How to Draw a Ballerina Step-by-Step

Use curved body lines to draw your ballerina in a dance pose.

Known for being graceful and feminine, ballerinas have an iconic image that inspires young girls to want to dance. Ballerinas also demonstrate a combination of art and athleticism. Creating a ballerina illustration can help you learn some basics about drawing the human form in motion. You can draw your ballerina in a variety of dance poses. The thing to remember in making your ballerina appear more life-like is to use the pose you've selected to demonstrate realistic muscle definition in the body.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Eraser

Instructions

1. Draw a circle for a head and a line for a neck, and make them both tilt back to the right. Connect the neck to a circle for a chest, and then draw a circle for a stomach. Connect the stomach to a circle for the hips, and from the hips, draw a slightly curved standing leg, and another leg stretched out behind the body.

2. Follow the leg lines to outline muscular calves and thighs. Detail the face and neck, and either draw the hair in a bun or flowing away from the head. Add curved, muscle definition to the stretched out arm and back, and draw another arm on the other side of the body.

3. Draw a strapless dress with a tutu, following the outline of the body. Add ruffled lines to detail the bottom of the tutu. Draw pointed ballet slippers at the end of the legs, and draw ties that wrap around the ankles.

4. Add details the body such as lines for the neck, shoulder and under the arm. Erase the lines and circles that you used to outline the body.

References

• DragoArt: How to Draw a Ballerina
• Shoo Rayner: How to Draw a Ballerina