How to Draw a Pizza

Finished pizza drawing divided into slices, with pepperoni, mushrooms, and shading.

Despite the wide variety of pizzas, they are all drawn in roughly the same way, with the main differences lying in the toppings. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to draw a pizza with mushrooms and sliced sausage, but you can replace all of these elements with whatever toppings you prefer.

You can also remove all the small details and draw the pizza with cheese only.

How to draw a pizza step by step

Step 1: Sketch the pizza’s oval outline

Begin the pizza drawing by sketching a simple oval for its outer contour. The pizza is circular, but because we see it at an angle, it looks like an ellipse. The outline should be generally symmetrical and proportional, but it does not have to be perfectly even.

Sketching a simple oval for the outer contour of the pizza.

Step 2: Divide the pizza into slices

First, draw two lines crossing the overall shape of the pizza and meeting at the center. Then add more lines between them, all meeting at the same point. Try to make the slices about the same size. Account for the viewing angle: the cuts toward the sides appear longer than those toward the back. Curve their outer ends slightly over the raised crust.

Drawing cuts across the pizza to divide it into slices.

Step 3: Outline the toppings on top

Draw a wavy inner contour to separate the topping area from the crust, with a wider border at the front. Now outline the pizza toppings. These will vary depending on the type of pizza you choose to draw. For pepperoni, sketch small ovals across the slices. Add mushroom pieces with curved caps and short stems, along with a few thin, curved strips between them.

Outlining pepperoni and mushroom toppings across the surface of the pizza.

Step 4: Add shadows to the pizza

To make the pizza drawing look more realistic and appetizing, add shadows using our usual hatching technique. Place short strokes along the lower edge of the crust and around its curved sides. You can add small shadows beneath the mushroom pieces.

Adding hatched shadows to the pizza and its toppings.

When drawing a pizza, keep in mind that it is not a flat, two-dimensional disk tilted in space. At its core, a pizza can be understood as a very strongly flattened cylinder, circular in cross-section but still having some height.

The upper surface of this cylinder, when turned in perspective, will appear as an ellipse, while the side surface becomes more visible.

At the same time, the overall shape of the pizza should not be perfect. It can have slight bumps and irregularities, which will make it look more natural and realistic. By the way, drawing a hamburger is also based on a cylindrical form, but with a more rounded top.

Even when drawing such simple objects, always try to keep the basic forms in mind and develop your artistic vision by studying and understanding the object rather than simply copying its outer contours.