How to Draw a Snowman

By following the steps in this lesson, you will learn how to draw a snowman in its classic form and give it a three-dimensional appearance.

To draw a three-dimensional snowman, it is important to understand how to draw spheres and give them a sense of volume.

In essence, a snowman consists of several spheres placed one on top of another, with additional elements that give it a human-like appearance.

The artist needs to depict these spheres correctly, add the extra elements, and properly relate and position them with one another. In this lesson, we will show you how to do this in a simple and clear way.

How to draw a snowman step by step

Step 1: Outline the head of the winter character

You can begin drawing a snowman either from the lowest and widest sphere and move upward, or start with the smallest top sphere and move downward. In this lesson we will use the second approach and begin by drawing the head as a sphere in the upper part of the page.

Step 2: Sketch the middle snowball

Next, draw the second sphere of the snowman slightly below it and let it overlap the first one a little. This middle sphere represents the snowman’s torso and will hold the buttons and arms. While drawing, remember that you are not depicting a flat circle but a three-dimensional sphere.

Step 3: Draw the bottom sphere of the snowman

Now draw the largest sphere at the bottom, again allowing it to overlap the previous one. Unlike classical academic spheres, the outlines of the snowman do not have to be perfectly smooth or even.

Step 4: Sketch the tilted bucket hat

On top of the head, draw a bucket that is slightly tilted to the side. First sketch the rim of the bucket resting on the head of the snowman, then use a pair of smooth lines to draw the side surfaces, and finally add the base of the bucket facing upward.

Step 5: Draw the arms of the snowman

On both sides of the torso, draw the snowman’s arms as two uneven round shapes. Place them roughly at the same level and keep them about the same size. Instead of snowball arms, you can also draw simple branches.

Step 6: Add the eyes and carrot nose

Erase the lines that pass through the outline of the head to give it a cleaner look. Draw the handle of the bucket with a long, clear curved line. Slightly below the bucket, draw the eyes as two black dots, and below them draw the carrot that forms the snowman’s nose.

Step 7: Sketch the dotted smile and buttons

Below the nose, draw the snowman mouth as a row of small black dots. Instead of dots, you may also draw a thicker curved line to represent the mouth. On the torso and lower sphere, draw the buttons, placing them in a way that emphasizes the spherical shape.

Step 8: Add the broom and draw shadows

In one of the snowman’s hands, draw a broom consisting of a handle and a brush. Under the snowman, sketch the snow surface on which it stands. Determine the direction of the light source and begin adding shadows with light hatching.

Step 9: Shade the winter snowman to add volume

To give the snowman a cleaner and more finished appearance, add more halftones and contrast. Outline the shapes clearly and erase the remaining construction lines. Also check the drawing for symmetry and proportions, correcting any mistakes you find.

A snowman is essentially several snowballs combined with a few simple everyday objects arranged into a recognizable figure.

However, it is not enough to simply place these elements together and expect the drawing to look convincing. It is important to draw them so that they relate correctly to one another.

For example, each snowball should be slightly smaller than the one below it and overlap it slightly so that it appears to rest naturally on top.

The simple shapes of the arms and the bucket should also overlap the torso and head to prevent the drawing from looking flat and to make the snowman appear more believable.

Shadows are also very important for creating volume and realism, because they define the form and give the drawing depth.

All of these principles are part of the basic foundations of drawing that we explain in our main drawing course, where we discuss them in greater detail.

Once you have drawn the snowman and given it a sense of volume as in our example, it is a good time to experiment further.

Try working with more complex forms and draw Santa Claus, another well-known symbol of winter and the holidays.

Unlike a snowman, Santa consists of a greater number of shapes and details, which makes it a useful exercise for further developing your skills in drawing festive subjects.