How to Draw a Viking: Easy 10-Step Guide for Kids

Ready to set sail on an artistic adventure? This tutorial is perfect for young artists ages 6+ who want to create their own brave Viking character. All you need is a pencil, an eraser, and a piece of paper to bring this legendary explorer to life.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A colorful, friendly cartoon Viking standing with a sword, ready for a drawing tutorial.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Head and Eyes

Pencil sketch showing a circular head shape with two simple eyes and pupils drawn inside.

Start by drawing a light circle for the head. Inside, add two smaller circles for the eyes, each with a tiny shaded pupil. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil lines very faint here so they are easy to erase later if you need to adjust the placement.

Step 2: Adding Facial Features and Helmet Base

Viking drawing showing added ears, a helmet band, and a simple nose structure.

Add 'C' shaped ears on the sides and a small half-circle on top for the helmet. Draw a vertical line between the eyes and a backward 'C' below it for a comical nose. Teacher's Tip: Use a light touch for the nose to keep the character looking friendly rather than sharp.

Step 3: Creating the Angry Glare and Horns

Drawing showing the addition of sharp horns, a wide mouth with teeth, and angled eyebrows.

Give your Viking an 'angry' look by replacing the top of the eyes with diagonal rectangles. Draw a curved mouth with teeth, and add two sharp, pointed horns above the ears. Teacher's Tip: If the horns look uneven, remember that Viking helmets were often handmade and imperfect!

Step 4: Drawing the Bushy Beard

Viking illustration showing a large, textured beard replacing the chin area.

Erase the bottom of the head circle and replace it with a thick, bushy beard using overlapping 'U' shaped lines. Add curved bands to the horns for texture. Teacher's Tip: Vary the size of your 'U' shapes to make the beard look full and wavy.

Step 5: Outlining the Body

Outline of the Viking's torso and legs extending from the beard.

Extend two long, curved lines down from the beard and connect them at a point to form the torso and legs. Teacher's Tip: Keep these lines symmetrical to ensure your Viking stands straight and tall.

Step 6: Adding Armor and Belt

Viking drawing showing shoulder armor, a studded belt, and a jagged tunic hem.

Draw triangular shoulder armor and a belt across the waist. Add small circles to the belt for studs. Finish the tunic bottom with jagged, triangular points. Teacher's Tip: Use a darker pencil stroke for the armor to make it stand out from the tunic.

Step 7: Drawing the Arms and Hands

Viking drawing showing muscular arms with fingers and textured arm hair.

Draw large, muscular arms extending from the shoulders. Use 'U' shapes for fingers and add tiny curved lines for fingernails. Add a few small lines on the arms to represent hair. Teacher's Tip: Don't worry about making the fingers perfect; focus on the overall shape.

Step 8: Adding Furry Sleeves and Sword Guard

Viking drawing showing added fur sleeves and the base of a sword handle.

Add furry sleeves using 'U' shaped lines under the shoulders. Draw an oval across one hand to start the sword's cross-guard. Teacher's Tip: The fur texture is just a series of connected curves—keep them loose and bouncy!

Step 9: Completing the Sword

Viking drawing showing the completed sword blade and handle details.

Finish the sword by drawing the blade and the pommel behind the arm. Add a center line down the blade for detail. Teacher's Tip: Use a ruler if you want the sword blade to look extra straight and sharp.

Step 10: Color Your Viking

Fully colored cartoon Viking character with armor, beard, and sword.

Bring your Viking to life with color! Use earthy tones like browns, grays, and metallic silvers for the armor and helmet. Teacher's Tip: Try using markers for bold lines and colored pencils for shading to give your Viking a professional, finished look.