How to Draw a Skull
In a previous tutorial, I showed you how to draw a skull in profile. This time, I'll show you how to draw a skull from a more detailed angle, perfect for skull design tattoos and scary illustrations. This front view is also very simple, so you don't need to be a skilled artist to follow this tutorial!
If you prefer a skull drawing step-by-step video tutorial, follow along with us over on our Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel:
What You'll Learn in This Skull Drawing Tutorial
- How to draw a human skull sketch
- How to draw human skull details
- How to finish and shade skull drawings
Jump to content in this section:
1. How to Draw the Base for a Human Skull Drawing
Step 1
Let's begin this skull drawing step-by-step tutorial by drawing a circle. It doesn't need to be perfect, and feel free to draw it with many lines. Find its center, too. You'll be able to refine your skull sketch later on.
Step 2
Draw a line under the circle, using the length of its radius.
Step 3
Divide this line into three sections. Skull drawing is easy once you mark the placement of the different features.
Step 4
Create a skull outline for the jaw by drawing a square "bucket" under the circle.
Step 5
Draw two ovals in the bottom third of the skull outline. This will be the chin.
Step 6
Connect the ovals with the rest of the lines.
Step 7
Draw two huge leaning ovals in the lower half of the circle.
Step 8
These ovals are not eye sockets yet—their shape is too simple for this. Let's fix it. Draw a curve crossing both ovals, leaving some space for the eyebrow area.
Step 9
Connect this curve with the sides of the skull outline.
Step 10
Draw another curve on the bottom, leaving a similar amount of space below.
Step 11
You can outline the eye sockets now by giving them some space on the sides.
Step 12
Draw a curve from the corner of the eye socket towards the other socket, going through the chin. This will be the mouth area.
2. How to Draw Human Skull Details
Step 1
Now we're ready to take this simple skull drawing to the next level. Draw a teardrop shape between the eye sockets, at the bottom of the circle. This will be the nose.
Step 2
Make the nose more detailed.
Step 3
Draw a curve across the mouth, through the mark between the first two thirds.
Step 4
We need to add more details to the mouth. First, define the front of the upper jaw with two curves.
Step 5
Draw the border of the lower teeth.
Step 6
Connect the teeth area to the chin.
Step 7
Draw the border of the upper teeth now.
Step 8
Finish the borders of the teeth area with these curves.
Step 9
We need to add the details to the lower jaw, too.
Step 10
Add the final curves to the skull.
Step 11
Divide the teeth area into separate teeth. Now it looks more like a sketch of a skull.
3. How to Finish and Shade a Skull
Step 1
Let's finish our human skull drawing. If you're drawing traditionally, you can put a new sheet of paper over it, or simply draw with a darker medium now.
Outline the eye sockets.
Step 2
Outline the nose. Don't forget about the nasal bridge on top.
Step 3
Add more detail to the edges of the eye sockets.
Step 4
Outline the teeth. They're slightly tapered towards the bone.
Step 5
Add some details under and over the teeth.
Step 6
Outline the lower jaw.
Step 7
Outline the upper part of the skull.
Step 8
This is already going from a simple skull drawing to something more detailed! Add more fancy details, if you want to be even more accurate.
Step 9
You can shade the drawing if you want. Start by darkening the darkest parts...
... then cross-hatch the shadow areas.
Finally, thicken some of the lines to make the effect more striking. And that's it—your drawing is done!
Good Job! You Finished Drawing a Human Skull!
Skull drawing can be a breeze if you have the right knowledge to do it. I hope this tutorial gives you all the tools you need to create successful drawings of your own.
5 Premium Skull Logos From Envato Elements
Looking for other styles of skull design? Skull drawing is easy with enough practice. But sometimes, the style might not fit the needs of your brand. Check out some of the best skull design logos from Envato Elements.
1. Flaming Skull Logo Design
Drawings of skulls add a lot of grit to a brand's identity. If you want to give your brand a feel similar to the Raiders skull logo, this is a great choice. This skull design logo is great for biking gear shops and tattoo parlors.
2. Devil Fire Gradient Skull Logo
This skull design logo has a unique approach by using the negative space created by the flame outline. The minimalist design of this logo skull is great for a modern brand.
3. Skull Design Logo
Skulls drawings like this one add more versatility to a skull design logo. This is a much more modern approach to the Raiders skull logo. It's ideal for projects related to music and interactive experiences.
4. Astronaut Skull Design Logo
Not all logo skulls have to be mean and scary. Skull drawings with easy, cartoonish outlines can give your project a more approachable look. This logo is great for all sorts of entertainment-related projects.
5. Wings and Skull Logo
This skull outline logo is a simple and cool approach to the skull logo concept. It's a great choice for biker spots and even wings restaurants.
Explore Awesome Drawing Tutorials
Do you want to try some other simple drawing tutorials? If you're done with skull drawings and want to expand your drawing skills, we've got you covered:
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