Try hard to not stiffen up while making these easy skeleton drawings!
Skeletons remind us of death. And unless you’re immortal like Dracula, that may be a terrifying thought for you too.
That’s why skeletons have made it into the list of Halloween figures and creatures that I like to call “Hall-oween of Fame.”
But not all skeletons are scary; in fact, some drawings below are the opposite of it. (Hint: it has something to do with La Dia de Los Muertos.)
With that in mind, let’s dissect these skeletons!
Materials for Easy Skeleton Drawings
5 Funny Skeletons
These skeletons are so cute and funny, I’m convinced they must’ve been comedians when they had flesh.
No kidding, these fellas will take a jab at your funny bone.
1. An Anxious Skeleton
“Where did my brain go,” asks this skeleton created by Drawing How To Draw.
Good thing this skeleton’s skull is still connected to its head, or else that would be disastrous.
2. Box Skeleton
Not all skeletons are created equal. Some are brought back to life in fantastical realities; while others look as if they’ve been crafted, like this cardboard box skeleton brought to you by Drawing123.
I think this bag of bones just wants a friend.
3. Halloween Skeleton
Judging by the hostile attitude this skeleton has, I’m guessing it has a bone to pick with you.
Made by Cartooning Club How To Draw, this skeleton is missing more than a few ribs, and you might have something to do with it.
4. Kawaii Skeleton
If doodling is more your thing, then you’ll be glad after following Come Draw With Joy‘s skeleton quick and easy drawing.
Taking no more than five minutes to sketch, the skeleton drawing focuses less on being anatomically accurate and more on endearing anyone who sees it.
5. That Skeleton is On Fire
To my surprise, bones are flammable matter. As an organic material, it will catch fire when exposed to the right conditions, just like this skeleton made by Art Projects For Kids.
Though it doesn’t combust as easily as wood, expose a skeleton to a high enough temperature and you’ll have a flaming skeleton.
But don’t try it.
6. Chilling Skeleton
Can sticks and stones break a skeleton’s bones? For sure, and words are likely to do as much damage to these sentient skeletons.
Skeletons have feelings, too. Probably.
Befriend one with this drawing made by I Heart Crafty Things.
The Legion of the Undead
Skeletons are often the common enemies found in fantasy worlds.
Here are some depictions of this undead.
7. Minecraft Skeleton
Playing Minecraft is not always fun and games. Trying to mine while constantly looking over your shoulder for an enemy can be stressful.
One moment you find a diamond vein, the next you’re being chased by a skeleton archer—a scenario of which is presented by Rainbow Printables.
8. Skeleton Minion
Skeletons are often just pawns in a war between good versus evil.
Taurus Art gives an example of what a skeleton minion looks like in a fantasy world: equipped with a falchion and iron helmet; if lucky, they’ll also carry a wooden buckler and wear a pair of ragged boots.
9. A Skeleton Warrior
It’s surprising to see these “expendables” go to war at all seeing as they have no guts.
Here’s another variation of the skeleton warrior—presented by Drawing For All—another puppet in the game of thrones.
3 Simple Skull Drawings
In various representations, the skull is often the symbol of death.
Learning how to draw one brings an artist a step closer to their artistic improvement goals.
10. Pirate Skull!
The only thing a sailor fears more than the Kraken or Cthulhu is the sight of a flag with a skull on it, which can only mean one thing: pirates!
Pretending to be a pirate is an awesome cosplay for Halloween, and this pirate skull by GuuhDrawings will make sure that your entrances are as overly dramatic as that of Captain Jack Sparrow.
11. Grinning Skull Figures
Just like how our fingerprints are unique to each individual, so is the structure of their skulls.
Made in a style that resembles the cast of Nightmare Before Christmas, these seven skull variations made by Art Is Fun are an excellent addition to your ever-expanding artistic toolkit.
12. Dragon Skull
The human skeleton often steals the spotlight during Halloween, and we forget that all vertebrates also have a skeleton. It just shows how grand we think about ourselves.
Dragons, if they were real, would have a skeleton too, and it would just be as terrifying as that of a human.
Here’s one shared by Easy Drawing Guides.
3 More Difficult Skulls
The skull protects perhaps the most important organ in our body, and that’s why it deserves special attention.
Plus, it’s the most complex part of the skeleton.
13. A Skull from Many Angles
Human skulls are made up of twenty-two different bones.
These are connected together by sutures—which are fibrous joints, not the stitches applied when there’s a laceration.
Dan Beardshaw‘s sketches look at the human skull from multiple angles, giving us a deeper understanding of its structure.
14. Screaming Skull
Without the temporomandibular joints—say that five times fast!—this skull is free to open its mouth as wide as it wants to.
Joking aside, this skull illustrated by Sakura of America goes beyond the details of the cranium and proceeds to add shading, an element that injects the skull with more realism—and dread.
15. One Symbol of Death
“All bark and no bite,” may be true for dogs, but not for skeletons who’d love a taste of your finger.
Watch out for this skull sketched by Envato Tuts+; it may reach out from the paper and take a chunk of your wrist!
3 Sugar Skulls (Día De Los Muertos)
The heavy atmosphere of drawing skeletons and skulls can become tiring.
Lighten the mood with these sugar skulls!
16. Drawing a Sugar Skull
Those familiar with Día de los Muertos (Spanish for “day of the dead”) will know that it’s a celebration, widely observed in Mexico, to commemorate loved ones who passed on.
The theme of the tradition is, of course, death. But the holiday is bursting with color and life, the opposite of the gloomy nature that surrounds such themes.
That’s why sugar skulls, like this one from iCanHazDraw, are so full of vigor.
17. A Simple Calavera
Here’s another simple skull idea to expand your creativity and artistic toolkit—brought to you by Feeling Artsy.
18. Flowery Sugar Skull
What other symbol best represents life but with a flower?
Pulsing with life, these sugar skulls—or calaveras—are replete with such radiant flowers.
I count four different flowers on this sketch by Art Projects For Kids.
Anatomy of a Skeleton: A Closer Look
Artists who want to take it a step further must complete these three highly detailed drawings of a skeleton.
19. A Detailed Skeleton Hand Drawing
There are twenty-seven bones in the human hand, all of which play an important role.
But none is more popular than the opposable thumb, which is believed to have contributed to our success as a species.
After drawing this diagram by Artlex, you’ll really know these bones like the back of your hand.
20. Foot Anatomy
The human foot is second only to the hand in number of bones but is just as important.
Calcaneus, phalanx, metatarsal—these are just some of the terms you’ll never use again… unless you stub your toe, in which case you might scream, “Phalanx!”
Let’s thank Artisfun for educating us on the bones of the feet.
21. The Skeleton Dissected
Thanks to the efforts of Art In Context, modern medical science, and the works of Leonardo da Vinci, we now know what every bone looks like with frightening detail.
Skele-tons of Fun!
More than chilling or spine-tingling, these easy skeleton drawings have been entertaining—not to mention humerus—to sketch.
Unlike these bones, I wouldn’t leave you high and dry, so continue on with our other activities: