Art

53 Fun Christmas Drawing Ideas for the Festive Season in 2024

Published on Sep 25th 2024
Christmas drawing ideas

Looking for fun and creative Christmas drawing ideas to practice this year? While they can be hectic, the holidays are a great time to flex your drawing skills, whether you are working with markers, pens, colored pencils or other mediums.  Drawing can help you commemorate this special time of year and provide gifts and mementos that are perfect for giving. Drawing can also be a fun seasonal arts and crafts project for both kids and adults. 

What are good Christmas things to draw? The subject matter from this season is endless, ranging from popular holiday characters like snowmen, Santas, elves and angels to popular imagery and motifs associated with Christmas like bells, holly, wreaths, toys and gifts. While styles and techniques are many, we’ve rounded up an array of awesome ways to use your drawing for expression and decoration no matter your skill level.

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Easy Christmas Drawing Ideas

1. Wooden Ornaments

Wooden ornament Christmas drawing idea
Hand drawn wooden ornaments (via Canva)

Pick up some simple wooden cut-outs from Michaels or other craft stores and sit down with some markers for this easy Chrstmas drawing idea. Use colored markers or Sharpies in an array of colors to draw holiday imagery like holly, bells, Santas or snowmen for a drawing project simple enough for anyone at any skill level. 

2. Gift Tags

Personalized touches on your holiday gifts this year can be a great Christmas drawing idea that shows you how much the recipient means to you. Use simple blank cardboard or craft paper tags. Draw winter scenes, holiday characters and decorative motifs in marker or colored pencil. String them with pretty twine or ribbon and attach to gifts.

3. Wrapping Paper

If you want to add a unique touch to all your gifts this season, try drawing your own custom wrapping for this unique Christmas drawing idea. Unfurl brown or white rolls of craft paper and use pen, marker or colored pencil to decorate your paper with doodles and decorative accents that make every package under the tree unique. 

4. Mugs

You can use a basic Sharpie on any solid color mug and put it in an oven set on low for several minutes to seal the ink and prevent it from rubbing off. This is great for doodling, creating elaborate holiday scenes or adding custom holiday messages to your drinkware. Pair a hand-lettered mug with some dried cocoa, chocolate spoons and sweet toppings for an inexpensive and unique Christmas gift for teachers or co-workers.

5. Handmade Cards

Handmade card Christmas drawing idea
Christmas card drawing (via Canva)

 

While greeting cards are plentiful during the holiday season, a handmade card can be a special touch and a valuable keepsake. Keep it simple by creating artwork on simple white cardstock or use colored paper or handmade paper for a special touch. Fill them with pretty wreaths, garlands and holiday accents like bells, gifts and poinsettias. Metallics make especially pretty ink for handmade cards. 

6. Custom Stockings

Use some pretty fabric paints this season to decorate basic felt stockings for an easy Chrstmas drawing idea that is perfect for any age or skill level. You can do fancy lettering for names or monograms or decorate the band around the top with holiday imagery like bells, stars or holly. 

7. Doodle Tablecloth

Any white paper tablecloth can be a great chance for making easy doodles during your holiday meal, especially at the kid's table if you are hosting Christmas. Use a reusable vinyl cloth and Sharpies to make the tablecloth a keepsake you can pull out for next year that provides a time capsule-like memento and easy Christmas drawing idea. 

8. Winter Tree Scene

One of the easiest things to draw freehand, whatever your level of art experience, are bare winter trees. Create a drawing of deciduous or pine trees and shrubs with black ink and simple lines. Frame your drawing for a simple and minimalist winter art piece perfect for your décor or use the trees on postcards, handmade cards and gift cards.

9. Sidewalk Chalk Outdoor Decor

Sidewalk chalk drawing
Sidewalk chalk drawing (via Canva)

If you live in a warmer climate with no snow, a great spot to add outdoor décor is on the sidewalk. Fill your sidewalks and driveways with holiday images, characters and holiday greetings in red, green and other festive colors for a fun large-scale Christmas drawing idea. 

10. Winter Wear Sketch

A cute doodle that you can do on notebooks, journals, cards and napkins is drawing your favorite winter wear like coats, gloves and mittens in the vivid colors of marker and pencil.

11. Twinkle Light Shades

Holiday string lights are great for all sorts of uses, including decorating your tree, your outdoor gatherings or your room all year long. Add a little pizazz by creating paper shades with cute holiday imagery drawn out in marker for a fun Chrstmas drawing idea that adds a bit of whimsy to your tree and décor. Just use mini dixie blank cups or white condiment cups and poke the light through the top. 

12. Snowflakes

Snowflakes are one of the easiest Chrstmas drawing ideas, since all you need to do is create radiating and repeating patterns radiating from a center point. This makes them very easy in any medium, from marker and colored pencil to fabric paint and chalk.

13. DIY Snow Globe Insert

Home made snow globe Christmas drawing idea
Homemade snow globe (via Canva)

DIY snow globes are a fun holiday craft project that is far easier than you expect. All you need is a jar, glitter, some glycerine and distilled water. To create a background, draw a winter scene in marker and run it through a laminator. The plastic cheating will protect your drawing from the water. 

14.  Decorative Throw Pillow

Fabric paints are great for turning ordinary solid throw pillows into completely custom holiday décor pieces. Draw snowflakes, holiday lights, ornaments or cheery messages on the pillow in puffy or metallic paints.

15. Customized Envelopes and Mailers

Add a special touch to even store bought box cards with customized artful envelopes. Your hand drawn accents can be mixed with pretty festive postage, stickers, paper miscellany and rubber stamps to create a unique object anyone would love to get in the mail. 

Christmas Drawing Ideas for Adults

16. Holiday Dishware

You can buy colorful markers designed specifically for painting on ceramic or porcelain. Make your own custom set of Christmas dishware by covering plates and bowls in your own festive imagery. These dishes also make great gifts. 

17. Take an Art Class

Art class
Learning to draw and paint with art classes (via Classpop!)

How do you draw a beautiful Christmas tree? How do you draw a Christmas present for beginners? How do you draw cute Christmas lights? If you’re stumped for great Chrstmas drawing ideas or need to brush up on some skills, try taking an art class. 

Options include drawing, painting, pottery and more. Classes are taught by expert artists who will help you come up with new ideas and increase your abilities. Find art classes near you, including art classes in the Bay Area, art classes in Nashville and art classes in Seattle. Or take advantage of one of many online art classes you can take from anywhere. 

18. Tree Skirt

Use fabric paint or puffy paints on any solid felt tree skirt to create a unique piece of holiday décor that you can use year after year. Draw a border around the perimeter or cover the entire area with art. Great ideas include a festive garland, holiday lights or poinsettias. 

19. Custom Placemats

Create custom drawings of lettering on paper or vinyl placemats for a beautiful addition to your holiday dinner table as a chic Christmas drawing idea for adults. You can also use fabric paint to decorate cloth mats. 

20. Illustrated Recipe Book or Cards

A great keepsake is a book of time honored family recipes or a file filled with illustrated recipe cards. The collection of cards and recipes from various family members can grow with each year. Have fun drawing images of ingredients or the finished product for a cute Chrstmas drawing idea.

21. Poinsettia Prints

Poinsettia flowers
Poinsettia flowers (via Canva)

Poinsettia leaves and flower petals have beautiful color and textures. Try soaking them in water and using the pale pink color on a piece of paper to create unique botanical artworks. Or dip the pieces of flower in ink for monograph print makes a great gift or decoration for handmade paper goods. 

22. Gift Bags or Boxes

Another great Christmas drawing idea for adults is filling ordinary holiday paper gift bags with extraordinary and personalized artwork. Create winter scenes, woodland animals or other wintry accents on blank holiday bags or cardboard boxes. 

23. Globe Ornaments

You can draw beautiful designs on simple glass or wooden spherical ornaments you can find in many craft stores. You can also decoupage your DIY Christmas ornaments with paper and draw over them. These make a beautiful addition to your tree and a fun handmade gift or accent for packages.

24. Fabric Coffee Sleeve

Use textile paint on fabric coffee sleeves to keep from burning your fingers on hot beverages in style. You can create a sleeve from scratch with a simple sewing project or purchase a blank one to decorate with holiday messages and imagery. 

25. Ugly Christmas Sweatshirt or Tee

Fabric marker being used on a tee
Fabric markers can be used on all kinds of clothing (via Canva)

Use fabric paint to create your own take on the ugly Christmas sweater trend. Draw holiday accents like stars, lights, snowmen, Santas, Bells and other imagery. Maximalism rules, so fill the entire short with imagery and holiday messages. 

26. Holiday Tattoos

You can get tattoo transfer paper for both Inkjet and laser printers online and from craft stores. Scan and reproduce your original drawings to make fun holiday-themed tattoos featuring festive imagery and fun messages. You can also draw directly on the paper. 

27. Winter Scrapbooking

Scrapbooks of great holiday memories are perfect for adding your own doodles and drawings to. Intersperse drawn accents among photos and other paper memorabilia. Not only can you preserve Christmases past, but you can also chart the evolution of your artmaking style. 

28. Thrifted Christmas Scene

For a fun project for any time of year, find a thrift store holiday painting or print and add Christmas details like lights, snowmen, reindeer and other festive imagery. You can create a truly unique piece of art and holiday décor for pennies.

29. Holiday Art Journal

A great way to celebrate every holiday is keeping a separate Christmas journal that you use each year during the winter season to write down thoughts, memories and impressions. Fill the margins and pages with doodles and drawings in the holiday spirit

30. Illustrated Cupcake Toppers

Art journal Christmas drawing idea
Holiday art journal (via Canva)

Use paper to make adorable cupcake toppers for holiday images and greetings for your next potluck of celebrations. Cut paper into circles and draw with markers or colored pencils then use a dab of glue to stick on the toothpick that sticks into the top of the cupcake. You can also draw images on the paper wrappers for festive baked treats and a cute Christmas cake idea.

31. Customized Labels

If you love giving food items you make yourself as gifts, hand draw some unique labels for your goods. Use adhesive paper to wrap jars of preserves, salads and soups with a decorative flair or create labels for handmade soaps with parchment paper you decorate yourself. 

Christmas Drawing Ideas for Kids

32. Nutcracker Paper Dolls

For a great Christmas drawing idea for older kids, have them create paper dolls of nutcrackers in marker, then cut them out and attach the arms and legs via paper brads. Use them for play, as decorations or hang them from string to create marionettes. 

33. Paper Snowflakes

Paper snowflake cutouts
Paper snowflakes (via Canva)

Creating paper snowflakes by folding thin paper in half and cutting out a symmetrical pattern is an easy and fun Christmas drawing idea for kids to do at any age that they can hold scissors. Use markers, crayons and colored pencils to add a pop of color to your snowflakes then hang them around your home.

34. Illustrated Letter to Santa

Kids of all ages who write to Santa each year will love this creative Christmas drawing idea. Draw images to illustrate the items that they hope to receive. Save these illustrated letters as a keepsake for your kids when they are older. 

35. Face Painting or Drawing

A fun Christmas drawing idea for kids is face painting. Have them draw cute holiday images and greetings on their skin with cosmetic-grade paints or create holiday looks like Santa’s rosy cheeks or Rudolph’s signature red nose. 

36. Christmas Finger Puppets

Draw some simple finger puppet designs of Santa, elves, snowmen and reindeer, then add a loop of paper around the back of the design. Kids can use them for imaginative play during the holiday season. 

37. Paper Angels

Paper angels Christmas drawing idea
Folded paper angels (via Canva)

Angel shapes are easy to create even for beginners. Cut out a few and have kids decorate the pieces with crayon, marker or colored pencil for a cute Christmas drawing idea.

38. Christmas Bunting

Create a simple decorative bunting from triangles of paper folded over ribbon or twine. Allow kids to decorate the pieces as they wish. You can create a fun element to string around the tree, over a holiday buffet table or along a fireplace mantle. 

39. Christmas Stickers

Buy some sheets of adhesive paper from the craft or office supply store and turn kids loose with markers, crayons and pencils to create their own sticker designs. They can use them on notebooks, gifts and water bottles for a festive touch. 

40. Gingerbread House

For younger kids, draw a simple house shape and allow them to draw in their own sweet details for a cute Christmas drawing idea that invites the imagination to create a one-of-a-kind gingerbread house on paper decked out in sweet treats.

41. Christmas Cookies

Christmas cookies
Christmas cookies (via Canva)

Have kids draw fun holiday images with frosting instead of ink. Use basic round sugar cookies and have kids create original ornament designs or use cookie cutters in fun shapes like Santas, elves and stars. Allow them to get creative with frosting and other toppings like sprinkles and edible glitter for an edible piece of art.

42. Holiday Flip Book

For a fun Christmas drawing idea for older kids, table small sheets of paper together and invite them to make a cartoon flip book of a holiday scene, such as Frosty melting or Santa slipping down the chimney. 

43. Candy Canes

Another perfect Christmas drawing idea for little ones is creating candy cane drawings. The simple line and hook of the shape is easy even for little hands and it's simple to color them in with crayons or markers. 

44. Handprint Drawing

While many people know they can create a turkey from a child’s handprint, you can also create a reindeer using the fingers as antlers. Have kids dip their hands in brown paint or ink and then draw in details like eyes, nose and mouth with a marker or pencil. 

These drawings make adorable keepsakes to preserve their handprint. Frame the drawing as a sweet Christmas gift for Mom.

Hard Christmas Drawing Ideas

45. Calligraphy Sign

Calligraphy sign Christmas drawing idea
Holiday calligraphy (via Canva)

If you know how to form beautiful letters via calligraphy, use those skills to create a beautiful custom sign for your holiday front door that welcomes guests. Add other holiday accents like stars, berries and garland around the words. Add watercolor to your images for a great Christmas painting idea. 

46. Woodland Scene

For a whimsical Christmas drawing idea, try creating a woodland scene in marker or colored pencil. Draw some fun trees and add creatures like squirrels, raccoons and foxes for a cute nature scene perfect for hanging on the wall as part of your winter or holiday décor. Create this cute Christmas drawing idea with pencil, ink or marker. 

47. Christmas Village

For another great project for those with more advanced drawing skills, render a village streetscape creating buildings, cars, light posts, mailboxes and other details. You can also add human and animal figures to the piece going about their day.

48. Paper Dollhouse

Create a fun dollhouse out of multiple sheets of paper on your wall as a pretty decorative accent. Use one sheet of paper for each room, including objects like furniture, artwork and décor. You can also create paper dolls to inhabit your two-dimensional house.

49. Nativity Scene

nativity scene stained glass
Stained glass depicting a nativity scene (via Canva)

Use paper to create a movable paper theater nativity scene. Use a background with a manger then add human and animal stories from the Christmas story that can be posed and moved around on the stage.  

50. Custom Calendar

Have a custom calendar created out of your drawings to give as a unique gift for the following year. Print companies like VistaPrint and Staples can provide templates to add your original drawings to premade monthly templates. This is also a fun idea for kids' artwork from the previous school year. 

51.  Illustrated Night Before Christmas Book

A Christmas classic, create your own version of this famous poem and draw images to go with each scene. Create a handbook book or have it professionally bound for a keepsake volume you will return to year after year. 

52. Holiday Pop-Up Book or Card

For a fun gift, create a pop-up booklet or card featuring your personal drawings. There are many great ideas for engineering the paper that you can find online at various different levels of difficulty.

53. Advent Calendar

handmade advent calendar Christmas drawing idea
Handmade advent calendar (via Canva)

Create a drawing every day and share it on social media as a countdown to Christmas. Not only will this induce you to create a small Christmas drawing idea with pencil, ink or marker 

each and every day of December, it will also help you practice your art skills daily. 

 

These Christmas drawing ideas are perfect whether you are an experienced artist or just putting the pen to the page for the first time. All will help you create beautiful and fun creative pieces, making your holiday more festive and filled with creativity. 

For even more fun drawing ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!