A bucket of confetti thrown like waterThe joke is the flinch. Draw the confetti in the same wide splash shape water would make.
A clown balancing a broom on one fingerThe broom stands perfectly upright and the clown leans the other way, eyes on the bristles.
A clown pedaling a child-size bicycleThe knees stick out past the handlebars and the wheels are no bigger than dinner plates.
A clown pulling an endless scarf from a sleeveKnot squares of different patterns end to end and let the scarf pile up on the floor.
A clown wig: curls round the sides, bare on topThe comedy whiteface clown often has partial hair, mostly red. Draw two clouds of curls with a gap between.
A clown's trunk open: wigs, noses and a hornPack the trunk to the lid. A bulb horn, a rubber chicken and a string of flags hang over the edge.
A juggling clown watching the highest ballBalls, clubs and rings are the most common props. Put a ball in each hand and the third high above.
A lapel flower that squirts waterA big daisy on a jacket with one curved jet of drops leaving its middle.
A red nose on its elastic, drawn largeA ball with one bright highlight and a thin loop of elastic lying loose behind it.
A tiny car with eight hats showing at the windowsThe clown car gag is far too many clowns climbing out of one small car. Show only hats and elbows.
A whiteface clown in a cone hatWhite makeup covers the whole face and neck, with the eyebrows picked out in black.
An auguste clown with a red nose and a giant collarThe base color is pink, red or tan, not white. The eyes and the mouth are outlined in white.
Baggy checked pants held up by suspendersOversized clothes are part of the auguste look. Bend the checks round the legs so they look full.
Clown shoes twice the length of the feetOversized shoes are part of the classic look. Round the toes like loaves of bread.
The three classic clown faces side by sideWhiteface is white all over with black brows. The auguste has a pink, red or tan base. The third is a tramp.
Two clowns stuck in one doorwayBoth push forward and neither gets through. Shoulders overlap and one hat is knocked sideways.
Big top acts 16
A big top tent with pennants on its polesBig top is the name for the large touring tent. Draw tall poles pushing up a striped roof.
A diabolo tossed high off its stringTwo cups joined at an axle, like an hourglass on its side, spun on a string between two hand sticks.
A juggler with five clubs in the airA club is shaped like a bowling pin, slim at the handle and wide at the body. Turn each one differently.
A performer seated in an aerial hoopA steel ring hung from the roof. The seated figure makes a C inside the O.
A plate spinner tending six polesA spinning plate stays up the way a top does. Tilt the slowest ones to show they are about to drop.
A ringmaster's red tailcoat on a hanger, hat aboveThe traditional outfit is a black top hat and a bright tailcoat, often red with gold trim.
A stilt walker in very long striped pantsThe pants cover the stilts, so the legs look three times too long. The stripes run straight down.
A tall giraffe unicycle with its rider near the roofThe tall kind is called a giraffe. Stretch the frame so the saddle sits far above the wheel.
A teeterboard sending an acrobat into the airA teeterboard looks like a playground seesaw. One end is down and the flyer has already left the other.
A tightrope walker carrying a long poleThe pole is a balancing tool, held level. Let the wire dip a little under the front foot.
A unicyclist with both arms outOne wheel, a saddle and two pedals. Keep the hips straight above the wheel.
An acrobat turning inside one big metal ringA Cyr wheel is a single large ring, a little taller than the performer inside it.
An aerialist wrapped in two long silksThe fabric hangs from above in two lengths. Wind it round one leg and let the ends trail to the floor.
The circus ring from high in the back seatsA bright circle far below, ringed by dark rows of heads. The performers are no bigger than a thumbnail.
One spotlight on an empty ring before the showA pale oval on the sawdust and a low curb round it. Everything else stays dark.
Two trapeze artists, hands about to meetA trapeze is a short bar hung on two ropes. Draw two bars, two performers and a gap of air between hands.
Roller coasters 12
A banked turn seen from the groundOn a banked turn the track tips the train to the side, toward the inside of the curve.
A camelback hill with every arm in the airA hump taken in a straight line, built to lift riders out of their seats for a moment.
A coaster layout from above, as one closed lineA track is usually a full circuit: the train leaves from and returns to the same station.
A corkscrew rolling the train right overA corkscrew twists the track like a stretched spring and turns riders through a full 360 degrees.
A helix winding down toward the groundA helix is track wound into a spiral of more than one full turn. It can go up or down.
A roller coaster outline filled in solid blackOne big hill and a loop in solid black, with the supports as thin straight lines.
A splashdown throwing up two walls of waterHere the train meets water and sprays it out to both sides. Draw the spray as two tall fans.
A teardrop loop with the train at the topMany modern vertical loops are teardrops, not true circles. Draw the train upside down at the very top.
A wooden coaster's crisscross of beamsDraw the curving track first, then hang the grid of crossed supports from it down to the ground.
The chain climb up a lift hillThe lift hill is the first climb, where a chain hauls the train to the top. Tilt every car back.
Coaster cars lined up at the boarding gatesA train is two or more cars joined in a line. Riders wait behind a row of gates, one for each row of seats.
The first drop with the track vanishing belowThe track falls away below the bar and narrows to a point. Put small treetops far beneath it.
Rides, games and food 20
A balloon twister's finished animals on a standBalloon twisting turns long balloons into animals. Stand a dog, a giraffe and a swan in a row.
A carnival popcorn tub, heaped highA striped tub that widens toward the top. The popped kernels are small cloud shapes.
A carousel horse on its poleThe horses ride on posts and many move up and down as the platform turns. Curve the neck and lift a knee.
A cloud of cotton candy bigger than a headSpun sugar on a paper cone has no hard edge. Shade it with the side of the pencil.
A corn dog stand's sign, one giant corn dogA corn dog is a hot dog fried in corn batter on a stick. Paint it on the sign as tall as the stall door.
A Ferris wheel from right underneath, cars overheadAn upright wheel with passenger cars round the rim. From below, the nearest cars are the biggest.
A funhouse barrel to walk throughA big revolving cylinder that people try to cross without falling. Tilt the figures inside it.
A funnel cake dusted with sugarDeep-fried batter in a tangle. Draw one long looping line that crosses itself again and again.
A high striker with its bell at the topA mallet hits a lever, a puck shoots up the tower, and the aim is to ring the bell.
A prize stall hung with stuffed bearsRows of the same bear in different colors, biggest on the top row and smallest at the counter.
A ring toss stall with rows of pegsThe game is to land a ring over a peg. Draw the rings as flat ovals, most of them lying between pegs.
A snow cone stall's rack of syrup bottlesGround ice in a paper cone gets its flavor from syrup. Line up tall bottles, each a different color.
A spiral slide wrapped round a towerThe tower looks like a lighthouse. Riders climb stairs inside and slide down the outside on mats.
A swing ride at full tiltA carousel with hanging seats. On some, the spinning top also tilts, and the chairs swing outward.
A ticket booth with a roll of ticketsA tall narrow hut with a window and a shelf. The roll unwinds over the edge in a paper ribbon.
A tray of candy apples, sticks all pointing upWhole apples in a hard shiny coat, each on a stick. Put the highlight in the same place on every apple.
A wristband and a strip of five ticketsA paper band in a loop and a strip of small rectangles with dotted lines where they tear.
Bumper cars in a traffic jamRound-edged cars pointing every way at once, each with a thick rubber rim. Nobody can move.
Bunting zigzagging over a row of stallsLines of small triangles cross from roof to roof. Flip a few up as if the wind has caught them.
The midway at night, lights in rowsStalls down both sides narrow to a point. The bulbs are dots that shrink and crowd with distance.
How it works
These circus drawing ideas cover the tent, the clowns and the acts, then walk out to the carnival for coasters, rides, games and food. The clowns are friendly and no act uses animals.
Read the full guide
Three clown faces
Most clown drawing ideas start with the face, and there are three classic ones. The whiteface is white all over, with black eyebrows. The auguste has a pink, red or tan base, a red nose, and white round the eyes and mouth. The third is a character, most often a tramp.
Coasters and the carnival
Roller coaster drawing ideas are easier one element at a time: the chain climb up a lift hill, a teardrop loop, a corkscrew. For easy carnival drawing ideas, choose Rides, games and food, then Easy under More filters.
Curve the stripes over a tent roof and they show its shape for you.
Draw a coaster's track as one flowing line before you add a single support.
Questions and answers
How do you draw a clown that looks friendly?
Keep the eyes round and open, the eyebrows high and the mouth a simple upward curve. Use soft rounded shapes for the nose, the cheeks and the hair, and leave heavy shadows out.
What is an easy circus drawing for kids?
A big top tent with pennants on its poles is a striped roof and two flags. A red nose on its elastic, drawn large is a ball and a loop. Both are in Easy, under More filters.
How do you draw a roller coaster loop?
Draw a teardrop, not a true circle, which is the shape of many modern loops. Double the line to make two rails, add short ties between them and hold it up with straight supports.
What is the difference between a circus and a carnival?
A circus is a show: a ringmaster introduces acts in a ring, traditionally under a big top. A traveling carnival is a fairground of rides, games and food stalls. This list has both.