How to Draw Easy Skull in Steps

Below you'll find an easy step-by-step how to draw a Skull Tutorial and Skull Coloring Page. Scroll down to learn more and download yours for free.

How to Draw a Skull

A drawing of a skull, made with the help of an easy step by step tutorial.

When your students are ready to learn how to draw a skull that is more than just an oval shape with a few circles for nose and eye holes, it might be time to share this tutorial with them. A few more details can make all the difference in the world.

A skull, or cranium, is a set of bones that make up the shapes of our heads. It supports the structures of the face and forms a protective cavity for the brain.

A real skull actually has 22 bones, but this drawing lesson will simplify quite a few of them. The important parts — the nose hole, cheeks and teeth are there, so the drawing looks pretty realistic, but doesn't get too hard for the younger artists.

Save this skull drawing project for:

Halloween (that's a no-brainer)
Day of the Dead (not to be confused with Halloween, more of a celebration of past lives)
Anatomy (it's simple, but still pretty accurate)
Symmetry practice (you can never have too much!)

Also, this basically white drawing is a great place for students to practice shading. Students that seem to easily master the shapes of this skull, might like to see what they can do with making shadows. A few well placed gray shapes will turn this flat drawing into something that looks like it has some shape and depth.

Getting Started with Drawing Guides

The best way to get students off to a good start to any drawing lesson is to show them how to use guides as a reference point.

You may have noticed that all of the tutorials on this website have a dashed vertical line and horizontal line running through the center of each step. If students make theirown centered lines on theirown paper, before drawing, they will have an easy reference to follow.

For instance, as seen in Step 1 below, this sketch starts with an upside down heart shape right in the center of the paper. It's easy to do when students can see where those two guides cross.

When students get their drawing off to a good start, there's a better chance of them feeling successful by the time they are done. Drawing skills are all about getting the size and placement of lines on paper. Having some visual reference point to get started, will always help anyone learn how to be a little more accurate.

So does that mean students need to get out a ruler to draw a big line down the center of their paper before they start? No, that will most likely be hard to erase and distract from any finished art. Instead, they simply fold the sheet of paper in half both ways, make a crease, and unfold. The beauty is that by the time the drawing is done and colored in, the creases will disappear.

And now, on to the skull drawing project.