• 50 ideas

Dia De Los Muertos Drawing Ideas

Deal three Day of the Dead subjects with what each stands for and colours to try, then sort by sugar skulls, ofrenda, patterns, to paint or easy.

Dia De Los Muertos Drawing Ideas

Show all 50
  1. Six ways to ring an eye socketPetals, scallops, dots, rays, hearts, leaves. Draw six circles and ring each differently. Fill the centres black.
  2. A washbasin, mirror, soap and towel on the lowest tierSet out so the visiting spirit can see itself and freshen up. Four plain objects: white enamel, a striped towel.
  3. A sugar skull in three-quarter viewTurn the head: the far socket narrows and the teeth curve away. Make every icing line follow the curve of the bone.

Next step Paint one altar object on a mini canvasMore subjects made from line alone

All 50 ideas

Sugar skulls 13

  • A Catrín in a top hat and formal suit Catrina's partner wears a formal suit and top hat, sometimes with a cane. Black, white and one bright buttonhole.
  • A chocolate skull beside a white sugar one Skulls are cast in chocolate as well as sugar. One outline twice: dark brown with pale icing, white with bright.
  • A full-length Catrina in a long dress A 1940s mural gave the skull in the hat a body and a long dress. Catrinas wear black, white or bright colours.
  • A row of small sugar skulls on a market stall Sugar skulls are pressed in moulds, so one outline repeats. Draw three sizes and change only the icing colours.
  • A skull mask held up on a stick The skull also appears as a mask, called a calaca. An oval with big sockets. White, black and one bright colour.
  • A sugar skull designed around one person's hobbies The designs stand for the person's own character. Swap stock swirls for their things: a guitar, roses, a football.
  • A sugar skull face mapped into pattern zones Zones: forehead, eye rings, nose, cheeks, teeth, chin. The bright designs stand for the person's lively character.
  • A sugar skull in three-quarter view Turn the head: the far socket narrows and the teeth curve away. Make every icing line follow the curve of the bone.
  • A sugar skull trimmed with foil, beads and a feather Makers add coloured foil, icing, beads and sometimes feathers. Draw foil as flat shapes, each with one white glint.
  • A sugar skull with a name across the forehead Calaveras are given with the recipient's name iced on the forehead. Leave a clear band for it. White, pink, turquoise.
  • A sugar skull with marigold petals round the eyes Ring each socket like a flower head. The marigold is called the flower of the dead. Orange and yellow on white.
  • La Catrina in her wide feathered hat From a print of about 1910 that mocked the fashionable rich: a skull under a huge hat of feathers and flowers.
  • Two sugar skulls, one for the living and one for the dead Sugar skulls are gifts to the living as well as the dead. Two names, two foreheads, one shared set of colours.

Ofrenda 13

  • A child's toy left on the altar Toys are left for children who have died, remembered as los angelitos, the little angels. One wooden toy, drawn plainly.
  • A folded blanket and pillow beside the altar Pillows and blankets are set out so the dead can rest after their long journey. Striped wool, soft folds, warm reds.
  • A framed photograph among marigolds The top tier shows who is invited, most often in a photo. Draw the frame and keep the face simple. Sepia, orange.
  • A glass of water on the altar Water is left for souls thirsty from the journey, and stands for one of the four elements. Blue-grey, one highlight.
  • A grave cleaned and heaped with flowers Families clean and decorate graves for the two days. A plain stone, marigolds piled on it, a candle at each corner.
  • A path of marigold petals leading to a door Petals are spread in a path so their scent can guide souls to the ofrenda. Orange dabs thinning into the distance.
  • A picnic beside a decorated grave People picnic at the graveside and tell funny stories about the person. Draw the cloth, the dishes and the flowers.
  • A plate of pan de muerto A round sweet bun topped with bone shapes that stand for the dead, sugared white or pink. Golden brown crust.
  • A row of lit candles of different heights Candles stand for fire among the four elements. Draw the flames first, then the glow. White wax, yellow to orange.
  • A vase of cempasúchil, the flower of the dead The orange Mexican marigold is thought to draw souls to the offering. Round ruffled heads over feathery leaves.
  • A washbasin, mirror, soap and towel on the lowest tier Set out so the visiting spirit can see itself and freshen up. Four plain objects: white enamel, a striped towel.
  • An ofrenda in three tiers A common layout: photos on top, favourite foods in the middle, lit candles below. Draw it front on, like shelves.
  • Tamales and a mug of atole set out for one The altar holds the person's favourite foods. Tamales in corn husks, and atole, a warm thick masa drink. Cream, ochre.

Patterns 12

  • A border of marigold heads Cempasúchil comes from the Nahuatl for twenty flowers. Repeat one ruffled circle edge to edge. Orange, yellow, green.
  • A calavera verse lettered inside a skull border Literary calaveras are short rhymes, mock epitaphs for living friends. Letter four lines. Black pen, one accent colour.
  • A marigold garland hung in deep swags Thread round heads on a line and let it sag between nails. Alternate orange and yellow; shade each underside.
  • A monarch butterfly wing pattern Monarchs reach Mexico's fir forests in November, an arrival tied to the holiday. Tawny orange, black veins, white spots.
  • A papel picado banner of five flags Tissue paper cut by chisel, up to 50 sheets at once. On the ofrenda it stands for air. Shade the holes, not the paper.
  • A papel picado sheet of birds and flowers Birds, flowers and skeletons are the usual themes. Plan half the design, then mirror it as if the paper were folded.
  • A practice sheet of icing motifs Learn the sugar skull vocabulary before a full face: scrolls, dot rows, petals, scallops, hearts. One colour per row.
  • A ring of bone shapes from the top of pan de muerto The bun's bones are often set in a circle for the circle of life. Repeat them as a ring. Golden brown, white sugar.
  • A single papel picado sheet with a skull design Day of the Dead sheets are often cut with skulls. Every shape must stay joined to the border or it would drop out.
  • A teeth and jaw strip for a sugar skull A row of rounded squares split by one line, with short stitches up the cheek. The part people rush, so slow down.
  • Papel picado strung across a narrow street Banners hang across alleyways as well as round altars. Zigzag the strings back; each row of sheets gets smaller.
  • Six ways to ring an eye socket Petals, scallops, dots, rays, hearts, leaves. Draw six circles and ring each differently. Fill the centres black.

To paint 12

  • A candlelit cemetery vigil at night In Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio families sit by the graves all night. Deep blue ground first, candle yellow last.
  • A field of cempasúchil in full flower The plant flowers through summer and autumn. Stipple orange and yellow heads over a dark green underpainting.
  • A giant kite flown for the first of November In Guatemala giant kites fly on 1 November to help spirits find their way back. Bold wedges of flat colour, a pale sky.
  • A monarch resting on a marigold Both are orange, so part them with the wing's black veins and white spots. Paint the flower loosely, the wing crisply.
  • A white sugar skull on a black ground Paint the skull white and let it dry. Add icing lines in pink, turquoise and yellow with a fine round brush.
  • An ofrenda glowing in a dark room Paint the room nearly black. Let the candles light only what is close: petals, bread, the edge of a frame.
  • An ofrenda still life: bread, candle, frame, marigolds Four objects on a cloth. Block in the big shapes with thin paint before any detail. Ochre, orange, cream, one deep pink.
  • Candlelit boats crossing a lake at midnight The boats are mariposas, butterflies, heading for Janitzio island at midnight on 2 November. Drag reflections down wet.
  • La Catrina's hat as a flower study The hat is wide-brimmed with feathers and flowers. Fill the brim with loose wet-on-wet blooms; add the skull last.
  • Monarchs clustered on a fir branch Wintering monarchs roost in clusters on oyamel firs. Overlap dozens of folded wings, yellow-brown with pale spots.
  • Papel picado against a flat blue sky Paint the sky first. When dry, lay the sheets in opaque pink, orange and purple, then pick the holes out in sky blue.
  • Three skeleton musicians with guitar, violin and trumpet Calavera prints showed the living as skeletons, for a laugh. Flat bright ground first, black brush line on top.

How it works

Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday on 1 and 2 November when families remember their dead with altars, food and flowers. It is not a Halloween costume theme, and these Día de los Muertos drawing ideas start from that. Each of the 50 subjects names a symbol, says what it stands for and suggests colours, so the drawing keeps its meaning.

Read the full guide

Sugar skull drawing ideas: map the face first

A calavera is a cheerful gift, to the living and the dead, with the person's name iced across the forehead. Its bright designs stand for that person's character. Draw the outline, then divide it as A sugar skull face mapped into pattern zones does: forehead band, eye rings, nose, cheeks, teeth, chin. One motif per zone, mirrored left to right.

Día de los Muertos painting ideas: begin with the dark

The To paint group holds 12 subjects, several lit by candles. For An ofrenda glowing in a dark room, cover the canvas in near black and let the flames light only what sits close: petals, bread, the edge of a frame. Marigold orange does most of the work. Keep one cool colour, turquoise or violet, to set it off.

  • Hint colours are suggestions, not a code. Marigold orange and yellow are the constant; pan de muerto is sugared white or pink.
  • Day of the Dead art ideas suit a classroom wall: give each pupil one ofrenda object to draw, then pin the drawings up in three tiers.
  • Drawing a skull for a real person? Write the name first and pick motifs from their life. That is what the designs are for.

Questions and answers

Is Day of the Dead the same as Halloween?

No. It remembers family and friends who have died, and the tone is warm and often funny. People clean and decorate graves, picnic beside them and tell stories about the person. Nothing here is drawn to frighten. La Catrina is sometimes set against the jack-o'-lantern as a sign of Mexican identity.

Which Day of the Dead drawing ideas are easiest?

The 15 under Easy are single objects and repeats: one skull, one altar object, one border. A glass of water on the altar is a cylinder and one highlight. A plate of pan de muerto is a dome with a knob and four bone shapes.

What do the things on an ofrenda stand for?

The decorations cover the four elements. Candles are fire, papel picado is air because the wind moves it, food is earth, and a glass of water is water, left for souls thirsty after the journey. Marigold scent guides them in. A photo on the top tier shows who is invited.

More tools

Show 7 more

Browse Drawing Ideas