How to Draw a Woman in a Cocktail Dress in 5 Steps

This woman looks as sweet as the rose she's holding! This drawing will give you the added challenge of drawing the woman from behind. Once you learn to draw this woman in a cocktail dress, use your imagination to create the setting -- Glamorous ball? Intimate dinner party? You be the judge.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the woman in a cocktail dress above. Either draw the picture freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in black. Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

1. Draw the Outline

Draw an oval with a pointed lower left side for the head. Divide the oval into uneven left and right halves with a vertical line to determine the center of the head. Separate the oval into upper and lower halves with a horizontal line to show the position of the tops of the eyes.

Sketch a horizontal line from the hairline about one-sixth of the way down from the top of the oval. Divide the area below that into three equal parts. The first line below the hairline is for the eyebrows, and the next line shows the location of the tip of the nose.

Divide the area below the nose into three more equal parts. The line below the nose is for the mouth opening, and the next line is for the lower lip.

Draw a curved line from the lower right side of the head to show the shape of the neck and backbone. Use rectangles for the chest and hip areas. Draw a curved line between the rectangles for the waist.

Form the arms and legs with curved tube shapes. Sketch oval shapes for the shoulders and kneecap. Draw two odd-shaped rectangles for the hands. Use wedge shapes for the feet.

We'll work on the dress in the next step.

2. Draw the Dress

Draw an oval for the ear and extend uneven lines from it to form the hairline. Sketch the neck and shoulders with curved lines. Add full sleeves and a skirt outline with long straight lines. Block the right shoe.

Check out the following page for the next step.

3. Add the Hair

Use curved lines to shape the hair. Outline the profile with an uneven line. Draw a curve for the eyebrow and a triangle for the eye. Add a squiggle to the ear. Use two long bent lines for the back of the dress. Sketch odd-shaped triangles and ovals for the bow. Add several straight lines for the folds.

Sketch the fingers as shown. Draw a stem with leaves and a rose shape for the flower. Add some straight lines to the back of the skirt for folds. Sketch the shoes with odd shapes.

We'll add some detail to the dress in the next step.

4. Add Detail to the Dress

Add eyelids with small V-shaped figures. Shape full lips using odd-shaped ovals. Draw a bow in the hair with three triangles. Add hair to the back of the neck with wavy lines.

Sketch straight and zigzag lines for wrinkles, pulls, and folds on the dress. Crinkle the sleeves with squiggles. Use curved lines to make the peplum hem uneven. Define the flower with curved lines.

We'll finish up next.

5. Add the Final Touches

Shade the hair and bow with squiggles. Add shading to the back of the dress and right ankle. Draw in the veins of the leaves with short straight lines.

That's it! This drawing can be challenging, so don't worry if your first attempt isn't picture-perfect. Just keep practicing, and before long you'll see results you can be proud of. For another version of a woman in formal wear, see the next page to learn how to draw a woman in an evening dress.