75 ideas

Demon Drawing Ideas

One demon to draw per press: a part, a figure of folklore, a little devil or an evil look.

Demon Drawing Ideas

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Drawn: A pair of ram horns curling beside the earsA pair of ram horns curling beside the earsEach horn is a spiral that thins as it turns. Ring it with ridges that follow the curve.

Next step Dragons to draw, wings and all

All 75 ideas

Horns, wings and tails 15

A bat wing half folded against a shoulder The fingers close like the ribs of an umbrella and the skin gathers into soft folds between them.
A bat wing opened flat, showing its finger bones An arm, a thumb claw and four long fingers. The skin stretches between them in scallops.
A clawed hand, palm up Make each finger one joint too long and narrow the nails to hooks. Shade the pads darker than the palm.
A cloven hoof, side view Two toes split by a narrow gap, like a goat's. A tuft of hair hangs over the top edge.
A crown of five horns, the largest in the center Space them evenly across the brow. Each casts a small shadow on its neighbor and on the forehead.
A demon's eye with a slit pupil under a heavy brow A bony ridge overhangs the eye. The pupil is a thin upright slit and the iris is lightest at its rim.
A full pair of wings spread, seen from behind The two arms mirror each other. Skin joins the body down to the hip; draw the bones as darker lines in it.
A hoofed leg that bends backward at the heel Thigh, then a raised heel that looks like a backward knee, then a long foot down to the hoof: a zigzag.
A pair of ram horns curling beside the ears Each horn is a spiral that thins as it turns. Ring it with ridges that follow the curve.
A pointed ear with a notch in it A leaf shape tipped back. The folds inside follow the outer edge; the notch is a small bite out of the rim.
A spade-tipped tail in an S curve One long S that tapers, ending in a flat arrowhead. Keep the tip wider than the tail just before it.
A tail coiled three times around a post Each loop passes behind the post and comes back in front. The loops tighten as the tail thins.
Four horn shapes in a row: straight, curved, spiral, branched Draw all four from the same base width so that only the shape changes.
Horns that sweep back from the brow, three-quarter view The far horn is shorter and partly hidden by the head. Ridges wrap each horn, closer together near the tip.
Two short horns just breaking through the hair Small cones on the hairline, each with a ring of pushed-up hair at its base.

Demons of folklore 15

A gargoyle from the side, rain running through it A gargoyle is a carved waterspout: a trough in its back carries rain off the roof and out of the open mouth.
A gargoyle seen from directly below, mouth open Gargoyles are usually long, because their length decides how far water lands from the wall. Foreshorten the neck.
A red oni and a blue oni side by side Oni usually have skin of red, blue, yellow or black. Give each one a different number of horns.
A winged grotesque asleep on a tower corner A carving like a gargoyle that carries no water is called a grotesque. Fold the wings flat and tuck the head under one.
An imp hiding a set of keys behind its back Imps are fond of pranks. Show the keys to the viewer and an innocent face to the room.
An imp peeking out of a teapot Small size is the whole point: the lid sits on its head like a hat and only the eyes and ears show.
An imp sitting on a bookshelf, swinging its legs In European folklore imps are small and more mischievous than dangerous. Make it no taller than a book.
An oni in a tiger-pelt wrap, full figure Oni are drawn as hulking figures in loincloths of tiger pelt. Stripe the pelt and keep the shoulders huge.
An oni with a third eye in its forehead Some oni have a third eye mid-forehead. Keep it the same size as the other two.
An oni's face with horns and huge teeth A demon or ogre of Japanese folklore, shown with one or more horns and massive teeth. Start with a wide jaw.
An oni's hand with three clawed fingers Each hand and foot of an oni has three to six digits ending in claw-like nails. Three thick fingers read best.
An oni-faced roof tile Onigawara, roof tiles with an oni's face, are thought to ward away bad luck. Fit the horns inside the tile's edge.
Krampus shaking chains hung with bells Krampus carries chains, sometimes with bells of several sizes. Draw the links slack and the bells mid-swing.
Krampus's feet: one hoof, one human foot This horned figure of Alpine folklore is usually drawn with one goat's foot. Set the pair side by side in snow.
Krampus, horned and shaggy, tongue hanging out He is hairy, usually brown or black, with horns, fangs and a long pointed tongue that lolls out.

Little devils 15

A baby demon with horns too big for its head Draw the head first, then horns longer than seems right. Tilt the head as if they are heavy.
A baby dragon and a baby demon comparing wings Both wings are built on the same bones. Give the dragon scales and the demon smooth skin so they differ.
A chubby imp with one fang showing A closed smile with one small triangle poking over the lip. Round cheeks and short horns.
A little devil caught with a hand in the cookie jar Frozen mid-reach, eyes to the side, crumbs on the chin. The jar is tipped onto its edge.
A little devil holding a red balloon The string is wrapped around the tail, not the hand. Keep the balloon and the devil the same red.
A little devil reading in bed by the glow of its own tail The tail tip is the only light. Light the page and the underside of the chin and keep the rest dark.
A little devil toasting a marshmallow over its own tail The tail tip is a small flame. Hold the stick above it and brown one side of the marshmallow.
A round cartoon imp with a heart-tipped tail A ball body, stub arms and two dot eyes. The tail ends in a heart, and that one swap makes it friendly.
A small demon wearing a halo that does not fit The halo hangs crooked on one horn. Give the face the look of someone trying very hard to be good.
A sticker sheet of one imp in nine moods The same head nine times in a grid. Change only the brows, the mouth and the angle of ears and tail.
A tiny devil asleep, tail wrapped around itself Curl it up like a cat. The horns poke out of the bundle and one ear is flopped.
A tiny devil in rain boots jumping in a puddle Splash lines fan out from under the boots and the tail whips up for balance.
An imp learning to fly on wings too small Feet barely off the ground, cheeks puffed with effort, the wings a blur of repeated lines.
An imp riding a paper airplane Legs gripping the fold, wings tucked, ears blown back. A dotted loop behind shows the flight.
Three imps in one long coat, pretending to be tall One head at the collar, a bulge in the middle, hooves at the hem. A tail sticks out of the back.

Evil looks 15

A cat with a plan, staring at a glass on a table edge Ears forward, one paw lifted, eyes on the glass. The glass already overhangs the edge.
A cloak that is black outside and one strong color inside Show the lining only where the wind turns the hem. That one flash of color is the focus.
A crown with points like thorns Thin spikes of uneven height that lean outward. One dark stone in the center and no other jewels.
A face half in shadow, smiling only on the dark side Split the light down the nose. The lit half is neutral; the corner of the mouth lifts only in the dark.
A grin lit from below Light under the chin flips the shadows: dark above the cheeks and brow, bright under the nose.
A leaning tower on a cliff with one lit window One warm window, cold moonlight on the opposite side, birds circling the top. Tilt the tower a little.
A shadow with horns that its owner does not have Draw an ordinary person, then their shadow on the wall with two horns added. Nothing else changes.
A storm cloud shaped like a scowling face The brows are the cloud's dark underside and the eyes are gaps of lighter sky. Keep every edge soft.
A villain's silhouette at the top of a staircase Solid black, lit from behind. A long shadow runs down the steps toward the viewer, bending at each one.
An evil grin that shows only in a hand mirror The face is turned away and calm. Only the reflection is grinning.
An evil laugh, head thrown back, seen from below The chin and open mouth are large and the eyes nearly hidden. The shoulders lift toward the ears.
Fingers steepled under a chin Fingertips meet in a tent, elbows on a desk. Tip the head down so the eyes look up through the brows.
Narrowed eyes under a hood The hood's shadow covers the face to the cheekbones. Leave two thin slits of light for the eyes.
One raised eyebrow and a half smile Lift one brow and the mouth corner on the same side. The other half of the face stays flat.
Two glowing eyes in a dark doorway Fill the doorway solid black and leave two small shapes of bare paper, tilted inward.

Good against evil 15

A chessboard where one side wears halos and the other horns Keep the pieces simple pegs. Tiny rings float over one side and tiny points rise from the other.
A feather and a spade-tipped tail crossed in an X Soft against sharp. Fray the feather's edge and keep the tail's outline clean.
A halo and a pair of horns hung on two coat hooks Two hooks, two objects, one wall. The halo glows a little and the horns cast a sharper shadow.
A mirror that shows wings where the person has horns Draw the figure from behind and the reflection facing out. Change only what grows from the head and back.
A playing card with an angel on top and a devil upside down below Like a face card, the two halves mirror around the center and share one border.
A set of scales with a feather in one pan and a horn in the other Draw the beam level. Equal weight is the point, so both pans hang at the same height.
A small angel and a small devil in a tug of war over a crown Both lean back at the same angle. The crown hangs at the middle of the rope, tipping neither way.
A tree with one half in blossom and one half bare and thorned One trunk, split by light. Keep the branch shapes mirrored so that only the growth on them differs.
A white chess king and a black chess king nose to nose Tip the two crowns toward each other across one line of the board. Same shape, opposite tone.
A white dove and a black bat circling each other Two curved bodies chasing in a ring, one left as bare paper and one filled in solid.
An angel and a devil on two shoulders The angel stands for conscience and the devil for temptation. Draw both as tiny copies of the person.
One face split down the middle, light and dark The halves share the line of the nose. One side has a soft brow, the other a sharp brow and a horn.
One feathered wing and one bat wing on the same back Build both on the same arm bones. Feathers overlap in rows; the bat wing stretches skin between fingers.
Stairs up into light and stairs down into shadow from one landing Two flights in two-point perspective. A figure stands on the landing between them, facing neither.
Two hands reaching for each other, one glowing, one clawed The fingertips almost touch across a gap. Put the gap in the exact center of the page.

How it works

A demon is three additions to a body you can already draw: horns, wings and a tail. These demon drawing ideas start with those parts, then go to oni, imps and gargoyles from folklore, small cartoon devils and evil looks.

Read the full guide

Demonic drawing ideas start with the parts

A horn is a cone bent along a curve and ringed with ridges. A bat wing is a hand: a thumb claw and four long fingers with skin stretched between. A tail is an S that thins toward a spade tip.

Evil drawing ideas without a single horn

Evil looks is about light and posture. Light a grin from below and every shadow flips. Tip a head down so the eyes look up through the brows. Good against evil sets two things against each other: a halo and horns, a feather and a tail.

A gargoyle is a waterspout, so water runs from its mouth. Without the spout the same carving is called a grotesque.
Give a small devil a heart-tipped tail and horns too big for its head. Both read as friendly.

Questions and answers

What is an oni?

A demon or ogre of Japanese folklore: a hulking figure with one or more horns and massive teeth, usually shown with red, blue, black or yellow skin. Oni-faced roof tiles, onigawara, are said to keep bad luck off.

What are easy demon drawing ideas?

A pair of ram horns, a spade-tipped tail in an S curve, a round cartoon imp with a heart-tipped tail, or two glowing eyes in a dark doorway. The Easy level, under More filters, holds 25.

What are good vs evil drawing ideas?

Pictures built on one contrast: an angel and a devil on two shoulders, one face split light and dark, a white chess king and a black one nose to nose. Good against evil has fifteen.

What is the difference between a demon and an imp?

An imp is the lesser being of the two: small, lively and fond of pranks, more mischievous than dangerous. On paper, size tells them apart, so set the imp beside a teapot or a book.