How to Draw a Cowboy in 5 Steps

With a hat on his head and lasso in his hand, this cowboy is happiest on the range. If you love Western movies, cowboys, the Old West, or any of the above, you'll love learning how to draw this rugged cowboy.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the above cowboy. 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.

Check out the next page for the first step.

1. Draw the Outline

Draw an egg-shaped head. Divide it into upper and lower halves to show the eye and top of the ear. Sketch part of an oval for the ear. Add lines for the eyebrows, nose, mouth, and top of the chin. Place an upright line in the upper right side of the head. Use a large curved rectangle for the chest and a smaller rectangle for the hips.

Attach the head to the chest and the chest to the hips with two curved lines. Use ovals, lines, and odd-shaped tubes, triangles, and rectangles to outline the arms, hands, legs, knees, and foot.

We'll continue work on the outline on the next page.

2. Draw the Outline of the Clothes

Use a Z-shaped figure and a short bumpy line for the nose. Draw a very thin pointed tube for the eyebrow. Sketch an A-shaped figure lying on its side for the eye. Shape the mouth and chin as a short curved line and a small comma-shaped figure. Form the jawline, neck, and shoulders using a few sharply and gently curved lines.

Connect the chest and hips with two upright curved lines. Outline the sleeves and jeans, including wrinkles, using several curved lines. Make a boot shape out of the triangle. Add four unfinished ovals, two long curved lines, and an upright thin rectangle missing its top end to form the rope.

On the next page, we'll draw the hat and jacket.

3. Draw the Hat and Jacket

Form the hat with an upside-down bowl and a curved V-shaped figure with one very long end that curves up and around to the back of the head. Draw the hairline under the hat. For the nostril, use a very short line and a bent line. Sketch a long Y-shaped figure for the open part of the jacket, placing a V-shaped figure and a U-shaped figure inside it for the scarf. Use several curved lines to shape the wrinkled sleeves and jeans, as well as the bottom of the jacket.

Define the U-shaped fingers, and add curved knuckles to the hand on your left. Place a sharply bent line near the front of the boot and a curved line in front of the heel. To form the fence rail, place eight straight lines on both sides of the body and between both legs and the rope.

On the next page, we'll add some detail to the clothes.

4. Add Detail to the Clothes

Sketch the tied ends of the scarf and the jacket's collar, pockets, shoulder tops, sleeves, and wrinkles using a rectangle, triangles, and several curved and straight lines. Draw unfinished ovals on the top pockets for buttons. Use a few curved lines to show some of the wavy hair. Place two lines in the neck. Add details to the rope and boot using curved and bent lines.

We'll add the final touches on the next page.

5. Add the Finishing Touches

Make the rope look twisted by using many pairs of short curved lines. Use several jagged and curved lines to add wrinkles to the jacket and jeans.

Finish detailing the boot by forming two tiny banana-shaped figures below the bottom of the jeans leg. Add some texture to the fence rail using an oval, a U-shaped figure, and a few curved lines. Shade the clothes, hair, neck, hands, and under the hat's brim using several curved and jagged lines.

Way to go! This cowboy is ready to wrangle some cattle. To explore another kind of occupation, check out the next section to learn how to draw a chef.