How to Draw Pirate Ships in 9 Steps

Ahoy, mateys! Use the easy instructions on this page to draw your own pirate ship, in the Caribbean or elsewhere.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the above pirate ship. Either draw it 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 gray. Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

Ready to get started? Check out the next page, and let's work on drawing the hull.

Contents

Draw the Hull
Add the Deck
Continue Work on the Hull
Draw the Masts
Add Crossbars and Portholes
Draw Flags on the Masts
Draw the Sails
Add Rigging Lines
Add the Finishing Touches

1. Draw the Hull

Draw the long, triangular main form for the boat.

Check out the next page, and we'll work on drawing the deck.

2. Add the Deck

Add an angled shape on the back end of the boat. Draw a line along the side of the boat, and continue it on to form a post coming off the front end of the ship. Bring the line back along the far side of the hull.

We'll continue work on the ship's hull on the next page.

3. Continue Work on the Hull

Outline the back shape and the top of the boat's hull to add depth and create the ship's deck. Use stacked rectangles to add details to the back deck and deck steps.

Check out the next page, and we'll add the masts.

4. Draw the Masts

Draw three tall masts rising from the deck. Add a fourth mast angling forward from the deck. Draw a long, curved bar that extends to the end of the post on the boat's tip. Use lines to sketch some side beam details on the hull.

Head over to the next page, and we'll continue our work on the masts.

5. Add Crossbars and Portholes

Sketch long, thin sticks on the masts to create the crossbars. Add six circular porthole windows on the boat's side.

Every mast needs a flag. We'll add those in the next step.

6. Draw Flags on the Masts

Draw three rectangular windows on the back of the ship. Add a long, thin rectangle underneath them to create detail. Sketch flags on each mast. Draw two small wedges and a shape like a pickax on the far side of the deck.

Our pirate ship is not complete without sails. Check out the next page to learn how to draw them.

7. Draw the Sails

Draw sails using the crossbars and masts as guides. The lowest sails on the back two masts are rolled up on the crossbars. To create this look, draw a squiggly-lined rectangular shape.

On the next page, we'll draw the rigging lines.

8. Add Rigging Lines

Draw lines going from one crossbar to another. Add several lines angling down from the center mast.

Our ship is almost ready to sail. Head over to the next page, and we'll add the final touches.

9. Add the Finishing Touches

Trace the pencil lines you want to keep with a felt-tip pen. Erase any extra lines.

Draw a day at the lake with water skiing or maybe a swift race around an aquatic track with our next drawing project. Drawing speedboats is just as exciting as pirate ships.

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