How to Draw a Pirate

Kids have the wildest imaginations. One minute they're playing with their imaginary friend and the next minute they're racing around the room pretending to be an airplane. But a fantastic way that kids foster their imagination (and work on hand-eye coordination) is by drawing. Here are a few tips on how to draw a kid's favorite, a pirate!

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Markers or crayons
• Paper

Instructions

1. Draw a circle. On a sheet of white paper, draw a circle. If you need help making your circle round, use the bottom of a soda can and trace it.

2. Add ears. Next, on each side of your circle, make two small half moons with your pencil. This will be your pirate's ears!

3. Make a bandanna. Towards the top of the circle draw another half-moon so it goes across what would be your pirate's forehead. This is the outline for his bandanna.

4. Place a bow. Now, over the left ear of your pirate, make a small bow that is touching the pirate's bandanna. This is going to serve as the knot that holds that pirate's bandanna in place.

5. Create an eye-patch. On the inside of the circle, slightly above the level of the ear, draw a sizable round circle. This is going to be your eye-patch. Be sure to draw a line from the eye patch over the top of the left ear and also sloping up into the bandanna over where the right eye will be. This is the elastic or cord that holds the eye-patch in place.

6. Make an eye. Now, next to the eye-patch, draw a smaller circle. This will be the pirate's "good eye." Be sure to then make an even smaller circle inside that one. That will be the pupil of the pirate's eye.

7. Draw a nose. Then making a backward comma, place a nose in the center under the eyes. This doesn't have to look exact, and should seem a bit harshly drawn since many pirates have odd shaped noses from being in many fights!

8. Add a mouth. Draw something in the shape of a kidney bean (an odd-shaped oval) where the mouth would be. Then add a few scraggly teeth by making small squares inside the pirate's mouth. But don't give him too many teeth, as many pirates don't have the best hygiene.

9. Color him in. Now take your crayons or markers and color in your pirate any which way you'd like. Congratulations! You've learned how to draw your very own pirate.

Tips & Warnings

• Have your child invite a bunch of kids over. They can all draw pirates, you can draw a ship, then cut them out and the kids can play "pirates" with their newly created characters!

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish