Since ancient times, mankind has been fascinated and curious about the notion of death and mortality. Numerous fantasies have emerged on the subject, fuelling debates within numerous communities. This growing interest has manifested itself in artistic relics from antiquity, such as human bones, skulls and, of course, the famous skull and crossbones symbol drawn on walls.

Even in the age of modern art, this fascination with skulls persists. Today, we’re going to show you how to draw your own skull and crossbones.


A) How to make a realistic drawing of a skull and crossbones

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Start by drawing an oval for the upper part of the skull, and a rectangular shape for the jaw. Be sure to draw them large enough to take up all the space.
How To Draw A Skull

Add two small circles for the eyes, as well as a teardrop shape for the nose.
How To Draw A Skull

Now add a smile below the main oval, as well as a semicircle on either side of the skull to represent the ears.
How To Draw A Skull

Now redraw the upper jaw as shown in the example. Round out the cheekbones and curve them toward the top of the skull.
How To Draw A Skull

Next, redraw the lower jaw. Add a curve to the inside of each side to indicate where the jaw meets the teeth. Be sure to keep the contours rough, as bones are never perfectly smooth.
How To Draw A Skull

Next, redraw the top of the skull. Again, make sure you don’t make it too smooth, as this won’t be realistic compared to the real bone shapes.
How To Draw A Skull

Redraw the contours of the eyes to form the eye sockets. Add a small shape inside each eye socket to mark the areas that will be darkened later. Continue with the nose. The nose has an internal bone that separates the nostrils. Try to follow the example to guide you later.
How To Draw A Skull

Let’s move on to the teeth. Normally, the upper jaw has 16 teeth. Start on the right-hand side of the upper jaw, then draw the reflection of each tooth on the other side of the jaw. Repeat the same operation for the lower jaw.
How To Draw A Skull

Now it’s time to add the details. Draw lines to indicate where you’re going to draw the brow bones. Add more lines inside the cheekbones to show their inward curve. Above and below the teeth, add lines to represent the area where the teeth are sunken inside the jaw. Don’t forget them, as they really do make a difference. You can even add more lines for more detail.
How To Draw A Skull

Perfect! Now for the skull and crossbones colors. Skulls and bones are never really white. In fact, calcium gives them a slightly grayish or yellowish hue.
How To Draw A Skull

Choose a shade of grey similar to that of “iron”. A skull and crossbones is never really white. Add a bit of very dark gray, almost black, to the inside of the nose and in the dark areas of the eye sockets.
How To Draw A Skull

Add a skull shadow for extra volume. Determine in advance where the light source will come from to direct shadows and reflections.
How To Draw A Skull

If you’ve followed all the steps, your final skull and crossbones design should look like this:
How To Draw A Skull

So, are you happy with the result?

B) How to Draw a Pirate Skull

In different times and places, the skull symbol has been associated with a variety of meanings evoking a variety of concepts. In history, popular culture and belief, this symbol appeared on a black flag, indicating that a ship was a pirate ship. It has also been used as an emblem or banner for certain fraternities, academic movements, military groups or secret societies, such as the Skull & Bones Society.

In Spanish-speaking cultures, it is sometimes used to mark the entrance to a cemetery. On product packaging, the skull and crossbones symbol indicates danger, warning that the product may be toxic or lethal, requiring careful handling.

If you’d like to learn how to draw a skull and crossbones, here’s a step-by-step method you can reproduce on a sheet of paper. All you need is a pencil or other writing utensil. We recommend that you use a pencil for your first attempts, as you’ll find it easy to erase and redo the details.

As you follow this drawing guide, each step is accompanied by an illustration. The new lines drawn at each stage will be blue, while the previous lines will remain black. Start by making a light sketch, not pressing too hard on the pencil lead, as you’ll need to erase some of the first lines, called guide lines, as the drawing progresses.

Start by drawing a circle.
How To Draw A Skull

Adds a curved line starting from inside the previous circle and extending downwards.
How To Draw A Skull

Draw a line symmetrical to the previous line on the other side to draw the other cheekbone of the skull.
How To Draw A Skull

Deletes the arc between the two curved lines.
How To Draw A Skull

Draw another curve from the middle of the first curve downwards.
How To Draw A Skull

Again, draw a line symmetrical to the previous line.
How To Draw A Skull

Draw a line connecting the ends of the previous two lines to form the lower jaw.
How To Draw A Skull

To draw the teeth, start by drawing a curve in the middle of the lower part of the skull, forming a smile.
How To Draw A Skull

Next, draw the teeth above the last curved line. Each tooth is an inverted “U”-shaped curve. Repeat this step to create eleven teeth, overlapping each other. The two front teeth, the incisors, should be the largest. The teeth get smaller and smaller as they move away from the center.
How To Draw A Skull

Uses the same “U” shape to draw the lower teeth, matching them to the mirror of the upper teeth.
How To Draw A Skull

Draw the left eye by tracing a circle shape.
How To Draw A Skull

Next, draw a second circle for the right eye.
How To Draw A Skull

Below the two eyes, roughly draw an irregular egg shape to represent the nasal cavity.
How To Draw A Skull

Inside this cavity, draw two curved lines to represent the separation of the nostrils. These lines start from the upper middle of the cavity and extend to either side.
How To Draw A Skull

The skull is now complete. Let’s move on to the crossbones. Draw the bone extending from the upper right corner. To begin, draw a large line in the shape of an inverted “U”. Next, draw another line in the shape of an open “U” to the left. Connect this line to the skull with a slightly curved line.
How To Draw A Skull

Draw the other end of this bone, bottom left. Use two curved lines to form this bone. Each line should be roughly shaped like the top of a question mark.
How To Draw A Skull

Now draw the bone at bottom right using two curves, as before.
How To Draw A Skull

Now trace the bone on the upper left side. It should be a mirror reflection of the bone on the right side, made up of three “U”-shaped curves.

How To Draw A Skull

To add depth, darken the eye sockets as well as the upper part of the nasal cavity.
How To Draw A Skull

Finally, erase the lower central part of the nasal cavity to finish off your skull!
How To Draw A Skull

Now you have a unique skull and crossbones worthy of the flags of the greatest pirates. Come and discover our best flags to decorate your room like a real pirate. As a bonus, learn how to draw a pirate skull too!

C) 3 Ways to Draw a Skull Step by Step

1) A Realistic Skull

How To Draw A Skull

Start by drawing the top half of a circle.

How To Draw A Skull

Add two lines inside the circle, one on each side. The lines should start inside the circle and curve slightly outwards.

How To Draw A Skull

Extending these two lines, draw two new lines on each side, inclining them downwards and slightly inwards. These lines will form the cheekbones of the skull.

How To Draw A Skull

Finish the curves of the cheekbones by bringing the lines back to the center and then down.

How To Draw A Skull

Connect the two sides with a straight, slightly curved line. This line will represent the base of the teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Under the cheekbones, draw a wide “U”-shaped line connecting one cheekbone to the other, passing over the lines drawn in step 4. This line will represent the tops of the teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Between the lines drawn in steps 6 and 7, draw another parallel line. This line will represent the middle of the teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Draw several small lines from top to bottom along the middle line to form the teeth. Now your skull is smiling!

How To Draw A Skull

Under the cheekbones, next to the lines drawn in step 6, draw two lines sloping downwards and inwards.

How To Draw A Skull

Connect these two lines with a new curved line in the shape of an elongated “U”. You’ve just drawn the jaw of your skull. You’ve almost reached the end!

How To Draw A Skull

To add the nostrils, trace two almost triangular shapes between the cheekbones.

How To Draw A Skull

Above the nostrils, draw two large circles to outline the orbits of the skull.

2) Drawing a Sugar Skull

How To Draw A Skull
Start by drawing a slightly flattened circle on the bottom, giving an impression of crushing.

How To Draw A Skull

At the bottom of the circle, inside the circle on one side, draw a graceful “U”-shaped curve descending and then ascending inside the circle on the other side. This represents the contour of the teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Between the base of the circle and the line drawn in step 2, draw a parallel line to separate the two rows of teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Draw lines from top to bottom to form the teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Draw a line on each side of the mouth, parallel to it.

How To Draw A Skull

Draw a curve connecting the two lines drawn in step 5. This curve must be parallel to the mouth to form the jaw.

How To Draw A Skull

Above the teeth, draw two teardrop shapes for the nostrils.

How To Draw A Skull

Finally, draw the two eyes. The sugar skull is now complete!

3) Drawing a Mexican Skull

How To Draw A Skull
Start by drawing a circle, but leave a wide opening at the bottom.

How To Draw A Skull

On either side of the open circle, draw a line that slopes gently down.

How To Draw A Skull

Connect the two ends of these lines. This forms the lower jaw line.

How To Draw A Skull

Above the line drawn in step 3, draw a parallel line to represent the middle of the teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Above the middle line, draw a series of inverted “U” shapes to form the top row of teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

On the other side of the centerline, draw another series of “U “s to form the bottom row of teeth.

How To Draw A Skull

Above the top row of teeth, draw two teardrop shapes for the nostrils.

How To Draw A Skull

Next, draw the two big eyes. You’re done! Easy, isn’t it?

Of course, these little skulls won’t be enough to decorate an entire room in your home. That’s why we’ve got a complete collection of five-piece skull paintings. We’re sure you’ll find one to suit your taste!


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