How to Draw a Moon in 5 Simple Steps

The ability to draw is a gift. Yes, it comes more naturally for some, those seemingly born with an eye for a line and a hand that follows the mind. For the rest of us, it’s a foreign language that is difficult to decipher. But drawing is not an innate ability. It’s a skill, one that parents — through encouragement and cheerleading — can hone in their kids.

A great way for anyone to start is with a step-by-step drawing. For the skilled artists or the kid that can’t color between the lines, following a practiced artist step-by-step as they build out a character or scene is a great way to see how a pro does it. It’s also the perfect way to practice and to come away with a drawing that is most likely beyond your skill.

Here, Fatherly’s resident professional artist — illustration fellow Connor Robinson — has come with a suite of fun Halloween drawings (because, kids + Halloween) including pumpkins, bats, and here, a spooky clouded moon.

So here’s how to draw the moon in 5 simple steps. If your kid loses interest in drawing, there are always Halloween jokes to turn to.

What You’ll Need

• A paper
• A pencil
• Some crayons (optional)

The key to drawing a realistic moon is knowing how to properly combine round and spherical shapes. You need a big one and then smaller ones to form the craters.

Step 1: Start by drawing a big circle across the page

Try a few drafts of this first step and let your kids know that drawing a perfect circle is an impossible skill even Rembrandt could not master. It’s also a great way to practice drawing skills.

Step 2: Scribble a cloud towards the top and bottom of your circle

Use short connected curved lines to achieve this. There’s room for some creativity here. Want a whispy cloud? Try out a few more straight lines.

Step 3: Fill the bigger circle with smaller spheres of different sizes

These smaller spheres will form the craters on the moon.

Step 4: Draw a line across the bigger spheres to form a crescent

You can also use your pencil at this point to add detail by drawing short curved lines across the surface of the moon.

Step 5: Shade in the crescent, with a black pencil to highlight your craters

That’s it! Now is the time for your kid to add some flare. You can color the clouds or moon in eery shades, add in bats for a more holistic Halloween effect, or get out the glue and glitter and go to town on this portrait. Be sure to hang it up after all is done — an excellent addition to your usual Halloween decorations.