How to Draw an Astronaut

Time needed: 35 minutes

How to Draw an Astronaut

1. Sketch the astronaut’s helmet.

   Illustrate a large circle for the astronaut’s helmet, then add a smaller inner circle for the visor. You don’t need to make the inner circle centered. If you want variations, you can make the visor slightly larger or narrower depending on the style.

2. Sketch the astronaut’s body outline.

   Sketch a long rectangle shape downward from the helmet. This will represent the torso and legs of the astronaut suit. Use very light lines, because many parts of this shape will be erased in the next steps. You can also make this shape thicker or thinner, depending on your choice.

3. Define the legs and boots.

   Using a long and smooth line, separate the legs from each other. Add rounded shapes at the ends to show the astronaut’s boots. The legs should look bulky, since real space suits have thick padding. The length of the legs at this step should be equal to the length of the torso.

4. Draw the astronaut’s arms.

   On both sides of the torso, sketch long and smoothly curved shapes for the arms, ending them with very simplified hands. An astronaut drawing looks more convincing when the arms are drawn bulky, since spacesuit sleeves are thick and don’t bend sharply.

5. Outline the backpack shape.

   Behind the torso, add a rectangular shape for the astronaut’s backpack or life support system. Every astronaut drawing should include this part, because it’s a very important for space travel. The backpack usually sits high on the back.

6. Illustrate the control panel and gloves.

   On the front of the torso, draw a control panel shape with buttons and other small circles and squares. Don’t overload it with tiny shapes, keep it readable. You can make the panel more rounded or even add a small rectangular pocket instead, depending on the style you want. After draw, draw the lines of the gloves.

7. Add the cables and final details.

   From the side of the helmet or backpack, draw a few flowing lines that represent cables or tubes. These connect the astronaut’s suit to life support systems. After that, draw the patches on the shoulders. Then, adjust the bottom of your astronaut helmet, to give it more authentic look.

8. Darken the main lines.

   Correct the lines and make them more even. Erase any guidelines you don’t need and darken the main shapes of the astronaut. Press more firmly with the pencil now, since you’ve already set the proportions. Check symmetry of your drawing, and adjust if it is needed.

9. Shade the spacesuit.

   Keep the suit mostly light gray or white to match real spacesuits, and shade the visor with blue or light darker to illustrate glass. The control panel can have a few bright details like red or green buttons. You can color the backpack or cables differently, but don’t overuse too many colors, since real astronaut suits are fairly simple.