How to Draw a Nutcracker

Nutcrackers have been around for the purpose of cracking nuts since the fifteenth century. Around the same period, nutcrackers were carved out of wood in the shape of soldiers. The most popular nutcracker of this type is the soldier from the Russian ballet by Alexandre Dumas, "The Nutcracker."

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Eraser
• Straight edge
• White paper

Instructions

1. 

   Draw a vertical line, using the straight edge. Divide the line into four equal spaces, by drawing three horizontal lines, perpendicular to the vertical line.

2. 

   Sketch out the shape of the hat and head, made up of an oval shape, in the top quarter of the vertical line. Draw a broader, square shape in the next section to mark the arms and chest of the shoulder, and a long rectangle for the nutcracker's legs. Use the guiding lines to keep the body of the soldier symmetrical.

3. 

   Draw the outline of the head and the hat clearly in pencil. Also draw the shoulder and arms. The arms should take up the length of the section just below the head, and draw the cuffs just below the horizontal line dividing the second and third sections.

4. 

   Line up the bottom of the soldier's jacket with the bottom of the cuffs, and draw a horizontal line connecting the two cuffs to mark the bottom of the jacket. Make a mark halfway down the arm, and halfway between that mark and the cuff, on each arm. The halfway point between the mark and the cuff is where the waist should go in. Draw a sideways V shape using your markings, on each side, to draw the waist. Draw a belt across the waist, color in a solid, vertical rectangle between the belt and the chin and centered on the soldier's chest. Draw a triangle coming from the soldier's belt buckle to the bottom of the soldier's jacket.

5. 

   Draw the soldier's hands, which are V-shaped. Draw two vertical lines that are parallel to each other, below the jacket.

6. 

   Draw the outline of the nutcracker soldier's boots. The boots taper in from the vertical lines outlining the soldier's legs, and the feet of the boots bulge out slightly, to differentiate the ankle from the foot.

7. 

   Erase your guiding lines with your eraser. Draw a U-shaped crescent on the soldier's hat.

8. 

   Draw the soldier's face. It has two large eyes and similarly-sized circles on its cheeks. Also draw the mustache, which curls up around the circles, and teeth, which are at the base of the soldier's head, and mark where the nuts are normally inserted. Color in the boots, and add shading to the cuffs and jacket. Draw buttons along either side of the central rectangle on the jacket.