When it comes to Christmas, there are a number of important characters and a penguin in a snowy environment is undoubtedly one of them.
Whether you’re planning on making lots of decorations and presents this Christmas or want to help the kids with their festive drawing, why not learn how to draw a penguin?
Our stylish penguin drawing, complete with scarf, would look great on a homemade Christmas card or gift tag.
Designed by illustrator Alice Mollon, she showed us how to draw a penguin in an easy way with step-by-step instructions and a video guide. Even beginners can draw this penguin if you follow Alice’s instructions.
“I think my favorite part of this drawing is his striped scarf blowing in the wind,” Alice says. “For some added personality, consider giving him a matching wool hat!”
Watch the video at the top of the page to see Alice draw a penguin, and read her instructions (below) before you start drawing. For best results, Alice recommends drawing the penguin in pencil first before tracing the outline in pen and erasing the pencil markings.
Alice demonstrates how to draw a penguin before adding details such as flippers, wings and a beak.
Our guide shows you how to make a line drawing of a penguin, but it also looks fantastic colored in.
How to draw a penguin
STEP 1
Start by drawing a medium sized circle for the head, a third of the way down the page.
STEP 2
For the body, draw a long, egg-shaped, oval shape coming from the bottom of the head.
STEP 3
Draw two small volcano shapes for the feet and close them off at the bottom with a flattened ‘m’ shape, creating the web.
STEP 4
Draw a second oval inside the body for the belly. Start at the inside of the left foot and go up and down to the inside of the right foot.
STEP 5
Starting at about head height along the left side of the body, draw a curve that goes slightly outward and then downward for the left flipper. Stop this line about two-thirds of the way down his body. Draw a second curve for the bottom of the flipper. The finished shape should be slightly wider in the middle than at the top and bottom. Repeat this on the other side of his body for the right flipper.
STEP 6
Draw a slightly curved line that comes out halfway down the head for his beak. Angle it slightly upwards to give your penguin more character. Draw a second line to close the triangle and form the rest of the beak.
Homemade Christmas Ideas
How to knit a penguinLiz McAulay//Property of Hearst 
Handprint Christmas CardsMomtaz Begum-Hossain 
Christmas wreath tutorial 
Knitted Santa Hat Chloe Berk//Property of Hearst
STEP 7
Starting at the top of the beak, draw a slightly smaller circle inside the circle on the head, all the way to the bottom of the beak.
STEP 8
Give your penguin a little scarf by drawing a flattened rectangle that overlaps the bottom of the head and the top of the body. Draw the length of the scarf that will flutter in the wind and add some stripes and/or fringe.
Looking for more Christmas drawing inspiration? Check out our how to draw Santa and how to draw a Christmas tree guides.
Alice is a conceptual illustrator and animator with eight years of industry experience. She creates bright and bold illustrations for all kinds of projects, adding color and concept to everything from digital products to editorial, publishing, animation, and more. She is especially interested in finding concise ways to communicate ideas of all kinds, making the niche and complex more accessible, or putting a playful spin on everyday themes. Her clients include The New York Times, TED, Apple, Vogue, and Universal Music.
Find out more on her website: https://alicemollon.com/
