How to Draw Bert and Ernie: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Bring the magic of Sesame Street to your sketchbook! This tutorial is perfect for young artists ages 6+ who want to practice character proportions. Grab a pencil, an eraser, and some markers to recreate everyone’s favorite duo.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

Colorful, finished illustration of Bert and Ernie standing side-by-side.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching Bert’s Head

Pencil sketch of Bert's head shape with his iconic pointed hair and ear outlines.

Start by sketching Bert’s head using two curved lines to form an elongated oval. Add his signature pointed hair on top with small, jagged strokes. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil pressure light so you can easily adjust the shape if it looks a bit too wide.

Step 2: Building Bert’s Torso

Outline of Bert's sweater collar and torso structure.

Draw the collar of his turtleneck, then add two 'V' shapes below for his sweater. Extend lines downward to form his torso and arms. Teacher's Tip: Use a ruler or a straight edge if you’re struggling to keep the sweater stripes parallel later on!

Step 3: Defining Bert’s Face

Detailed facial features for Bert including his unibrow, eyes, and large nose.

Draw his famous unibrow as a narrow, curved rectangle. Add two circles for eyes with smaller pupils inside, then place a large oval nose between them. Teacher's Tip: The nose should sit right in the center of the face to give him that classic Bert expression.

Step 4: Outlining Ernie’s Head

Initial circular outline for Ernie's head shape.

Now, let’s start Ernie! Use a long, smooth curved line to create the shape of his head. Teacher's Tip: Ernie’s head is rounder than Bert’s, so try to make this line look like a soft, friendly circle.

Step 5: Adding Ernie’s Hair

Ernie's hair drawn with small, jagged tufts on top of his head.

Draw Ernie’s hair using a series of short, curved lines that meet at sharp points. Teacher's Tip: Think of these as little 'tufts' of hair—don't worry about making them perfectly symmetrical, as messy hair looks more natural!

Step 6: Ernie’s Ears and Shoulders

Ernie's ears and shoulder outlines added to the drawing.

Add semi-circular ears on both sides of his head. Then, draw a long curved line for his shirt collar and shoulders. Teacher's Tip: Keep the shoulder lines sloping downwards to give him a relaxed, friendly posture.

Step 7: Drawing Ernie’s Hand

Ernie's arm and hand structure with visible fingers.

Draw his arm and sleeve cuff, then use 'U' shaped lines to create his fingers. Teacher's Tip: Drawing hands can be tricky! If you make a mistake, use your eraser to soften the lines before trying again.

Step 8: Ernie’s Facial Features

Ernie's face with eyes, nose, and a wide, happy smile.

Draw his round nose overlapping his eye ovals. Add pupils and a big, happy smile with a tongue inside. Teacher's Tip: A slight curve in the mouth makes him look like he’s about to tell a joke!

Step 9: Adding Clothing Details

Bert and Ernie with striped patterns added to their shirts.

Finish the look by adding stripes to their shirts. Teacher's Tip: Keep your stripes evenly spaced to make their outfits look neat and professional.

Step 10: Bring Them to Life with Color

Finished drawing of Bert and Ernie fully colored in their signature yellow and orange.

Time to color! Use bright yellow for Bert and vibrant orange for Ernie. Teacher's Tip: Use light, circular motions with your colored pencils to get a smooth, even fill without streaks.