60 doodles

Birthday Doodles

Press for a birthday doodle and its first strokes: a cake, a balloon, a present or the greeting.

Birthday Doodles

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HBD in three block letters with a shadow edgeDraw three thick capitals. Repeat the right and lower edges of each a little way off and fill the gap.

Next step Ways to letter a name Fuller birthday cakes and cards

All 60 doodles

Cakes and candles 15

A birthday candle: a striped stick, a flame, three rays A narrow upright bar with slanted stripes. A teardrop flame on a short wick and three small rays round it.
A cake in one line, from the plate up to the flame and back Start at one end of the plate, go up the side, across the top, up and round the candle, and down again.
A cake of three stacked boxes, each narrower than the last Draw the widest box at the bottom and two more on top. A wavy line under each top edge is the icing.
A cake on a stand: a drum on a plate on a stem A flat oval plate with a short stem and a wide foot. The cake sits on the plate, a little narrower than it.
A cake with a face under a wavy icing fringe One wide drum. Let the icing hang down the side in bumps like bangs over a forehead, with two dots and a smile below.

Show all 60 doodles (55 more)

Cakes and candles, continued

A candle bent over like a cane, its flame still upright Draw the candle as a striped bar that droops in a hook near the top. The flame points straight up all the same.
A candle just blown out: a wick, a curl of smoke, a dot Draw the candle with no flame. From the wick, one line rises in an S and ends in a small loose curl.
A cupcake as a dome on a pleated cup, one striped candle A cup with slanted sides and upright pleat lines. A round swirl on top and one candle leaning a little.
A cupcake flying a tiny paper flag on a stick Draw the cupcake. Stand a short stick in the top with a small triangle flag, big enough for one initial.
A drip-iced cake top: a wavy line with long and short lobes Draw the cake as a drum. From its top edge, let U shapes hang down the side, some long and some short.
A number candle with a flame on its top curve Draw a fat outline number. Find its highest point and stand a short wick and a teardrop flame there.
A row of candles in five heights, flames leaning one way Rule a base line. Stand five narrow bars on it, short to tall, and tip every flame the same way.
A tiny cake under a glass dome with a knob on top A small cake on a plate. Over it, a tall arch that meets the plate, with a round knob at the top.
A wedge of layer cake seen side on, filling in two bands Draw a triangle lying on its long side. Rule two bands through it and add a wavy icing line along the top.
An iced top covered in sprinkles at every angle Draw the top of a cake as an oval. Fill it with short dashes, each turned a different way, none touching.

Balloons and bunting 15

A balloon arch over a blank space for a name Pencil an arch. Cover it with overlapping circles in two sizes and leave the space under it empty.
A balloon carrying a gift tag in place of a weight Draw the string long. Tie a tag to its end: a rectangle with two corners cut off and a hole.
A balloon from an egg shape, a knot triangle, a wavy string An egg with its wide end up. A tiny triangle under the narrow end and a string that waves twice.
A balloon seen from below, its string coming toward you Draw a circle with a small knot in the middle. The string starts at the knot and gets thicker as it nears.
A foil balloon with crease lines round its seam Draw a round balloon with a flat edge. Short lines run in from the edge all the way round, like a pie crust.
A pleated paper rosette with a round middle A circle with a zigzag edge. Rule lines from each zig and zag to a small circle in the middle.
A popped balloon: a burst shape, scraps and a limp string Draw a spiky burst where the balloon was. Three small torn scraps fly off, and the string drops in a heap.
A sagging line of pennants: point, swallowtail, round Unit: a triangle, a flag with a V cut in its end, and one with a round end. Repeat along a sagging line.
A smiling balloon with a curl of string Draw the balloon round. Two dots and a small curve low down on it, and a string that ends in a curl.
An envelope leaving the ground, tied to one balloon Tie the string round an envelope. Tilt the envelope and draw two short lines under it to show it rising.
Confetti from a corner: squares, dots and curls Scatter small squares, dots and short curls, crowded near one corner and thinning across the page.
Party flags on a line that loops between each pair Draw a line that makes a small loop every two flags. Each flag is a triangle with its flat side on the line.
Three balloons at three heights, strings crossed at a knot Draw three ovals at different heights. Bring their strings to one point, cross them there and let them spread below.
Three streamers hanging from the top edge as spirals Start each at the top of the page and wind down in open coils, like a spring pulled long. Vary the lengths.
Two balloons tilted away from each other, joined by a bow Lean the two balloons apart. Bring the strings together and tie them in a bow with two loops.

Presents and party things 15

A box wrapped in paper printed with tiny candles Draw the box and ribbon. Fill the paper with very small candles, a short line and a dot of flame each.
A candy in its wrapper: an oval pinched to a fan each side Draw an oval. At each end, pinch the wrapper to a point, then open it into a small fan of lines.
A gift bag with rope handles and tissue paper peaks A tall box, a little wider at the top. Two arched handles, and zigzag peaks of paper showing above the rim.
A parcel whose wrapping shows every spoke of the bicycle Draw a simple bicycle. Trace round it a little outside the lines, then add ribbon bands and a bow on the seat.
A party blower as a coiled strip with a fringed end A short tube for the mouthpiece. From it, a strip that winds into a flat spiral, with a tuft of short lines.
A party cup with a bendy straw and confetti dots A cup wider at the top. A straw that leans, bends once and points away. Dots of two sizes on the cup.
A party hat from a tall triangle, slanted bands, fluffy top A tall triangle with a slightly curved base. Slanted stripes, a fluffy ball on the point and an elastic loop.
A party invitation folded like a tent, a balloon on front Draw a card standing open like a tent. On its front face, one balloon on a string and two ruled lines for the words.
A party popper: a cone firing streamers and dots A small cone on its side with a pull string at the point. Curls and dots burst from the wide end.
A present from a square, a cross of ribbon and two bow loops Draw a square. One band down and one across. Where they meet, two loops and two short tails.
A present on two legs, running to the party Draw a box with a bow. Add two stick legs in a stride and two short speed lines behind it.
A present seen from above, quartered by ribbon A square crossed by two bands. The bow sits in the middle as four loops round a small knot.
A striped party horn with a tassel A long narrow cone with bands round it. A ring at the narrow end to blow through and a tassel at the wide end.
An envelope with a round seal and a card sliding out A rectangle with a V flap, open. A second rectangle rises out of it, and a round seal sits on the flap's point.
Two ribbon curls: lines coiled like springs Draw one line that coils four times as it falls. Draw a second beside it, wound the other way.

Happy birthday lettering 15

The greeting as a row of candles, a flame over every letter Write the words in tall thin capitals, evenly spaced. Put a small teardrop flame above each letter.
The greeting in a speech bubble aimed at the card corner Draw a round bubble with its tail pointing into a corner. Letter the two words inside on two lines.
The greeting in bouncing capitals, tilted left then right Write each letter a little higher or lower than the last and tip them in turn, like notes on a staff.
The greeting in dotted outline letters to color in Pencil fat capitals. Go round each one in dots instead of a line, then erase the pencil.
The greeting in looping script whose tail becomes a balloon Write the two words in looping script without lifting. Let the last stroke rise and become a balloon string.
The greeting lettered along a pencil arc in one corner Pencil a quarter circle in the corner. Stand the letters on it so their feet follow the curve.
The greeting lettered inside one big balloon Draw a large oval balloon. Curve two guide lines inside it and letter a word on each, widest in the middle.
The greeting stacked like a cake, a candle standing on it Letter BIRTHDAY wide on the bottom line and HAPPY shorter above it. Stand one candle on the top word.
The greeting with a candle standing in for the letter I Write BIRTHDAY in capitals but draw the I as a striped candle with a small flame above the line.
The greeting with each P of HAPPY drawn as a balloon Write both words in capitals. Draw the round part of each P as an oval balloon and its upright as a wavy string.
The greeting with tiny party hats on its tall letters Write the words in lowercase. Sit a small cone hat on the h, the b, the t and the d.
The greeting wound into a spiral from the middle out Pencil a loose spiral. Start HAPPY at its center and letter outward along the line, turning the card as you go.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY in stick capitals, a dot on every line end Write the words in thin capitals. Put a small round dot on the end of every stroke.
HBD in three block letters with a shadow edge Draw three thick capitals. Repeat the right and lower edges of each a little way off and fill the gap.
Two presents side by side, a word of the greeting on each Draw two boxes with lids and bows. Letter HAPPY on the front of one and BIRTHDAY on the wider one.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-02: 60 small birthday doodles in four groups (cakes and candles, balloons and bunting, presents and party things, happy birthday lettering), each with the shapes it is built from and the first strokes to draw; some are also marked easy, cute or for cards. Kept apart from birthday-drawing-ideas, whose card scenes and cakes are fuller drawings; no item repeats a title from any other list on the site. No facts are stated. Licence: own work

How it works

Birthday doodles for a card, an envelope or a margin: cakes, candles, balloons, presents and the greeting itself. Each of the 60 names its shapes and gives the first strokes.

Read the full guide

A happy birthday doodle in letters

Happy birthday lettering has the greeting in bouncing capitals, as a row of candles and stacked like a cake with a candle on top. Pencil the words first and count the letters so they fit.

Small doodles for a card

For cards has doodles that suit a card front or an envelope, such as A row of candles in five heights, flames leaning one way. Leave white space round a single doodle.

Draw the candle flames last, all leaning the same way.
Set balloons at three different heights and cross their strings once.

Questions and answers

How do I draw a birthday cake doodle?

Stack three boxes, each narrower than the one below, and run a wavy line under each top edge for the icing. Cakes and candles holds 15.

What are some cute birthday doodles?

Cute holds 15, such as A cake with a face under a wavy icing fringe, A smiling balloon with a curl of string and A present on two legs, running to the party.

How do I draw a party hat doodle?

Draw a tall triangle with a slightly curved base. Add slanted stripes, a fluffy ball on the point and an elastic loop at the bottom.

How are these different from the birthday drawing ideas?

Those are fuller card scenes and cakes. These are small doodles of a few lines, each with its first strokes.