Adventure Sketchbook, ages 8 to 12
How to draw Hot-Air Balloon
Draw a red-and-yellow hot-air balloon with a woven basket, floating past two clouds. You will learn how lines curve around a round shape, and why tiny far-away birds make the balloon feel high in the sky.
No account needed to try it.
- Level
- Easy
- Time
- 25 minutes
- Steps
- 8
- Ages
- 8 to 12
How to draw Hot-Air Balloon
What you need
- Paper Plain printer paper is perfect.
- Pencil (HB) For light first shapes you can erase.
- Black fineliner 0.5 mm, or any black pen.
- Eraser A soft white eraser.
- Coloured pencils Any set; sharpen them first.
Step by step
-
01Big shapes
Light shapes first
Lightly draw a big circle, then two curves down to a narrow neck. Add a small box below for the basket.
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02Construction
Panels that curve
Draw the panel lines from the top to the neck. Near the middle they are almost straight; near the edges they bend more.
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03Details
Ink the balloon
With the fineliner, trace the balloon’s outline, then each panel line, then the neck band at the bottom.
-
04Details
Ropes and a woven basket
Draw four straight ropes down to the basket. Add the rim, then criss-cross lines inside for the woven sides.
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05Details
Far away in the sky
Add two small puffy clouds and two tiny birds. Tiny things look far away, so your balloon feels high up.
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06Details
Erase the pencil
Wait a minute for the ink to dry, then gently erase all the pencil lines.
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07Colour
Red and yellow panels
Colour the panels red and yellow, taking turns. Then colour the neck band blue and the basket light brown.
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08Finishing touches
Shadow on the right
The light comes from the top left, so shade the balloon’s right side and bottom, the basket’s right side and the cloud bellies.
Ages 8 to 12
