How to Draw a Star Shape

Short of circles and squares, stars are a basic shape to draw, made primarily of triangles. Two of the most commonly seen stars are six-point and five-point stars.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pencil
• Straight edge
• White paper
• Eraser

Six-Pointed Star

1. 
    
   Draw a grid

   Draw a grid with two columns and three rows. Use a straight edge as a guide, if necessary.

2. 
    
   Draw an equilateral triangle across four boxes

   Draw an equilateral triangle across four boxes, with the point facing up. Use your straight edge to line up the top right corner of the box in the left-most column and one row down with the bottom left corner of the box below it. Draw the second line connecting the bottom left corner to the bottom right corner of the box in the second column and three boxes down. Connect the bottom right corner to the starting point. This should form an equilateral triangle.

3. 
    
   Draw a second equilateral triangle across four boxes, this time with the point facing down

   Draw a second equilateral triangle across four boxes, this time with the point facing down. Starting with the bottom-left corner of the box in the first column and second row, draw across the length of the two columns. From that right-most end point, draw a diagonal line, ending at the bottom-left corner of the box in the right column and last row. Connect this point to the starting point for the triangle, completing the second equilateral triangle.

4. 
    
   Erase the guiding lines

   Erase the guide lines. If necessary, darken in the lines of the star with your pencil.

Five-Pointed Star

5. 
    
   Draw a grid made of 16 boxes.

   Draw a grid made up of four boxes across, and four down, totaling 16 boxes. Use a straight edge to make evenly spaced, straight lines.

6. 
    
   Draw a triangle between the middle boxes in the second row

   Draw a triangle, point facing up, between the middle boxes in the second row. The base of the triangle should cover the bottom side of the two boxes. The triangle should meet at a point between the two boxes: at the top right corner of the left box, and the top left corner of the right box.

7. 
    
   Draw two more points of the star

   Draw two more points of the star, going horizontally outwards in both directions from the base of the original triangle, and then diagonally down and inwards. The shape should now resemble a three-pointed crown.

8. 
    
   Draw two more diagonal lines

   Draw two more diagonal lines. The first should start from the bottom left-most point of the grid and end at the top right corner of the box. The second line should start from the bottom right-most point of the grid and end at the top left corner of the box.

9. 
    
   Connect the last two points of the star

   Connect the last two points of the star. Locate the vertical dividing line of the bottom row. Mark a point with your pencil that is halfway up that line on the bottom box. Connect the bottom left-most point of the grid to the marked point, and the bottom right-most point of the grid to the marked point.

10. 
     
    Erase the guide lines

    Erase the guide lines. Add hatch-lines around the edge of the star to create a sense of depth, and dash lines around the shape of the star to enhance this effect.