How to Draw Christmas
Draw a Christmas tree scene with ornaments, gifts, and a star. Practice step-by-step sketching, shading, and coloring to improve drawing skills.
About this tutorial
Draw a Christmas tree scene with ornaments, gifts, and a star. Practice step-by-step sketching, shading, and coloring to improve drawing skills.
What you need
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Clear a flat workspace and lay out your materials so everything is easy to reach.
- 2
Step 2
Lightly draw a large triangle in the center of the paper to make the basic shape of the Christmas tree.
- 3
Step 3
Draw a small rectangle at the bottom center of the triangle to make the tree trunk.
- 4
Step 4
Add a few curved horizontal lines across the triangle to show the treeâs layered branches.
- 5
Step 5
Draw several small circles and ovals on the branches to make ornaments.
- 6
Step 6
Sketch rectangles and squares at the base of the tree to create gift boxes.
- 7
Step 7
Draw simple bows and ribbon lines on top of each gift box.
- 8
Step 8
Draw a star shape at the top point of the tree.
- 9
Step 9
Draw small snowflakes or dots around the tree to make a festive background.
- 10
Step 10
Trace over the main pencil lines with a black marker to make your drawing stand out.
- 11
Step 11
Erase any extra light pencil sketch lines you no longer need.
- 12
Step 12
Shade one side of the tree with short diagonal pencil strokes to create shadow and depth.
- 13
Step 13
Add darker pencil strokes on one side of each ornament and gift to show shading.
- 14
Step 14
Color the tree green and fill in the ornaments gifts and background with bright colors using your coloring materials.
- 15
Step 15
Take a photo or scan your finished picture and share your creation on DIY.org
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Fun facts
How do I draw a Christmas tree scene with ornaments, gifts, and a star?
Start with a light pencil sketch: draw a simple triangle or layered zigzag for the tree and a small rectangle for the trunk. Add circles or ovals for ornaments and rectangles for gifts at the base. Sketch a star on top and add background details like snow or a fireplace. Refine outlines, erase guidelines, then shade edges for depth. Finish with colorâbright ornaments, ribbon accents, and a glowing starâencouraging slow, steady strokes.
What materials do I need to draw a Christmas tree scene with ornaments, gifts, and a star?
Gather basic supplies: good drawing paper, a range of pencils (HB and 2B), a soft eraser, sharpener, and a ruler for straight gift edges. For color use colored pencils, crayons, or washable markers. Optional items: blending stump or tissue for shading, white gel pen for highlights, and glitter glue for sparkle. Choose non-toxic, child-safe materials and protect surfaces with a mat or newspaper.
What ages is this Christmas tree drawing activity suitable for?
This activity adapts well to ages 3â12. Preschoolers (3â5) can practice simple shapes and coloring with large ornaments. Early elementary (6â9) can follow step-by-step sketching and add basic shading. Older kids (10â12) can work on proportions, shading, and detailed decorations. Supervise younger children with scissors or glitter, and let each child work at their own pace to build confidence.
What are the benefits of drawing a Christmas tree scene for children?
Drawing a holiday scene improves fine motor skills, handâeye coordination, and observational ability. It teaches basic composition, color mixing, and light/shadow through simple shading practice. The activity also encourages creativity, patience, and following step-by-step instructions. Celebratory themes boost emotional connection and pride in finished work. Use child-safe, non-toxic supplies and take breaks to avoid eye strain or frustration.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can I use if I don't have a black marker or my usual coloring materials?
If you don't have a black marker for the 'trace over the main pencil lines' step, use a dark blue or brown pen, a fine-tip permanent marker, or a sharpened colored pencil, and for coloring you can swap markers for crayons, colored pencils, or watercolor paints.
My traced lines keep smudging or bleedingâhow can I avoid ruining the drawing before erasing pencil lines?
To prevent smudging when you trace the main pencil lines with a marker, place scrap paper under your hand, use a fine-tip marker or pen, let ink dry fully before erasing, and work slowly on one area at a time.
How should I change the activity for younger or older children?
For preschoolers, pre-draw the large triangle and trunk and let them stick stickers for ornaments and color with chunky crayons, while older kids can add more curved branch layers, detailed diagonal pencil shading on one side of the tree and ornaments, and create patterned gift-wrap before tracing.
How can we make the finished drawing more special before taking a photo or sharing on DIY.org?
Enhance the finished picture by adding glitter glue or metallic gel-pen highlights to ornaments and the star, decorating gift boxes with ribbon patterns, mounting on colored cardstock, or lightly washing the background with watercolor before scanning or photographing to share on DIY.org.