How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man in 6 Easy-to-Follow Steps
Draw this grumpy old man 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. The page comes from Kevin Coulston’s book How to Draw: Grumpy Faces.
- 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
Free Activity Page from How to Draw: Grumpy Faces
Watch it being drawn
Watch the pencil draw it one step at a time, then grab a pencil and try it yourself.
Learn How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man Step by Step
Today I’m sharing a free step-by-step drawing page straight from my book How to Draw: Grumpy Faces. This free activity page walks young artists through How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man using the same six-step drawing format found throughout the book. The character featured on this page is a balding older man with a deeply grumpy expression, heavy eyebrows, a frown, and exaggerated cartoon features that make the drawing fun rather than intimidating.
As with all of my books, this character was hand-drawn by me—no AI, no shortcuts. Every line was designed to be clear, expressive, and easy for kids ages 5 and up to follow. If your child enjoys drawing faces, expressions, or characters with personality, learning How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man is a great place to start.
About the Book: How to Draw: Grumpy Faces
This free lesson on How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man is just one example of what kids will find inside How to Draw: Grumpy Faces. The book focuses entirely on facial expressions, giving kids the tools they need to draw faces that actually show emotion.
Inside the book, young artists learn how to draw:
- Grumpy faces
- Angry expressions
- Annoyed looks
- Confused faces
- Tired expressions
- Silly grumpy characters
- Exaggerated cartoon emotions
Every character in the book follows the same six-step format used in the free page. This consistency helps kids feel comfortable turning the page and tackling the next drawing.
Learning How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man is often one of the most fun pages for kids because the expression is so bold and easy to recognize. It shows them that drawings don’t always have to be “happy” to be fun.
Why Drawing Faces Is Such an Important Skill
Drawing faces is one of the most challenging—but rewarding—skills for young artists. The free page that teaches How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man helps kids practice several important artistic concepts at once.
Understanding Expression
Kids begin to recognize how eyebrows, eyes, and mouth shapes work together to communicate emotion.
Building Observation Skills
They learn to look closely at shapes and angles rather than guessing.
Improving Confidence
Completing a face successfully gives kids a strong sense of accomplishment.
Encouraging Character Creation
Once kids understand How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man, they often start inventing their own characters with different moods and personalities.
Faces are the foundation of character design, comics, and storytelling—and this book gives kids a friendly way to practice without pressure.
Hand-Drawn Art, Not AI
Every face in How to Draw: Grumpy Faces, including the one featured in this free page, is drawn by me by hand. I don’t use AI-generated artwork in my books. I believe kids learn better from drawings that feel human, expressive, and intentionally designed for their age and skill level.
When kids learn How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man from a hand-drawn example, they’re not copying something stiff or generic. They’re learning from a character created with personality, exaggeration, and warmth—even when the expression itself is grumpy.
Part of the Larger How to Draw Series
How to Draw: Grumpy Faces is part of my larger How to Draw series, which includes many different themes designed to help kids build drawing skills step by step.
Across the series, kids learn how to draw:
- Animals
- Monsters
- Dinosaurs
- Robots
- People
- Faces and expressions
- Cute characters
- Silly characters
Every book uses the same six-step method, making it easy for kids to move from one theme to another. If a child enjoys learning How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man, they’ll likely enjoy exploring other characters that focus on expression and personality.
Browse All 'How to Draw' Books
Why Parents Appreciate This Format
Parents often tell me they love these books because they provide a creative, screen-free activity that still feels structured. Learning How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man isn’t just about copying a picture—it’s about building skills gradually.
This format helps kids:
- Stay focused
- Follow step-by-step instructions
- Practice patience
- Develop fine motor skills
- Express emotions through art
And because the drawings are fun and exaggerated, kids stay engaged rather than frustrated.
About the Free Grumpy Old Man Drawing Page
The free page breaks down How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man into six simple steps that build on one another. Kids begin with basic shapes and gradually add details like facial structure, wrinkles, eyebrows, and that unmistakable grumpy expression.
This character features:
- A balding head with hair around the sides
- Thick, downward-angled unibrow
- An open-mouthed frown
- Simple cartoon wrinkles
- A rounded, expressive face shape
The goal of this page isn’t just to copy a face—it’s to help kids understand how expressions work. By learning How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man, kids start to see how small changes in eyebrows, eyes, and mouth shapes can completely change a character’s mood.
Once the drawing is complete, kids can personalize it even further by adding:
- Glasses
- A hat
- Facial hair
- Different expressions
- Color and shading
Printing the free page multiple times allows kids to experiment and draw different versions of the same character, reinforcing what they’ve learned about facial expressions.
Grumpy Faces Drawing Book for Kids
Final Thoughts
I hope your young artist enjoys working through this free page and learning How to Draw A Grumpy Old Man. It’s a great way to explore facial expressions, practice drawing faces, and build confidence with character design.
If your child has fun with this activity, How to Draw: Grumpy Faces offers many more expressive characters to explore, all using the same approachable six-step format.
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 pageSee all How to Draw books - Trace Then Color
Trace Then Color A Grumpy Cartoon FaceA close cousin · Ages 3+See all Trace Then Color books - Draw by Grid
Draw A Grumpy CyclopsA close cousin · Ages 7+See all Draw by Grid books
Finished? Draw the scene next
- Add a background: draw the rest of the body and what they’re wearing.
- Write one line under your picture to finish this story:
This is the face they made when…
That’s a picture book page. Draw two more and you have a whole story.
Draw it, then write about it
Give your grumpy old man a name and a job. What makes it happy, and what makes it grumpy? Write two or three sentences.
Directed drawing and writing worksheets for this lesson: Grumpy Old Man Directed Drawing and Writing Worksheet, with a kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd–3rd grade writing page.
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 eyes sit too high on the head.
- On a real head, the eyes are halfway down. Draw a light line across the middle and put the eyes on it.
- The expression is hard to read.
- Eyebrows do most of the work. Tilt them down in the middle for angry, up in the middle for worried.
- The ears are in the wrong place.
- The tops of the ears line up with the eyes, and the bottoms line up with the nose.
- 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.
- How is this face feeling? What could have happened to make it feel that way?
- Can you make that face too? Which part of your face changes most?
- Which step was the trickiest? What did you do to get past it?
- What shapes can you find in your drawing?
More ideas in 25 questions to ask kids about their art.
Questions about this drawing lesson
What age is this grumpy old man 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 grumpy old man 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, the Funny Faces hub 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: Grumpy Faces
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Trace Then Color: Grumpy Faces
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →
Draw by Grid: Grumpy Faces
By Kevin Coulston
Explore this book →More like this: all 14 free cartoon people drawing lessons and pages →
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