How to Draw a Ghost (Beginner-Friendly Step-by-Step Tutorial)
Welcome to this beginner-friendly ghost drawing tutorial. In this step-by-step guide, you’ll create a simple ghost using basic shapes, expressive features and soft pencil shading.
This ghost has a rounded body, large eyes and a playful grin, with gentle shading to give the otherwise simple shape a little more depth. Each stage builds gradually, so you can follow along even if you’re completely new to drawing.
You don’t need advanced skills or complicated materials. A pencil, paper and an eraser are enough to get started, with a blending tool helping later when we soften the shading.
By the end, you’ll have a finished ghost and a better understanding of how simple shapes, facial features and subtle shading can turn a basic sketch into a character.
Even if that character happens to be dead.
What You’ll Need:
You don’t need anything fancy for this tutorial. Just a few basic drawing tools:
- HB pencil – for sketching your ghost’s shape and facial features
- 2B pencil (optional) – for building darker areas in the eyes, mouth and shadows
- Eraser – for cleaning up guidelines and lifting any areas that become too dark
- Blending tool (optional) – a blending stump, cotton bud, or piece of tissue works well for softening the shading
- Paper – sketchbook paper or regular printer paper is perfectly fine
If you’re new to pencil grades, an HB pencil is enough to complete the whole drawing. Just vary your pressure to gradually build darker tones.
Not sure which drawing tools to choose? I’ve broken down the basics in my Essential Horror Drawing Tools for Beginners guide.
Step 1: Draw the Main Ghost Shape
Start by creating the basic outline of your ghost. Using an HB pencil, lightly draw a tall shape with a smooth, rounded top.
Bring the sides downwards, allowing them to widen slightly towards the bottom. Don’t worry about making both sides perfectly symmetrical – a little variation will make the shape feel more natural.
Near the bottom, curve each side inwards slightly to create the ghost’s two hanging side sections. Then connect them with a few soft, uneven curves across the bottom edge.
Keep these curves rounded rather than pointed. This gives the bottom of the ghost that loose, flowing shape without making it look too jagged.
Keep your pencil pressure light at this stage. You’ll be adding the facial features and refining the drawing later, so it should still be easy to erase or adjust the outline.
Step 2: Add Simple Face Guidelines
Before adding the facial features, draw two very light face guidelines to help keep everything centred and balanced.
First, lightly draw a vertical line down the centre of the ghost, starting at the top of the head and extending down through the middle of the body. This will help you position the eyes and mouth evenly.
Next, draw a horizontal guideline across the upper part of the ghost, roughly one-third of the way down from the top. This will help you position both eyes at the same height.
Don’t press too hard with your pencil. Keep both guidelines very light, as they’re only temporary and will be erased once the facial features are in place.
Step 3: Draw the Eyes
Now it’s time to give your ghost a face.
Using the guidelines for placement, draw two similarly sized circles for the eyes, placing one on either side of the vertical centre line. Position them just above the horizontal guideline, with the bottom of each circle sitting close to it.
Try to keep the eyes roughly the same size and height, with an even amount of space between them and the centre line. They don’t have to be perfectly circular – slightly hand-drawn shapes will suit the finished ghost just fine.
For now, keep the eye outlines fairly light and simple. You’re only establishing their basic shape and position; the pupils, highlights and darker shading will be added later.
Step 4: Draw the Mouth
Now it’s time to give your ghost a little more personality.
Lightly draw a wide, shallow curve below the eyes, keeping it centred on the vertical guideline. This forms the upper edge of the smile.
Next, draw a second, deeper curve underneath, joining it to the first curve at both corners. This creates the open, smiling mouth shape shown in the image.
Check that the mouth sits centrally beneath the eyes and that both sides feel reasonably balanced. It doesn’t need to be perfectly symmetrical – a little variation keeps the expression from looking too stiff.
Keep the mouth outline light for now. You’ll add the darker interior and extra details in a later step.
Step 5: Add Pupils and Teeth
Now your ghost’s expression starts to come together.
Inside each eye, draw a smaller circle for the iris, keeping both roughly the same size. Then add a smaller pupil inside each iris.
Add a small circular highlight inside each pupil, placing both highlights in roughly the same position. Leave these shapes unshaded for now – they’ll become much more noticeable once the eyes are darkened later.
Next, draw two small rounded teeth hanging from the upper edge of the mouth. Keep them fairly close to the centre and give each tooth a soft, curved bottom rather than a sharp point.
Keep everything lightly outlined at this stage. The darker values and shading will come later.
Step 6: Shade the Eyes and Mouth
Now we can start adding some contrast to the face.
Begin by shading the pupils while leaving the small highlights white. Add some lighter shading around the pupils inside each iris, keeping the centre noticeably darker to help the eyes stand out.
Next, shade the inside of the mouth, carefully working around the two teeth so they remain white. Keep the shading fairly light and even for now.
Once the facial details are in place, gently erase the vertical and horizontal guidelines. Take your time around the eyes and mouth so you don’t accidentally remove any of the outlines you want to keep.
By the end of this step, the face should be clean, lightly shaded and free from construction lines, just like the image above.
Step 7: Shade the Body
Now we can start giving the ghost a little more shape and depth.
Using your HB pencil, lightly shade along the left side of the ghost, starting near the upper edge and gradually working your way down the body.
Keep the shading darkest close to the outer edge, then gradually reduce your pencil pressure as you move towards the centre. This creates a soft transition rather than a noticeable line between the shaded and unshaded areas.
Add a little extra shading around the lower-left side and near the folds along the bottom, while keeping most of the centre and right side much lighter.
Build the graphite gradually using light layers. Avoid pressing hard with your pencil, as soft shading will make the ghost feel rounded without making the body look too dark.
Note: If Your Shading Looks Streaky
At this stage, your shading might look slightly uneven. That’s completely normal.
Use light pencil pressure and small, controlled strokes, slowly building the tone rather than trying to create the finished value in one layer. If needed, gently soften the graphite with a blending stump or a small piece of tissue.
The shading should stay subtle and soft, with just enough contrast to give the ghost some form.
Step 8: Deepen the Shadows and Add a Cast Shadow
Now it’s time to strengthen some of the darker areas and add the final bit of depth to your ghost.
If you have a 2B pencil, darken the pupils and the shaded areas inside the mouth. You can also continue using your HB pencil and simply build the graphite with a few extra layers.
Keep the small highlights in the eyes completely white, and avoid shading over the teeth. These lighter areas create contrast against the darker graphite and make the facial features stand out.
Next, add a little more soft shading around and underneath the eyes. Keep this subtle – you only need enough graphite to give the eyes a little more depth without creating heavy shadows around them.
Now add a soft cast shadow underneath the ghost. Lightly shade across the area beneath the bottom edge, following the width of the body.
Make the shadow slightly darker where it sits closest to the ghost, then gradually lighten your pencil pressure as you work outwards. Keep the edges soft rather than drawing a hard outline around the shadow.
Finally, look over the whole drawing and check the balance of your values. The eyes and mouth should be among the darkest areas, while the body and cast shadow remain much softer.
Your ghost should now have enough contrast to feel more three-dimensional without losing that light, slightly floaty appearance.
Step 9: Strengthen the Darkest Values
Before blending the drawing, take a moment to strengthen the darkest areas and increase the overall contrast.
Using your 2B pencil, carefully darken the pupils and the shaded areas inside the mouth. Keep the small eye highlights and the teeth white so they remain clearly visible against the darker graphite.
Next, build another light layer of graphite over the darker left side of the ghost, particularly around the outer edge and towards the bottom. Gradually fade this shading towards the lighter centre of the body rather than creating a hard boundary.
Add a little more graphite directly underneath the bottom edge of the ghost, strengthening the darkest part of the cast shadow. Allow the shading to become softer and lighter as it spreads away from the body.
Don’t darken everything equally. The aim is to increase the contrast while keeping plenty of lighter graphite across the ghost.
Take a moment to look over your drawing. You should now be able to see a clear difference between the dark facial features, softly shaded body and lighter areas.
If any of the shading still looks too pale, build another light layer rather than pressing heavily with your pencil.
This step is about strengthening the values you already have, not adding new details. Once the contrast looks balanced, you’re ready to soften everything with blending.
Step 10: Blend and Soften the Shading
Now it’s time to soften the graphite and smooth out any visible pencil strokes.
Use a blending stump, clean tissue or cotton bud and gently work over the shaded areas. You don’t need much pressure – let the graphite already on the paper do the work.
Start with the darker shading along the left side of the ghost and blend it gradually towards the lighter centre. Use small, gentle movements to soften the transition rather than spreading the graphite across the whole body.
Next, soften the shadows beneath the eyes and the cast shadow underneath the ghost. Keep the cast shadow darkest where it meets the bottom of the ghost and allow it to fade as it moves outward.
Be careful around the face. Keep the eye highlights and teeth clean and bright, as these small areas of white create important contrast.
Don’t blend away every pencil mark. You’re simply softening any harsh or uneven areas while keeping the difference between the light and shadow sides visible.
If the drawing loses too much contrast after blending, lightly reapply your 2B pencil to the deepest shadows.
Your ghost should now have softer transitions, smoother shading and a more rounded appearance, while the darker face and cast shadow remain clearly defined.
Step 11: Refine the Final Details
Now that the shading is blended, it’s time for a few final adjustments.
Using your 2B pencil, strengthen only the darkest areas that need it. Look at the pupils, the inside of the mouth and the deepest parts of the folds. You only need a little extra graphite here – enough to restore any contrast that was softened during blending.
Keep the eye highlights and teeth clean and bright. These small highlights help the face stand out against the softer shading surrounding it.
Take another look at the body. The left side should remain darker than the right, with a gradual transition towards the lighter area. If any part of the shading has become patchy, gently blend it again rather than adding lots more graphite.
Finally, check the cast shadow beneath the ghost. It should be darkest close to the bottom edge and gradually fade outward, giving the drawing a subtle sense of weight.
Then step back and look at the whole drawing rather than individual pencil marks. You should have clear darks, soft midtones and lighter areas, with the face remaining the main focal point.
And that’s it – your little sheet-dwelling menace is finished.
What You’ve Learned
And that’s it – you’ve officially brought your ghost to life.
You started with a few simple guidelines and gradually turned them into a finished character using shape, shading, contrast and a little patience.
More importantly, you’ve practised techniques that can be carried into plenty of other drawings.
You now know how to:
- Build a drawing using simple guidelines
- Create depth with light and shadow
- Build graphite gradually from lighter to darker values
- Blend shading without losing your highlights
- Use contrast to make important features stand out
- Ground a character with a cast shadow
These are simple techniques, but they’re the foundations behind much more detailed drawings. Once you’re comfortable with them, try drawing the ghost again with stronger shadows, a different light direction or a completely different expression.
And don’t worry if your finished ghost doesn’t look exactly like this one. It shouldn’t. Small differences in the eyes, folds, shading and proportions are what give a drawing its own character.
Your ghost may look friendly now, but frankly, I don’t trust that smile.
Keep practising, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep drawing.
Stay spooky.
Draw Another Beginner Horror Drawing
Ready to put those skills to use? Try one of these beginner-friendly tutorials next:
- Creepy Pumpkin Drawing Tutorial for Beginners
Practise bolder shapes, deeper shadows and stronger contrast while creating another simple spooky character. - Haunted Doll Drawing Tutorial: A Beginner-Friendly Step-by-Step Guide
Build your confidence with proportions, smooth shading and subtle creepy details as you create a more detailed character.
