Drawing Pikachu’s Face
Draw a circle and divide it into 4 sections for the outline of Pikachu’s head. Sketch a large circle where you’d like the head to be, then lightly draw a vertical line down the middle of the circle. Draw a horizontal line slightly above the halfway point of the vertical line so the top sections are smaller than the bottom ones. These guidelines will help you position Pikachu’s facial features as you draw, but sketch them lightly so you can erase them later on. If you’re having trouble drawing a circle freehand, find any round object like a glass or compass, and trace it for the perfect circle.
Sketch long, pointed ears on top of the head. To create the ears, place your pencil on one side of the head, slightly above the horizontal line. Draw a long curved line extending from the head that’s almost equal in length to the diameter of the head. Then, starting at the end of the first curve, draw a second curved line back down to the head. Repeat on the other side of the head to make the other ear. Alternatively, use a ruler to help you sketch 2 vertical guidelines coming out of the head. Draw the lines lightly, and make sure they’re the same length so the ears are perfectly symmetrical. Then, sketch 2 curved lines on both sides of each vertical line to form the ear.
Draw Pikachu’s round cheeks and chin near the bottom of the head. To draw the cheeks, start with your pencil slightly below the horizontal line of the circle. Draw a line that curves away from the circle and then reconnects with the bottom of the circle, right where the vertical line and circle intersect. Repeat the same steps on the other side of the face so the ends of the curved lines meet at the bottom of the circle (to form the chin). Feel free to extend the curved line farther away from the circle if you want Pikachu to have chubbier cheeks!
Add the ear and cheek markings. For the ear markings, place your pencil slightly above the halfway point along one side of the ear, and draw a downward U-shape that ends at the same point on the other side. Repeat this step on the other ear to add another marking. To make the cheek markings, place your pencil on the outer edge of the cheek, where the cheek juts out the most from the head, and draw a semi-circle that ends near the bottom of the cheek—and repeat this on the other side. When you draw the ear markings, try to mimic the curve of the actual ear so it looks more similar to the animation.
Sketch the eyes on the horizontal line running through the circle. Draw 2 medium-sized circles on each side of the vertical guideline so the horizontal guideline is going through the center of them. Space the circles closer to the outer edges of Pikachu’s face, instead of the vertical line guideline, then draw a smaller circle near the top of each eye to make a pupil. Shade in the surrounding space around the pupil to give the eyes an animated look. If you want Pikachu’s eyes to look even more reflective and animated, draw an even smaller circle underneath the pupil and leave it unfilled.
Draw Pikachu's mouth and tiny nose. To draw the mouth, place your pencil on the left side of the vertical guideline, right between the middle of the horizontal guideline and the chin (and along the path of the inner corner of the eye). Draw a short, wide W-shape across the vertical line, with the middle point of the “W” aligning with the vertical line. To create Pikachu’s nose, draw a small, upside-down triangle slightly above the top of the mouth, then shade it in. If you want to make a bigger smile, draw a long U-shaped curve that extends from the bottom of the mouth, or draw a small U-shaped curve to create a soft smile.
Erase any guidelines and color in your Pikachu. To clean up your drawing, erase the parts of the circle that fall inside Pikachu’s cheeks and ears, along with the vertical and horizontal lines that divide the face into 4 sections. Once you erase the guidelines, get creative with colored pencils, crayons, or fine-tipped markers to bring your Pikachu to life: use red for the cheek markings, black for the ear markings, and yellow for Pikachu’s skin. Now that you’ve mastered drawing Pikachu, you can learn how to draw Jigglypuff, Snorlax, or the Three Legendary Birds from Pokémon!
Sketching a Full-Size Pikachu
Draw a rounded, vertical rectangle for the outline of Pikachu’s head and body. This will act as a guide for the rest of your drawing, so make sure you sketch the lines lightly so you can go back and erase them. Draw the rectangle about twice as tall as it is wide, and position it near the right side of your paper so you leave enough space on to draw Pikachu’s tail later on. Before sketching the outline on your actual paper, practice a few times on scratch paper until you’re happy with the results. Alternatively, cut out a rectangular piece of paper and trace it to make your outline.
Divide the rectangle up into 6 sections. To help you position Pikachu’s features, draw some light guidelines inside the rectangle. Use a ruler to help you sketch a vertical line down the center of the rectangle, then draw a horizontal line across the center as well. To create the last 2 sections, sketch a second horizontal line through the halfway point between the top of the rectangle and the first horizontal line you just drew. When you’re finished sketching, you should have 6 sections: 4 on top and 2 on bottom. These guidelines will be erased later on, so make sure you sketch them lightly.
Draw the shape of Pikachu’s head in the top half of the rectangle. Starting at the center of the top of the rectangle, draw a downward curved line that tapers in toward the top horizontal line. When you reach the top horizontal line, curve the line back out and draw an even wider curve to make Pikachu’s cheek. End the line at the central horizontal line, leaving a little bit of space from the side of the rectangle, and repeat on the other side. If you need help with drawing the shape of the head, look up a reference photo of Pikachu online and follow the general shape in the photo.
Draw the outline of Pikachu’s body in the bottom half of the rectangle. For Pikachu’s body, start with your pencil at the bottom of one of the cheeks (in the top half of the rectangle). Draw a vertical, outward facing curve down to the center of the bottom line of the rectangle, and repeat this on the other side. To connect the 2 ends of the vertical curved lines, draw a horizontal, upward curve across the vertical line at the bottom of the body.
Draw Pikachu’s long, pointed ears extending off the top of the head. Starting with your pencil near the top of Pikachu’s head, draw a long, vertical curved line that’s about as tall as the head. Then, from the end of that line, draw a vertical curved line back down to the head—the ear should look like a narrow oval that comes to a point at the end. Repeat this on the other side of the head to make the second ear. Pikachu can move its ears independently of one another, so feel free to draw the ears at different angles! If you want one of the ears sticking out to the side while the other is straight, just draw the curved lines extending from the head horizontally instead of vertically.
Add Pikachu’s arms and feet. For the arms, sketch a medium-sized U-shape underneath the central horizontal guideline, with the top part of the “U” facing away from the vertical guideline, then repeat on the other side. For the feet, start at one end of the horizontal curved line (near the center of the bottom of the body). Draw a downward curved line away from the body, ending at the edge of the rectangle, then bring it back toward the body in a slightly upward facing direction. Repeat this on the other side. After you draw the arms, draw 5 zigzags near the base of the “U” to give Pikachu claws. For Pikachu’s toes, draw 2-3 short lines inside each foot that are parallel to the upper edge of the foot.
Draw Pikachu’s eyes, nose, and mouth. For the eyes, sketch 2 medium-sized circles on top of the first horizontal line guideline, then draw smaller circles inside each eye to create pupils. For the nose, draw a small inverted triangle where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect (in the middle of the first and central horizontal line). Then, draw a short, wide W-shape slightly below the nose (across the vertical line) to make a soft smile. When you’re finished, shade in Pikachu’s tiny nose and the area surrounding the pupils. Feel free to follow a reference photo and create any facial expression you like. For instance, if you want an excited Pikachu, you could draw 2 horizontal curved lines for the eyes.
Add the cheek and ear markings. Starting below the first horizontal guideline, draw 2 medium-sized circles on both sides of Pikachu’s face (near the outer edge of the cheek). For the ear markings, place your pencil above the halfway point of the ear, and draw an upward curve across the inside of the ear. Then, repeat this on the other side. Pikachu’s ear markings should look like short, triangular tips that are slanted at the bottoms. For a traditional Pikachu drawing, make the cheek markings slightly larger than eyes.
Draw 3 stacked rectangles as guidelines for the tail. Starting with your pencil at the bottom of Pikachu’s left hip, sketch a vertical rectangle next to the left side of the body that ends near the top of the arm. Draw a second vertical rectangle that overlaps the first one in the upper left corner, then draw a larger horizontal rectangle that overlaps the second one, with the top of the third rectangle lining up with the top horizontal guideline. Make the width of the final rectangle about the same as the width of Pikachu’s head. Don't worry if your rectangles look messy! Since they're just guidelines, you'll erase them later on.
Draw Pikachu’s zigzag tail over the rectangular guidelines. Since the guidelines provide the basic shape of the tail, go back in and define the outer edges of the rectangles. Try to angle each line ever so slightly and make a sharp point at the tip to mimic Pikachu’s iconic tail. Then, draw a horizontal zigzag line across the middle of the lowest rectangle to represent the brown base. If you want to create a sharper tail, use a ruler to help you outline the rectangular guidelines.
Erase any guidelines and add some color to your Pikachu. To polish up your drawing, erase the guidelines inside the tail, the rectangular outline of the head and body, and the vertical and horizontal guidelines inside the body. Then, use crayons, colored pencils, or markers to add more personality! Use yellow for Pikachu’s skin, red for the cheek markings, black for the ear markings, and brown for the base of the tail. If you decide to go with colored pencils, you can also blend colors together to add more dimension to your drawing. Start with a darker yellow base for the skin and layer a lighter yellow on top, or add a dark orange color near the feet to add shading. If you want to add more art to your collection, learn to draw Misty from Pokémon, Arceus, Charmander.
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