How to Draw Jesus: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

  • Categories
  • Philosophy and Religion
  • Religion
  • Christianity

Download Article

Explore this Article

Steps

Steps

Other Sections

Video

Tips and Warnings

Things You'll Need

Related Articles

Co-authored byRenée Plevy

Last Updated: August 16, 2023

Download Article

Jesus Christ is the center figure of Christianity. He gives people hope, trust and faith. Drawing Jesus Christ will require you to keep this in mind so the exact or relative divinity reflects in your drawing. Here is how to draw him.

Things You Should Know

  • Sketch out a cross as a guideline for the body.
  • Outline the figure using ovals for the head and hands, and a rectangle for the body.
  • Use long, flowing lines to create Jesus’s robes and hair, and fill in facial details.

Steps

Download Article

  1. 1

    Determine the size of the figure. Before you start drawing Jesus, you must know the relative length of the figure you want. Accordingly, you may adjust the figure on any given sheet of paper. It should not happen that the paper is too large and the figure too small or that the figure is too large that it doesn't fit the full figure well. This is to maintain a balance between the drawing sheet and the actual drawing. Sketch out a cross. This will serve as a guideline when you draw the body. But make sure do it lightly so you can easily erase.

    • The result after keeping the background and the foreground in mind will determine how the background and the foreground complement each other and shows your drawing at large.
  2. 2

    Figure out the space required for the arms. You must consider how much space the drawing will take vertically and horizontally. The drawing of Jesus must fit on the paper and you must not end up with lesser space for the arms. In this figure the arms are extended horizontally. Hence a good size of paper is required. Sketch the head and hands. On the top of the vertical line, draw an oval for the head.

    • This oval is just for your reference as to how much space a part will take and within this space you must encapsulate the specific part. You may erase these ovals and lines when the actual parts are ready.

    Advertisem*nt

  3. 3

    Draw a big rectangle. The drawing must fit in horizontally and vertically. This rectangle will act as a guiding area within which the torso must be drawn.

    • With this you are ready to start with the features and detailing like the hair, eyes, nose, lips, beard and so on.
  4. 4

    Start with the detailing. You may start drawing hair. For this draw wavy or straight lines beginning at the top of the head. Typically you must start at the very center partition as Jesus has almost all His portraits with center parting. Start at this partition and work it till the shoulders. Do not worry if the hair strands don't look even. Since it is hair, it will look all the more original if it is not very straight or proper

    • Make the hair strands a little below the shoulders. Jesus's hair is a little longer than the shoulders.
  5. 5

    Start with the facial features. Make eyebrows a little below the forehead. Below the eyebrows you may start making the eyes. Add two stretched curvy lines which are pointed at both ends for the eyes. The top curvy line of the eyes can have another line. If there are two lines for the top line or the eye lid, it gives a more realistic appearance for the eyes.

    • You may make guiding lines for the eyes, nose and mouth as per your convenience.
    • Make 'u' shaped pupils inside. A perfect circle for the pupil gives the appearance of surprise or shock. A 'u' gives a calm appearance.
    • Once you are done with the eyebrows and the eyes you may make a curved line for nose. There will be two curved lines at first. First will be the long line for the length of the nose and the second will be the smaller curve to complete the nose.
  6. 6

    Mustache and Beard. Make small lips. The lips could be curved slightly upwards to show a smiling Jesus or you may leave it straight for a simple expression.

    • Around the lips make the mustache and the beard but very lightly.
    • The mustache could be shaded vertically while the beard could be done horizontally.
    • The beard will start from the lips and extend to till the ears. Then you may draw the beard long. The beard appears like a triangle pointing down. But it is not a perfect triangle.
      • Remember, a little difference in the features will not be a big problem if you are planning to outline the drawing later on. The outlined image looks different from the sketched one.
      • The image changes appearance even after coloring it if you plan to color it later on.
    • Also for the hands you may make two ovals at end of the arm. Later you could create fingers which will be curved upwards. Remember to make the fingers slightly pointed at the end and thicker where it starts.
  7. 7

    Make the robe. With long lines sketch the robe.

    • Make the scarf on top accordingly. To make it look more appealing, draw extra lines on the clothing to show folds on the garment.
  8. 8

    Do the shading. You may shade the drawing as you progress or after drawing the complete figure as per your comfort.

    • The shading or the pencil strokes are darker and thicker when there is a fold. Eg. On the robe where it is folding. You may also shade darker at the end of each feature to make the features stand out.
    • You may hold the pencil or color you are using gently while shading. This will help you in increasing and decreasing thickness and intensity of the color too.
  9. 9

    Outline the image. Outlining a drawing enhances its appearance and adds a finishing touch to it. Outlining determines how the drawing will look hence it is best to be careful and keep your hands steady.

    • After you outline the complete drawing of Jesus you may erase all guidelines of the pencil.
  10. Advertisem*nt

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

  • Question

    Can I draw him nailed to a cross/

    How to Draw Jesus: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (13)

    Community Answer

    If that is how you honestly view Jesus, there is no harm in drawing him that way.

    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support wikiHow

    YesNo

    Not Helpful 39Helpful 76

  • Question

    Do I need to draw a halo?

    How to Draw Jesus: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (14)

    Community Answer

    Since Jesus's halo wasn't visible when he was walking around on the earth, it's by no means necessary.

    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support wikiHow

    YesNo

    Not Helpful 54Helpful 124

  • Question

    Is that what God really looks like?

    How to Draw Jesus: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (15)

    Community Answer

    Actually, these are just simple ideas. No one knows what God looks like. If we saw what he looked like, we would be filled with fear. That is why in the Bible, God had to cover his face and show only his back side to the people in the Old Testament.

    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support wikiHow

    YesNo

    Not Helpful 60Helpful 100

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

      Advertisem*nt

      Video

      Tips

      • Use appropriate stationery. Sketch pens could be used for outlining. You must be careful not to allow the sketch pen to stand on the paper for too long as it will create a blotch or a patch.

        Thanks

        Helpful3Not Helpful0

      • Almost all the lines will be wavy like the forehead, eyes, nose, lips, mustache, beard, fingers and the robe.

        Thanks

        Helpful2Not Helpful0

      • For outlining you may also use a charcoal pencil which is very thick and could be erased with the appropriate eraser.

        Thanks

        Helpful2Not Helpful0

      Show More Tips

      Submit a Tip

      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

      Submit

      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      Advertisem*nt

      Warnings

      • Do not erase too many times as it may affect the thickness and clear surface of the sheet.

        Thanks

        Helpful62Not Helpful17

      Advertisem*nt

      Things You'll Need

      • Paper
      • Pencil or mechanical pencils
      • Good quality eraser
      • Scale
      • A writing pad to clip the sheet on (optional)

      You Might Also Like

      How to Draw a CrossHow toDraw a Church
      How to Draw for Beginners: A Step-By-Step GuideHow toDraw a StarHow to Properly Fast for God as a ChristianUnderstanding the 5 Types of Generational CursesHow toBiblically Deal with a NarcissistHow toGet to Heaven (Christianity)How toBury St. JosephHow toSpeak in TonguesHow toCross YourselfWhat is the Difference Between a Christening and a Baptism?How toLove Your Wife According to the BibleHow toAsk God for Something (Christianity)

      Advertisem*nt

      About This Article

      How to Draw Jesus: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (28)

      Co-authored by:

      Renée Plevy

      Artist

      This article was co-authored by Renée Plevy. Renée Plevy is an Internationally Acclaimed Portrait Artist from New York/Palm Beach who has painted The Grand Dames of Palm Beach and various celebrities and community leaders. With over 50 years of experience, Renée specializes in painting realistically in oil and capturing the soul of the person. She has studied under internationally renowned portrait artists John Howard Sanden, David Leffel, Robert Beverly Hale, Clyde Smith, and Leonid Gervits. Renée is featured in over 68 shows and galleries including a one-woman museum show at the Paterson Museum. She has garnered numerous awards including “Artist of the Year” from The Bloomfield Art League and First Prize from the Boca Raton Museum Artist’s Guild. Renée has even painted a portrait of celebrity, Vanilla Ice. She also teaches at the Boca Raton Museum Art School - formerly at SVA in Manhattan. This article has been viewed 370,097 times.

      528 votes - 65%

      Co-authors: 49

      Updated: August 16, 2023

      Views:370,097

      Categories: Christianity

      In other languages

      Spanish

      Portuguese

      French

      • Print
      • Send fan mail to authors

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 370,097 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • How to Draw Jesus: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (29)

        Bob Parsons

        Apr 22, 2019

        "I don"t know were the drawing will end up, but gives me a good starting point. Its organization is a sort of..." more

      More reader storiesHide reader stories

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisem*nt

      How to Draw Jesus: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)
      Top Articles
      Latest Posts
      Article information

      Author: Nathanial Hackett

      Last Updated:

      Views: 6122

      Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

      Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

      Author information

      Name: Nathanial Hackett

      Birthday: 1997-10-09

      Address: Apt. 935 264 Abshire Canyon, South Nerissachester, NM 01800

      Phone: +9752624861224

      Job: Forward Technology Assistant

      Hobby: Listening to music, Shopping, Vacation, Baton twirling, Flower arranging, Blacksmithing, Do it yourself

      Introduction: My name is Nathanial Hackett, I am a lovely, curious, smiling, lively, thoughtful, courageous, lively person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.