How to Draw the Empire State Building: Easy 9-Step Guide

Capture the majesty of New York City’s most famous skyscraper with this beginner-friendly drawing tutorial. Designed for artists ages 6 and up, this activity uses basic geometric shapes to build architectural confidence. Grab a pencil, an eraser, and a ruler to start constructing your own skyline masterpiece.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A vibrant, finished illustration of the Empire State Building standing tall in a city skyline.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Establishing the Foundation

Pencil sketch showing a horizontal ground line with a central rectangle base and four stacked vertical rectangles.

Start by drawing a horizontal line at the bottom of your paper to serve as the ground. Above it, sketch a central rectangle for the base, then add four smaller vertical rectangles stacked on top. Teacher's Tip: Keep your lines light; these are just the structural guides for the building's tiers.

Step 2: Shaping the Mid-Section

Drawing showing a large U-shape added to the top of the base rectangles with small rectangular accents.

Draw a large 'U' shape atop your rectangles to form the main body. Add small rectangles on the tips of the 'U' to represent the building's setbacks. Teacher's Tip: Focus on keeping the 'U' centered so your building doesn't look like it's leaning!

Step 3: Building the Upper Tiers

Adding three progressively smaller horizontal rectangles and one tall vertical rectangle to the top of the building.

Add three horizontal rectangles that get progressively smaller as you move upward. Finish this section with a tall vertical rectangle on top. Teacher's Tip: Think of this like building with blocks—the smaller pieces always go on top to create that iconic skyscraper silhouette.

Step 4: The Iconic Spire

Detailed drawing of the building's spire using geometric shapes like hexagons and triangles.

Add small rectangles at the base, then draw a hexagon, a trapezoid, and a thin triangle to form the spire. Fun Fact: The spire was originally designed as a mooring mast for airships! Teacher's Tip: Use short, quick strokes for the zigzag lines to give the spire a textured look.

Step 5: Adding Facade Texture

Adding vertical rectangular details to the lower facade of the building to simulate windows.

Draw narrow vertical rectangles along the base and lower levels to represent the building's windows and limestone panels. Teacher's Tip: Try to space them evenly to create a sense of rhythm and depth.

Step 6: Refining the Exterior

Continuing the vertical rectangular pattern across the entire front facade of the skyscraper.

Continue adding long, narrow vertical rectangles across the front of the building. Teacher's Tip: If your hand gets tired, take a break! Drawing repetitive shapes is great practice for steadying your hand.

Step 7: Creating the Skyline

Adding surrounding buildings of varying heights to create a realistic city skyline context.

Draw overlapping rectangles and trapezoids around your main building to create a city skyline. Add small windows to these neighboring structures. Teacher's Tip: Vary the heights of these buildings to make the Empire State Building stand out as the tallest.

Step 8: Adding Background Depth

Sketching distant, simplified building shapes in the background to add depth to the city scene.

Fill in the background with irregular geometric shapes to suggest more buildings in the distance. Teacher's Tip: Keep these background shapes simpler and less detailed so they don't distract from your main subject.

Step 9: Final Touches

Final line drawing of the city skyline with added clouds in the sky.

Complete your skyline by adding a few fluffy clouds in the sky. Teacher's Tip: Use soft, rounded lines for the clouds to contrast with the sharp, straight lines of the buildings.

Step 10: Bringing it to Life with Color

Finished colored drawing of the Empire State Building with tan facade and blue sky.

Color your drawing! Use light tan or gray tones for the limestone facade. Teacher's Tip: Use a darker shade for the windows to make them pop against the lighter building walls.