How to Draw a Cartoon Astronaut

This easy tutorial will show you how to draw a cartoon astronaut in a characteristic spacesuit using a very simplified style.

This lesson continues our series on drawing cartoon professions and is based on the fundamentals of drawing a cartoon man.

We will show you how to apply the principles of cartoon character design to an astronaut, how to depict the spacesuit and its details, and how to simplify everything while keeping the character recognizable and clearly cartoon in style.

You will also see how classic cartoon proportions work together with a suit that covers the entire body, and how the many tubes and components of such a suit can be drawn in a simple way.

How to draw cartoon astronaut step by step

Step 1: Sketch the helmet of the spacesuit

As usual, begin at the top and gradually move downward, indicating the astronaut’s body parts with simple shapes. Sketch the cartoon astronaut’s head as a large sphere, placing it in the upper part of your working area.

Step 2: Draw the cartoon torso of the astronaut

Next, sketch the torso slightly below, keeping in mind that cartoon style involves exaggerated proportions with a large head and a smaller body. Also remember that the torso should appear fairly bulky, since the astronaut is wearing a spacesuit.

Step 3: Sketch the spacesuit sleeves and hands

The arms should also be quite massive, as a spacesuit has noticeable volume. Indicate them as large blocks and add the hands. Here you can give the astronaut a gesture, such as a thumbs-up or a waving hand.

Step 4: Sketch the rounded spacesuit legs

The legs are the final part of the astronaut’s figure to block in with basic shapes. They should be fairly bulky and end with large, rounded boots.

Step 5: Draw the cartoon astronaut helmet visor

On the head, draw the cartoon helmet visor of the astronaut, remembering that it should wrap around the spherical surface of the head rather than appear as a simple flat rectangle. Behind the back, sketch the upper part of the backpack, an essential element of the astronaut’s appearance.

Step 6: Draw the cartoon details on the astronaut

On the chest, indicate the hoses and the square unit to which they are attached. On the arms, mark the boundaries of astronaut gloves and shoulders with smooth lines that follow the form.

Step 7: Define the lower suit construction

Add basic details to the legs by sketching the knees and separating the boots from the rest of the suit. Once all these general forms are in place with light lines, evaluate the entire drawing. If everything looks correct, move on to detailing.

Step 8: Trace the spacesuit helmet and torso

Outline the astronaut helmet, carefully drawing all protruding shapes and the contours of the visor. Trace the details of the torso, refine the hoses, and add buttons and small visible elements. As you add detail, erase any unnecessary construction lines that remain visible.

Step 9: Outline the astronaut arms and legs

In the same way, refine and outline the arms, legs, gloves, and boots. You may also add extra elements, such as flags, emblems, or other distinctive features.

Step 10: Strengthen the spacesuit contours

To give the astronaut drawing a truly cartoon look, use thick, clean, and clearly defined lines. You can achieve this by reinforcing the outlines with a darker pencil, or by using a pen or professional liner.

Cartoon style is based on several key principles that are themselves grounded in the classical fundamentals of drawing and constructing the human figure.

When drawing cartoon characters, the artist still relies on the same principles used in figure drawing – working from general forms to details, using proportion, symmetry, and even anatomy, although this may not always be obvious.

The main difference between cartoon style and classical academic drawing, as well as many other styles, is that the artist uses a higher level of abstraction, simplification, and exaggeration.

By removing minor details, the artist focuses only on the most important elements, exaggerating certain features to make them more noticeable and expressive.

Like classical drawing principles, this approach can easily be applied to almost any subject.

For example, you can draw a cartoon chef using the same steps while simply changing the details, as we discussed in the chef lesson.

You can go even further and draw a cartoon wizard, creating a fantasy character using the same steps and principles.

The key idea is to dress the cartoon figure in the appropriate clothing and add suitable accessories. You can also vary facial features, body shape, and other details, while the underlying construction principles remain the same.