How to Draw the Northern Lights: Easy 10-Step Guide

Capture the magic of the Aurora Borealis with this beginner-friendly drawing tutorial, perfect for artists ages 6 and up. You will need a pencil, eraser, and your favorite colored pencils or markers to bring this night sky to life. Follow along to master the art of drawing rolling hills, evergreen silhouettes, and dancing ribbons of light.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A vibrant, finished illustration of the Northern Lights over a snowy forest landscape.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the First Evergreen

Pencil sketch of a single evergreen tree with jagged branches on a white background.

Start by drawing an evergreen tree. Use pairs of short, curved lines that meet at jagged points to form the branches. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil pressure light so you can easily adjust the shape of the tree later.

Step 2: Adding Rolling Hills

Two evergreen trees with a curved line connecting them to represent a rolling hill.

Finish your first tree and add a second one nearby. Then, draw a long, sweeping curved line between the trees to create the base of your rolling hills. Teacher's Tip: Make the line slightly uneven to give the ground a natural, hilly look.

Step 3: Creating the Forest Line

A forest line featuring multiple evergreen trees of varying sizes.

Add another pine tree and a line of smaller trees in the distance using the same jagged branch technique. Teacher's Tip: Draw these smaller to create a sense of depth and perspective in your landscape.

Step 4: Sketching the Mountain Horizon

Mountain range outline with the beginning of a wavy aurora light ribbon above.

Draw a wavy line above the trees to represent a distant mountain range. Then, begin sketching the first ribbon of the aurora in the sky. Teacher's Tip: Keep your aurora lines fluid and loose—the lights are never perfectly straight!

Step 5: Layering the Aurora Ribbons

Multiple wavy ribbons of light with jagged edges layered in the sky.

Extend your wavy lines across the page and add a third layer. Give the edges a jagged, flame-like appearance by drawing small triangles along the top. Teacher's Tip: Vary the height of your jagged points to make the lights look like they are shimmering.

Step 6: Refining the Light Shapes

Detailed jagged lines being added to the top edges of the aurora ribbons.

Continue adding flame-like jagged lines along the tops of your first and second ribbons. Teacher's Tip: Don't worry about making them symmetrical; the Northern Lights are chaotic and beautiful.

Step 7: Connecting the Aurora Layers

Connecting the jagged lines across all three layers of the aurora.

Continue the jagged pattern along the top edges of the second and third ribbons. Teacher's Tip: Use a slightly darker pencil stroke here to define the edges of the light.

Step 8: Adding Depth

Adding secondary jagged lines to create a 3D effect in the aurora ribbons.

Draw a shorter, secondary layer of jagged lines within the main aurora ribbons to create depth. Teacher's Tip: This adds a sense of volume, making the lights look like they are folding over themselves.

Step 9: Final Touches

Finalizing the outline with small teardrop shapes for stars.

Finish the second set of jagged lines and add a few teardrop shapes scattered in the sky to represent distant stars or light particles. Teacher's Tip: Keep the teardrops small so they don't distract from the main aurora.

Step 10: Bring It to Life with Color

Completed and colored Northern Lights drawing with vibrant green and purple hues.

Your outline is complete! Now, use vibrant greens, blues, pinks, and purples to color your aurora. Teacher's Tip: Use light, overlapping strokes to blend the colors together for a glowing, ethereal effect.