How to Draw the Finnish Coat of Arms

Finland has a beautiful coat of arms. Upon a shield of red, amid white flowers, is a roaring lion. This lion wears a crown and wields a sword in its right hand. This image is very evocative. This coat of arms is the country's heraldry, which is the making of banners and flags that can rapidly identify a family, kingdom or even country. Drawing the Finnish coat of arms depends on neatly rendering the most basic shapes of the illustration before layering on details.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Black ink
• Eraser
• Red marker
• Yellow marker

Instructions

1. 

   Draw the guideline for the head of the lion with a long oval that dips out to the right at the upper and lower left side. Add a trapezoid on the upper left corner of the oval for the crown. The trapezoid should slightly overlap the top corner of the oval and should be wider at the top than the bottom. Add a long rectangle for the left arm of the lion. Point this shape diagonally to the bottom right corner of the page.

2. Add a rectangle just above this for the right arm. Point this rectangle toward the upper left corner of the page. Add a smaller rectangle above and to the left. Point this rectangle to the top of the page. Add a large rectangle for the lion's body. Place this under the lower right side of the head oval. Point this rectangle toward the bottom right corner of the page.

3. Draw a long, thin rectangle for the right leg of the lion. Point this toward the bottom left corner of the page. Add another rectangle the same size for the left leg. Point this toward the bottom right corner of the page.

4. Draw a circle at the end of the right arm for the right hand. Add a smaller circle to the left side of this shape. To the right of the hand, add a small rectangle for the hilt of the sword. Add the blade of the sword with a horizontal rectangular shape that goes from the hilt to the end of the lion's body. End this shape with a triangular point. Add three diagonal lines on the left arm, and both the right and left leg. Create the tail with a Figure 8 shape that starts at the bottom right of the body.

5. Draw nine circles for flowers on the background of the picture. Place two of these above the the right hand. Place another above the tip of the sword. Put another circle inside the top portion of the Figure 8. Add one circle directly above the left hand and two directly below it. Add a circle directly below the middle of the right leg and another to the right of the upper left leg.

6. Add the scimitar below the bottom legs of the lion. Do this by drawing two parallel curved lines. These lines should end in a round point on the left side and a triangular point on the right. Add the hilt of the scimitar with a slightly bent vertical line running across the upper left portion of the sword.

7. 

   Divide the crown into three points by drawing two "V" shapes inside the top of the crown. Add the lion's mane with 12 curved triangular shapea jutting out from the bottom of the chin, around the neck and up the back of the head. Add the lion's mouth with a large reverse "C" shape inside the left side of the face oval. Add the eye with a small sideways triangle. Below and to the left of the eye, add another sideways triangle for the nose. Add the tongue with a sideways and upside-down "?" shape coming from the mouth.

8. Add tufts of fur in the same manner as the mane on the lion's elbow and the back of his legs. Add smaller circles inside all of the small circles for the flower receptacle. Add five small circles around the receptacle for flower petals. Do this for each flower.

9. 

   Erase the guidelines. Add details to the picture. Add a tuft of hair to the end of the tail with three curved triangular shapes. Add two tufts of hair on each knee. Add a triangle to the elbow of the right arm to create the look of elbow armor. Draw four vertical lines on the inside of the right hand to create fingers. Add a thumb with a small diagonally pointing rectangle. Ink the entire drawing. Let the ink dry and erase the pencil lines.

10. Color the lion yellow. Leave the right arm white. Color the elbow armor yellow. Color the hilt of the sword yellow, as well as the hilt of the scimitar and the crown. Leave the blades of these weapons white. Color the background red but leave the flowers white.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the lines neat and simple. It's better to have a clean, basic drawing than a sloppy, detailed one.

• Place a sheet of paper under your illustration while you ink and color the drawing. This will prevent the illustration from bleeding onto anything else.

Resources

• A history of Finland from its official website.