entirely of basic shapes, so when drawing them, try not to add too many details. Begin with the arms and draw two smooth shapes with rounded outlines. The arms should be very short and cartoon-like. You can repeat the gesture shown in our example, where Hello Kitty raises one arm upward, or you can draw both arms positioned at the sides.

Step 4: Sketch the triangular cat ears

Now it’s time to give the figure a more cat-like appearance by drawing the ears at the top of the head. To do this, use two triangular shapes with slightly rounded corners. Pay attention to proportions and symmetry so that both ears have the same size and shape and are positioned correctly on the head.

Step 5: Draw the bow of Hello Kitty

To give the cartoon cat her recognizable look, draw a bow on the top of the head next to the left ear. First sketch a round center placed roughly under the ear. Then outline two symmetrical loops on the left and right sides of the central knot. Inside the loops, draw two symmetrical folds positioned directly beside the knot.

Step 6: Sketch the simple Sanrio-style face

Now it’s time to draw the facial features of Hello Kitty, which traditionally have a very minimalistic look in Sanrio characters. First, sketch two eyes as small black vertical ovals. Then draw a small horizontal oval between the eyes and slightly below them. Next, outline the whiskers on the sides of the face using three short, slightly curved dark lines on each side. Sanrio artists usually do not draw a mouth on most characters, so we won’t add one here either.

Step 7: Add the legs and clothing details

Use a straight vertical line to mark the character’s legs. Then, using a smooth curved line, draw the neckline right under the head of the cartoon kitten. Then separate the sleeves and hands by adding a pair of short curved lines at the ends of the arms. After that, draw the thumb on the raised hand to complete the gesture. In the lower part of the body, sketch a horizontal line to finish the shape of the clothing.

Step 8: Trace the final outline and erase guides

Now it’s time to finish the Hello Kitty drawing and give it a complete, polished look. To do this, carefully trace over the drawing part by part, gradually erasing unnecessary construction lines and correcting any mistakes. Start with the head, outlining the details and removing the guidelines inside the bow. Then move on to the body, outlining the shapes and erasing the extra lines to give the drawing a clean and finalized appearance. Optionally, you can add light shading or color the illustration using the character’s classic palette.

As we mentioned at the beginning, Hello Kitty is a character who has been present in media for many years, and her image is familiar to a very large audience.

However, this image is not completely uniform. This white cat has appeared in many different outfits and with various small details that you can experiment with in your own drawing.

You can also change the character’s pose on the page or add additional characters. This will make the entire illustration more interesting and unique.

To learn what else you can add and how to do it, visit our Cartoons category. There you can also find the Mickey Mouse drawing lesson and many other extremely popular characters from different cartoon universes.

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