A large flat umbrella held overhead anchors the most recognized image from Studio Ghibli, and this tutorial walks through how to draw Totoro with an umbrella in 16 steps, following the classic rain bus stop pose from the film. The line art focuses on building that rounded silhouette with the umbrella structure balanced above it.
What Makes This Pose Worth Practicing
The tutorial runs 16 steps and ends on clean line art without color, so the focus stays entirely on shape control and proportion. Most of the early steps build out Totoro’s round body and face before introducing the umbrella, which takes up a significant portion of the composition and requires careful placement to sit naturally above the figure. The curve of the umbrella canopy paired with the compact body below is where most of the balancing work happens.
Key Visual Elements of This Drawing
- Large round rotund body shape
- Two wide circular eyes with whiskers
- Small arrow-shaped chest markings
- One small clawed hand holds umbrella handle
- Large flat open umbrella held overhead
If you enjoy drawing Ghibli characters, the Soot Sprite is a short and satisfying sketch to try next, and chibi White Totoro offers a slightly different take on the same forest spirit family. For something with more linework complexity, the Ursula from Kiki’s Delivery Service walkthrough is worth a look.
How the Step Colors Work in This Guide
Each step image uses a three-color coding system to make it easy to follow progress:
- Red Color: lines added in the current step.
- Black Color: lines completed earlier.
- Gray Color: base sketch for structure.
How to Draw Totoro with an Umbrella: Step-by-Step Tutorial
Finished Your Totoro Sketch? Share It
Once the lines are done, drop your finished drawing in the comments. Seeing how different people handle the umbrella curve and the body proportions is always worth it. New tutorials go up on Facebook and Telegram as soon as they are published, a new YouTube video based on existing guides goes live every day, and Pinterest stays updated regularly if you prefer saving references there. For more Ghibli characters to keep the momentum going, Jiji, Kiki’s cat and a Kodama are both solid follow-ups. If you want to support the project and get access to unique hand-drawn coloring pages, the Patreon page is the place to go.