How to Draw a Drumstick in 6 Easy Steps
Draw this drumstick in 6 easy steps with a pencil and eraser. It takes about 15 minutes and works for ages 5 and up. Print the free step-by-step page below, or draw along with the video.
- Step-by-step drawing
- Ages 5+
- Grades K–2
- Easy
- About 15 min with the video
You’ll need
- Pencil and eraser
- Paper, or the printed page
- Crayons, markers or colored pencils
You’ll practice
- Breaking a drawing into simple shapes
- Following steps in order
- Adding your own details
How to Draw a Drumstick: A Free Thanksgiving Drawing Page
Thanksgiving is coming, so I drew a brand new free page for it. This time we’re learning how to draw a drumstick, the cartoon kind, with big googly eyes, a happy grin and a bone sticking out the top. He looks very pleased with himself for someone who’s about to end up on a plate.
Like every page in my books, this one breaks the drawing into six easy steps. A light gray outline of the finished drumstick appears on every step to help kids plan the size and spacing of their drawing, and the black lines show what to draw, adding a little more each step. It’s a great fit for kids ages 5 and up, and a fun Thanksgiving art activity for the kids’ table, families and classrooms.
Download the Free Drumstick Drawing Page (PDF)
Watch it being drawn
Watch the pencil draw it one step at a time, then grab a pencil and try it yourself.
Why a Cartoon Drumstick Is So Much Fun to Draw
A drumstick is one of the easiest Thanksgiving foods to draw, because it’s mostly two simple shapes: a big rounded teardrop for the meat and a bone with two bumps on the end. Then a face turns it into a character:
- Big, close-together eyes: two circles that touch make any food look silly and friendly.
- A wide grin: one long curved line is all it takes.
- Little details: a zig-zag edge where the meat meets the bone, a few dots for crispy skin and a little shine make it look finished.
Once kids learn how to draw a drumstick, they can use the same trick on the rest of the Thanksgiving table: give the pie, the corn or the mashed potatoes a pair of eyes and a grin.
How to Draw a Drumstick, Step by Step
Here’s what happens in each of the six steps on the free page. Draw lightly at first, and don’t worry if your lines aren’t perfect.
- Step 1: Draw the meat: a big rounded shape that gets narrow at the top right, with a zig-zag edge where the bone comes out.
- Step 2: Add the two big round eyes with their pupils, and the two straight lines of the bone.
- Step 3: Finish the bone with the two round bumps on the end.
- Step 4: Draw the big happy grin.
- Step 5: Add the little shine lines on the meat.
- Step 6: Finish with the little dots of crispy skin and the highlights on the bone.
When the drawing is done, color it in. Golden brown is the classic, but a drumstick can be any color you like.
Using This Drumstick Page in the Classroom
Teachers are welcome to print copies of this page for the whole class, for classroom or home use. It works well as a Thanksgiving art center, an indoor recess activity or an early-finisher page, and it takes about 15 minutes.
- Draw it, then write about it: after the drawing, students give the drumstick a name and write how it plans to escape the Thanksgiving table. My free draw-and-write sheets have a box for the drawing and lines for the story: primary lines (K–2) or regular lines (grades 2–5).
- More Thanksgiving printables: my free Thanksgiving worksheets have drawing, puzzles, math and gratitude pages for grades K–5.
- More ready-made lessons: my free teacher resources include printable book pages, sub plans and art center cards.
See the free use page for the full details on printing and sharing.
Love Drawing Silly Food?
If your child enjoys learning how to draw a drumstick, my book How to Draw: Food Monsters is full of food with faces, from pizza and hamburgers to cheese and cake, all broken down into six simple steps. Like all of my books, every character in it was hand-drawn by me, Kevin Coulston. None of the art in my books is AI-generated or copied from anywhere else.
Free Activity Page (save and print)
Print it on US Letter paper (choose “Fit to page” if your printer needs a little room at the edges), grab a pencil and follow the six steps to learn how to draw a drumstick from start to finish.
Download this free worksheet to learn how to draw a drumstick
Download the Free Drumstick Page (PDF)
Ready to Draw Your Own Drumstick?
Download the free page and start drawing! Once your drumstick is finished, color it in and use it as a place card or a decoration for the Thanksgiving table. Then try drawing it again without looking at the steps. Kids are always surprised by how much they remember. Happy drawing, and happy Thanksgiving!
Draw it 3 ways
Every FirstArtBooks theme comes in three formats. Trace it, draw it step by step, or copy it square by square: the more ways kids draw a character, the better they know it.
- How to Draw
Draw it step by stepYou’re on this page - Trace Then ColorTrace Then Color booksTrace it, then color itNo free page of this one yet. See the Trace Then Color books (ages 3+)
- Draw by GridDraw by Grid booksCopy it square by squareNo free page of this one yet. See the Draw by Grid books (ages 7+)
Finished? Draw the scene next
- Add a background: draw a shop window where it’s for sale.
- Write one line under your picture to finish this story:
A kid walked in and pointed at it…
That’s a picture book page. Draw two more and you have a whole story.
Draw it, then write about it
Give your drumstick a name and a job. What makes it happy, and what makes it grumpy? Write two or three sentences.
Print a draw-and-write sheet: a box for the drawing and lines for the story. Primary lines (K–2) · Regular lines (grades 2–5)
Want to make it a whole story? Try the comic story starter or fold a mini-book in Story Studio.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
- The face is too small.
- Give the object a face that fills about half of the front. Big eyes and a big smile make it a character.
- The shape is lopsided.
- Draw a light line down the middle first and make both sides match.
- It floats in space.
- Draw a little shadow or a ground line under it so it sits on something.
- Pressing hard from the very first step.
- Use light, sketchy lines first. You can erase them easily and go over the lines you keep at the end.
More in 10 common drawing mistakes kids make.
Talk about it
For the grown-up: ask one or two of these while your child draws. There are no wrong answers.
- If this thing could talk, what would it complain about?
- Where would you put it in your house?
- What name fits this character?
- Which step was the trickiest? What did you do to get past it?
More ideas in 25 questions to ask kids about their art.
Questions about this drawing lesson
What age is this drumstick drawing lesson for?
Ages 5 and up (about grades K to 2). Younger kids can follow along with a grown-up, one step at a time.
How long does it take?
About 15 minutes, including time to pause the video. Kids who add their own details or a background often keep going longer.
What supplies do you need?
Pencil and eraser; paper, or the printed page; crayons, markers or colored pencils.
What size does it print?
US Letter (8.5 by 11 inches). Use Print this page or Download PDF above. On A4 paper, choose “Fit to page” in the print settings.
Can kids draw the drumstick without printing the page?
Yes. Draw on any paper and copy one step at a time from the screen, or pause the video after each step. Classroom mode shows one step at a time, full screen.
For teachers: grade, timing and standards
Grades K–2, about 15 minutes. Step-by-step drawing, easy level. The video does the teaching: press play and let students draw along.
National Core Arts Standards (visual arts)
- VA:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work: students build drawing skills by following a sequence of steps.
- VA:Cr3 Refine and complete artistic work: students add their own details, expressions and color to finish the character.
See every lesson by standard, plus the math in grid drawing, on the arts standards map.
Copies: print as many as your class needs. Use classroom mode above to show one step at a time on your board. More in the teacher resources and our no-prep sub plans.
Get the free Christmas Drawing Pack
10 printable Christmas pages to draw, trace, color and decorate, sent with your welcome email. After that, Kevin’s newsletter brings new free pages and book news.
Take the idea into a book
Want more characters to draw, trace or color? Explore these related books and see which approach fits your next creative session.
How to Draw: Food Monsters
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Trace Then Color: Cartoon Food Monsters
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Draw by Grid: Food Monsters
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →Another idea to try
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