How to Draw a Balalaika (Easy Step by Step)
This article teaches you how to draw a balalaika using simple shapes. You'll learn to combine a rounded triangle, a long neck, and a circle, then add details like pegs and strings to create a realistic instrument.
- Start your balalaika drawing with a large, rounded triangle for the body.
- Add a long, skinny neck and a dark circle to complete the instrument's basic form.
- Detail your drawing by adding the pegs, strings, and a small bar near the bottom.
- Utilize simple shapes to easily create a realistic-looking balalaika with few lines.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The balalaika is a fun drawing because it is built from a few simple shapes: a big rounded triangle, a long skinny neck, and one dark circle. Once you have those, you add the pegs, the strings, and a little bar near the bottom. It looks like a real instrument with very few lines.
- Easy
- 10 minutes
- 7 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawing
In this article (7 sections)
How to draw a balalaika step by step
How to Draw a Balalaika · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch this oval. It only shows where the big parts go, so press softly. You will erase it at the end.
Step 2: The round body
Draw a big rounded triangle, like a guitar pick, with a wide curved bottom. Start at the top on one side, curve down and around the bottom, and stop just before the top on the other side, leaving a small gap in the middle.
Step 3: The long neck
Draw two long straight lines going up from the gap at the top of the body to make a skinny neck. Near the top, let the lines flare out and close with a short flat line to make a small head shaped like a squashed box.
Step 4: Tuning pegs
On each side of the head, draw two short bars sticking out, like little ears. Then draw a short straight line across the neck just below the head.
Step 5: The strings
Draw three long thin lines starting inside the head and running down the neck. Keep them close together so they do not cross, and stop them where the neck meets the body.
Step 6: The sound hole
Where the neck ends, in the upper middle of the body, draw a round circle. Color it in solid, because it is a dark hole.
Step 7: Bridge and lower strings
Near the bottom of the body, draw a short flat bar. Then draw three short straight lines from the circle down to the bar.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your balalaika? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a rocket or how to draw a shooting star next.
Tips for drawing a balalaika
- Draw the body first and make it nice and big, so the neck and head have plenty of room.
- Keep the neck lines straight by lining up a pencil or ruler beside them, then flare them out at the top for the head.
- Draw the strings from the head down and keep them close together so they do not cross.
Free balalaika coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this balalaika coloring page at full size and print it. It is the same drawing you just learned, with clean lines ready for crayons or markers.
How to color your balalaika drawing
Try warm wood colors like orange and brown for the body, with a dark brown or black circle in the middle. For a creative twist, paint the body with bright folk-art flowers.
Balalaika fun fact for kids
The balalaika is a folk instrument from Russia. Traditionally its body is shaped like a triangle, and most balalaikas have three strings.
Questions about drawing a balalaika
What shapes do I need to draw a balalaika?
You need a rounded triangle for the body, two long lines for the neck, a small box shape for the head, a circle for the sound hole, and a short bar near the bottom.
How do I make my balalaika look more real?
Add three thin strings running down the neck, and little pegs on the sides of the head. Fill in the circle dark so it looks like a hole.
Is a balalaika hard to draw?
No. It is mostly straight lines and one big curve, so it works well for beginners if you draw the big body first.
