How to Draw a Cartoon Skeleton

Improve Your Drawing Skills with Printable Practice Sheets!

Learn how to draw a great looking Cartoon Skeleton with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial.

By following the simple steps, you too can easily draw a perfect Cartoon Skeleton.

Jump to the step-by-step instructions.

Complete Cartoon Skeleton drawing
Complete Cartoon Skeleton drawing

Everyone has a skeleton--it's one of the most basic parts of your body.

People associate skeletons with horror and spooky things, leading them to hang up skeleton decorations for Halloween. You might also see a skeleton in your doctor's office or science class.

Over the years, skeletons have inspired countless book, movie, TV and cartoon characters, like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Scroll down for a downloadable PDF of this tutorial.

This guide shows you how to draw a cartoon skeleton at home. You don't need to be an expert on human anatomy--you just need to draw basic shapes to make your friendly skeleton.

While some skeletons are scary, this skeleton is friendly and smiles and waves at you. Draw your cartoon skeleton by themselves, or add other Halloween decorations like pumpkins and black cats.

When you're done, make up your own stories about your cartoon skeleton.

To get started, grab a few sheets of paper, a pencil and coloring tools. Don't use a black pen or marker for the initial sketch--if you do, you won't be able to erase your mistakes.

Some shapes overlap others and need you to erase the extra lines to create depth.

If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Skull and Rose, Skeleton Hand, and Dragon Skull.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Cartoon Skeleton

How to Draw a Great Looking Cartoon Skeleton for Kids, Beginners, and Adults - Step 1

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 1

1. Start with two circles near the top of the page. Draw two more circles for the pupils, then sketch two curves above the eyes and an upside-down heart for the nose.

Underneath, draw a curve for the mouth and add straight lines. Make a sideways L-shape for the cheekbone.

Easy Cartoon Skeleton Drawing - Step 2

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 2

2. Draw a dome for the top of the skull. Add an upside-down dome underneath the mouth, then connect the jaw to the head with straight lines. Connect both shapes with a hook shape to the left.

Underneath, draw a small, uneven circle and use two straight lines to connect this shape to the body. Sketch long, narrow shapes extending from the circle like flower petals.

Easy Cartoon Skeleton Drawing - Step 3

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 3

3. On the left, start the hand with a half-dome shape. Draw sausage shapes for the fingers, then start the arm with three straight lines pointing downward. Make two curved parallel lines that point upward, and connect all these shapes with small curves.

Easy Cartoon Skeleton Drawing - Step 4

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 4

4. On the right, draw two more curved parallel lines that point downward. Connect the lines with curves at the ends, then add two elongated shapes like flower petals for the forearm. Use chunky overlapping sausage shapes for the fingers.

Easy Cartoon Skeleton Drawing - Step 5

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 5

5. Sketch loops like ribbons for the ribs. Underneath, make a long sausage shape. Make sure the ribs overlap this shape.

Easy Cartoon Skeleton Drawing - Step 6

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 6

6. Use a wide heart shape for the pelvis. Sketch another heart shape inside this shape, then add lines to give the bones depth. Draw two more lines behind the ribs.

Easy Cartoon Skeleton Drawing - Step 7

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 7

7. For each leg bone, draw the curved parallel lines and connect them with short curves. Add a circle at the ends for the kneecaps. Repeat the earlier step for the bottom leg bone, and draw a line in the center.

Add More Details to Your Cartoon Skeleton Picture - Step 8

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 8

8. Repeat the previous step for the right leg bone. Add half-oval shapes for the feet and overlapping sausage shapes for the toes.

Complete the Outline of Your Cartoon Skeleton Drawing - Step 9

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 9

9. Add another set of overlapping sausage shapes for the toes on the left, then sketch curved lines inside these shapes. Draw more curved lines inside the spine and fingers.

To complete the drawing, outline your cartoon skeleton with a black pen or marker and erase the extra lines.

Color Your Cartoon Skeleton Drawing

Cartoon Skeleton step-by-step drawing tutorial: step 10

Now that you've outlined your cartoon skeleton, use off-white shades to color the bones. Experiment with shades of grey or greyish tan to give the bones depth. Color the nose and eye sockets black while leaving the pupils white.

Easy, step by step Cartoon Skeleton drawing tutorial
how to draw a cartoon skeleton pinterest image

Click HERE to save the tutorial to Pinterest!

Cartoon Skeleton Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages

Join now and get immediate access to thousands of printable drawing instruction and practice pages!

Printables thumbnail: How to Draw a Cartoon Skeleton

Learn how to get access to thousands of printable pages!

Become a member sales prompt

MEMBER TROUBLESHOOTING

Still seeing ads or not being able to download the PDF?

First, check that you're logged in. You can log in on the member login page.

If you're still not able to download the PDF, the likely solution is to reload the page.

You can do this by clicking the browser reload button.

It is a circular arrow-shaped icon at the top of the browser window, typically found in the upper-left side (you can also use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+R on PC and Command+R on Mac).


See a Google Web Story of this Cartoon Skeleton Drawing Tutorial.