Studio Ghibli has a habit of filling its films with characters who feel grounded and real, and Ursula from Kiki’s Delivery Service fits that pattern well. This tutorial on how to draw Ursula walks through her relaxed upper-body portrait across 13 steps, ending with clean line art.
A Relaxed Portrait with Some Nuance in the Details
The guide covers 13 steps total, built as a three-quarter upper-body sketch with no color fill at the end. Most of the work is in the face, where the smiling expression and the balance between her large round eyes and small nose require some care. The pose itself is loose and informal, which keeps the overall construction straightforward, but the facial proportions are where most people need to slow down.
Ursula’s Key Visual Traits
- Medium-length hair swept back, loose strands
- Large round eyes, open smiling mouth
- Small nose with a dot detail nearby
- Sleeveless tank top, relaxed posture
- Three-quarter view, upper body only
If you enjoy drawing characters from the Studio Ghibli roster, there are plenty of other guides worth trying alongside this one. Princess Mononoke and Moro is a more complex two-character composition, while Haku from Spirited Away offers a good contrast in character design. For something a bit lighter, the Kiki on her broom tutorial is a natural companion to this one since both characters come from the same film.
How the Step Colors Work in This Guide
Each step in this tutorial uses a simple three-color system to show what is new versus what came before:
- Red Color: lines added in the current step.
- Black Color: lines completed earlier.
- Gray Color: base sketch for structure.
How to Draw Ursula: Step-by-Step Tutorial
Finished Your Sketch? Share It Below
Once the line art is done, drop your finished drawing in the comments. Seeing how different people handle the face proportions and expression is always useful for anyone else working through the same steps. 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 single day, and Pinterest stays regularly updated if that is where you prefer to browse. For more Ghibli practice, the guide on drawing a Kodama is a good next step, and No-Face is worth trying if you want something with a very different shape language. If you want to support the project and get access to unique hand-drawn coloring pages, the Patreon page is the place to do it.