If you’ve been wondering how to draw a Christmas deer, this step-by-step guide will help you create a cute cartoon version of this festive character. Featuring a Santa-style hat and scarf, this Christmas deer drawing is a great way to bring holiday cheer to your art projects. Let’s begin!

Essential Features of the Christmas Deer

Here are the main elements to focus on for your drawing:

• Santa Hat: A red hat with white trim and a pompom, decorated with holly leaves and berries.
• Red Scarf: A cozy scarf with green ends wrapped around the deer’s neck.
• Big Eyes: Large, expressive cartoon-style eyes with simple highlights.
• Chibi Look: Rounded ears, an oval nose, and a soft, childlike appearance.
• Spots and Tail: Small bright spots on the back and a short, fluffy tail complete the design.

When you’re done, you could also try drawing Santa Claus, or Snowmen – one with a broomstick, and another with a bird on its hand, or other holiday characters for a full festive scene. And here’s another Christmas deer tutorial in a different style.

Key Details for This Tutorial

To make the steps easy to follow, we use a simple color code system:

• Red Color: Represents the lines to draw in the current step.
• Black Color: Shows the lines you’ve already completed in previous steps.
• Grey Color: Indicates the sketch lines to guide proportions and layout.

Keep this guide in mind as you work through the tutorial to achieve the best results in your Christmas deer drawing.

Step 1: Start by drawing an oval for the head’s base. Below it, sketch a smaller oval for the body. Connect these shapes with two lines that will define the neck.

Step 2: Add the trim of the hat on the head and include the decoration—a few leaves and berries near the left side.

Step 3: Outline the head of the Christmas deer by defining the shape around the base oval, keeping it rounded and soft.

Step 4: Draw two rounded ear outlines on each side of the head. Make them slightly pointed but still soft and cartoon-like.

Step 5: Sketch two large, slightly tilted vertical ovals for the eyes. Below them, add a smaller horizontal oval for the nose.

Step 6: Draw large oval pupils inside the eyes and fill them with black. Leave small blank shapes inside them for highlights. Below the nose, sketch the mouth.

Step 7: Inside the ear outlines, draw curved lines to separate the inner and outer ear parts. Add two small eyelashes on the outer corners of each eye, simple eyebrows above, and outline the hat shape with a pompom at the top.

Step 8: Sketch the scarf around the neck, wrapping it once. Add one end hanging downward from the front side.

Step 9: Outline the deer’s back starting from the scarf, continue the line to form the first rear leg.

Step 10: Sketch the first front leg extending downward from the body. Keep the shape simple with soft edges.

Step 11: Connect the body with a line between the front and rear legs. Add a small line between the front leg and the scarf’s hanging end, and outline a short, fluffy tail at the back.

Step 12: Sketch the two remaining legs. Mirror the first rear leg on the opposite side and draw the second front leg bent, as if the deer is walking or dancing (you decide).

Step 13: Add small details to enhance the drawing. Draw light lines on the Christmas deer’s face for features, small ovals on the cheeks for blushes, lines on the scarf, small circles on the back, lines at the leg ends for hooves, and a small detail on the tail.

Step 14: Review your sketch. Fix any proportions or lines, and erase the basic guidelines. If you want a bold outline, ink the drawing and erase any remaining pencil marks.

Step 15: Now let’s break the coloring stage into two parts. Remember, you can use any colors you like – the limit is your imagination. First, I added base colors: light brown for the deer, a lighter gray-pink tone for the back circles and tail detail, red for the hat and scarf, green for the scarf’s visible end, and red and green for the berries and leaves. Dark brown works well for the hooves.

Step 16: Add shading to give the drawing more depth. I’ve included an example in the next image to show how I shaded this Christmas deer drawing. You can use it as a reference or create your own shading style, or leave the drawing with the base colors only.

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Once you’ve finished your Christmas deer drawing, share your work in the comments section of our pinned Pinterest post. I’d love to see your creations and celebrate the holiday spirit together!

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Enjoy drawing and happy holidays!