How to Draw a Real Knife

Manipulating a rectangle and a triangle can make your knife look real.

In a cartoon or illustration, a character may wield a knife --- or a knife by itself may symbolize a concept. The trick is to make it look real. To depict a realistic knife requires the use of basic geometric shapes, rounded out with some detailing and shading to bring the drawing to life.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencils
• Ruler
• Erasers

Instructions

1. Draw a rectangle 10 inches long and 2 inches wide on the paper. This will form the knife handle.

2. Shape the point of the knife by drawing a triangle approximately 3 inches long at one end of the rectangle. Make it long enough to appear threatening and realistic.

3. Shade the handle of the knife by sketching small lines in a crisscross manner on the underside of the handle. Make one layer of shading light and then a second darker, smaller layer on top of the first.

4. Erase the lines between the blade and the handle and draw a curved line between the two to mimic the natural shape of a knife handle. Do the same with the line at the bottom of the handle.

5. Sketch a light line at the center of the blade, extending from the tip down to the handle, then shade one side of the blade to simulate reflection of light.

References

• Debra Layman, Art Teacher; Layman Studios; Baxter, West Virginia

Resources

• How to Draw
• Drawing Now
• Dragon Art: How to Draw