How to Draw a Sugar Skull (Easy Step by Step)
A sugar skull is a cheerful, decorated skull, and it is easy to draw because it is built from simple shapes. You will use one big rounded head shape, two flowers for the eyes, a little heart for the nose, a small flower on the forehead, and a curved smile with stitches. The repeating circles make it feel like a pattern puzzle.
- Medium
- 20 minutes
- 10 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawingIn this article (7 sections)
How to draw a sugar skull step by step
How to Draw a Sugar Skull · 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: Skull outline
Start with a big rounded dome for the top of the head. Then draw two straight sides going down and finish with a wide, rounded jaw at the bottom, like a tall egg with a flat chin.
Step 3: Eye centers
In the middle of the face, draw two small six-sided shapes side by side with a wide space between them. Add a tiny bump on the left and right of each one.
Step 4: Eye petals
Draw six small circles around each six-sided shape, like flower petals: two on top, one on each side, and two on the bottom. Make each petal touch the shape in the middle.
Step 5: The nose
Between the eyes and a little below them, draw a small upside-down heart. Make the point at the top and the round bottom curve below it.
Step 6: Forehead flower
Near the top of the head, draw a little flower with five round, bumpy petals, like a puffy star.
Step 7: Flower center
Fill the middle of the forehead flower with a small five-pointed star, so the petals have a center.
Step 8: Cheek circles
On each cheek, below and outside the eye flowers, draw a small circle with a little notch on the side that faces the nose.
Step 9: The smile
Near the bottom of the face, draw a long, gentle curved smile line. Start at one side, dip down a little in the middle, and curve back up on the other side.
Step 10: Teeth stitches
Cross the smile in the middle with two short up-and-down lines, side by side, like stitches.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your sugar skull? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a diya lamp or how to draw a kinara next.
Tips for drawing a sugar skull
- Draw the head first with a rounded top, straight sides and a flat, rounded chin, so the jaw looks sturdy.
- The eye flowers are the trickiest part. Draw the small six-sided center first, then add the six petal circles around it: two above, one on each side and two below.
- Keep the two eye flowers about the same size and at the same height. Matching them matters more than making them perfect.
Free sugar skull coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this sugar skull 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 sugar skull drawing
Try bright colors like pink, orange, turquoise and yellow for the flowers, and leave the skull itself white or pale. For a creative twist, give each petal a different color.
Sugar skull fun fact for kids
Sugar skulls are part of the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2. Families make skulls out of sugar and decorate them with colorful icing to remember people they love.
Questions about drawing a sugar skull
What shapes do I need to draw a sugar skull?
You need a big rounded shape for the head, small circles and six-sided shapes for the eye flowers, a small heart for the nose, a little flower for the forehead, and curved and straight lines for the smile and stitches.
How do I make my sugar skull look more colorful?
Color each flower petal in a different bright color. Sugar skulls are meant to be bold and decorated.
What is the easiest way to draw the flower eyes?
Draw one small six-sided shape, then add six small circles around it like petals. Once you have done one, copy the same pattern for the other eye.
