64 ideas

Gnome Drawing Ideas

One gnome to draw per press: at work, in season, a face, a home or a whole family.

Gnome Drawing Ideas

More filters

Show all 64

Drawn: A garden gnome standing front on, hands on its beltA garden gnome standing front on, hands on its beltA cone on a ball on a bell. The hat takes the top third and the beard hides the neck.

Next step Garden drawing ideas

All 64 ideas

Gnomes at work 13

A garden gnome standing front on, hands on its belt A cone on a ball on a bell. The hat takes the top third and the beard hides the neck.
A gnome asleep in a tipped-over flowerpot, boots sticking out Only the boots, the beard tip and the hat point show. Tilt the pot so it looks rolled, not placed.
A gnome carrying a ladder past a row of tulips The ladder crosses the body at a slant. The tulips come up to its shoulder, which sets the scale.
A gnome digging with a spade, one boot on the blade Weight on the front foot, both hands on the handle. A small heap of soil sits behind the heel.
A gnome fishing at a pond, the rod one curved line Garden gnomes are often shown fishing or napping. Seat it on the bank and let the line make one ripple.
A gnome painting a picket fence, brush in one hand, pot in the other Half the pickets are painted and half are bare wood. Put a few drips on the hat.
A gnome pulling up a carrot bigger than it is It leans back with both heels dug in. Only the carrot's shoulders show above the soil.
A gnome pushing a wheelbarrow of flowerpots Draw the wheel first, then a tray leaning on it. The gnome leans forward with both arms straight.
A gnome sawing a log with a bow saw, sawdust falling Arms straight, back bent. Draw the teeth of the saw only where the blade leaves the log.
A gnome sweeping a path with a twig broom The broom is a bundle of twigs tied to a stick. Curl a small dust cloud ahead of it.
A gnome up a stepladder picking apples into a basket The ladder is an A. One arm reaches, one holds a rung, and the basket hangs from the elbow.
A gnome watering one seedling from a can as tall as itself The can is a cylinder with a long spout. Tip it and draw five dotted arcs of water.
Two gnomes of different heights carrying a pea pod like a canoe The pod stays level, so the taller gnome bends its knees. Their steps are out of time.

Seasonal gnomes 13

A gnome between two pumpkins that reach its hat brim Ribbed circles for the pumpkins. Curl one vine across its boots.
A gnome building a smaller gnome out of snow Two snowballs and a cone of snow for the hat. The builder steps back to check its work.
A gnome carrying a bowl of porridge with a pat of butter on top In Nordic folklore the red-capped farm spirit is paid in porridge at midwinter, with butter on top.
A gnome catching a falling leaf bigger than its hat Arms up, head back, hat tipping off. Draw three more leaves on their way down.
A gnome flying a kite on a windy day The kite pulls it up onto its toes. Beard, hat tip and kite tail all blow the same way.
A gnome hiding a valentine behind its back Draw it from the side so the card shows. The other hand scratches under the hat.
A gnome on ice skates, arms out for balance One leg straight, one bent behind. Scratch a few curved lines on the ice where it has been.
A gnome shoveling a path through snow as deep as its beard Cut the path as a trench with straight walls. Throw one shovelful in an arc over its shoulder.
A red-capped nisse brushing a horse in a stable The Nordic nisse wears a red cap and gray clothes and does the stable chores. Only the horse's legs fit in.
A spring gnome sowing seeds along a string line Two pegs and a tight string mark the row. The gnome kneels and drops one seed at a time.
A summer gnome napping in a wheelbarrow, hat over its face Legs hang over the front edge. Draw the hat twice, one outline above the other, for a snore.
A winter gnome in three shapes: tall hat, round nose, long beard No eyes at all. The hat comes down to the nose and the beard covers everything below it.
One gnome drawn four times, once for each season Change the prop each time: a seedling, a sun hat, a rake, a snow shovel. Keep the nose the same.

Faces, hats and beards 13

A beard drawn as one cloud shape One outline of bumps from ear to ear. No single hairs at all.
A gnome face in four shapes: triangle, oval, cloud, two dots Triangle hat, oval nose, cloud beard, and two dots for eyes just under the brim.
A gnome face lit by a candle from below Light the underside of the nose and the hat brim. The top of the hat goes dark.
A gnome head in profile, nose leading Nose first, then the beard, then the hat. The eye is a small curve tucked under the brim.
A gnome laughing, head thrown back, hat falling off The beard lifts off the chest and the eyes close to arcs. Show the hat a little above the head.
A gnome with two braids under a pointed hat The braids hang either side of the face where a beard would be. Same hat, same nose.
A plaited gnome beard tied with a ribbon Stack Y shapes down the middle of the chest and finish with a short tuft below the ribbon.
A red gnome hat drawn as a plain cone, side on Garden gnomes usually wear red caps. Keep the cone plain, with no brim and no bend.
A tall gnome hat folded over near the tip A long cone that flops to one side near the top. Add creases on the inside of the bend.
An old terracotta garden gnome with chipped paint Garden gnomes may be molded in terracotta. Let the bare clay show where the paint has flaked.
Five gnome beards: forked, braided, curled, square, tucked into a belt Start each from the same nose and mustache. The outline does the work, not the hairs.
One gnome face with three noses to choose from: button, potato, pear Draw the same face three times and change only the nose. See how the character changes.
Six gnome hats in a row: pointed, bent, floppy, knitted, patched, flowered Keep the faces the same so that only the hats differ. It makes a quick character sheet.

Gnome homes 13

A birdhouse with a gnome at the window and a ladder to the perch Give the round hole a curtain. The ladder is two twigs and five rungs.
A gnome bed made from a matchbox, with a leaf for a blanket Slide the drawer half out for the bed. The hat hangs on a pin stuck in the wall.
A gnome burrow under a tree in cutaway: hall, kitchen, bedroom Draw the ground line first, then rooms joined by tunnels. Roots hang through the ceilings.
A gnome front yard with a matchstick fence and a gate Stand the matchsticks unevenly. The gate hangs open on one hinge and a path runs to the door.
A gnome house in a hollow log lying on its side Draw the growth rings on the cut end around a small round door. A stovepipe pokes out of the bark.
A gnome house window at night, lit from inside Leave the window as the brightest shape on the page. A hat shape shows on the curtain.
A gnome kitchen with a thimble for a bucket and a button for a plate Draw household things at the wrong scale: a thimble, a button, a spool for a stool.
A gnome mailbox on a twig post A box with a rounded top and a small flag. Lean the post a little and add one letter.
A gnome washing line strung between two daisies Three socks and a spare hat hang from it. The daisy stems bend inward under the weight.
A row of gnome boots outside a door, largest to smallest Four pairs, toes to the wall. The smallest pair has fallen over.
A small arched door between two tree roots, a lamp above it Round the top of the door and add strap hinges. Two worn steps lead down to the ground.
A staircase of bracket fungus up a trunk to a gnome door Each shelf of fungus is a half circle. Space them like stairs and put the door at the top.
A toadstool house with a crooked chimney and one round window The cap is the roof and the stalk is the wall. Put the door at the foot of the stalk.

Families and scenes 12

A baby gnome in a hat that covers it down to the toes A cone with two boots showing. The tip of the hat flops over.
A garden seen from gnome height, with grass as tall as trees Put the horizon low. Blades of grass overlap the sky and a watering can fills the background.
A gnome and a frog playing checkers on a tree stump The checkers are acorn caps. The frog is winning and the gnome holds its hat brim.
A gnome family lined up by height, hats making a staircase Five gnomes, each a head shorter than the last. Only the hats and noses need to differ.
A gnome feeding a robin from its hand The bird is nearly as tall as the gnome. Both lean in toward the crumb.
A gnome grandfather telling a story to three small gnomes He points up with one finger. The three listeners sit in a row, mouths open.
A gnome market stall selling berries by the thimble A plank on two spools is the counter. One berry is as big as the seller's head.
A lawn of garden gnomes at dusk, one of them not where it was Draw the same row twice, small. In the second drawing one gnome has turned its head.
Five gnomes crossing a stream on stepping stones Each is in a different part of the step: reaching, landing, wobbling, waiting, jumping.
Gnomes dancing in a ring around a toadstool Draw the ring as an ellipse first and stand the gnomes on it. Those at the back are smaller.
Gnomes moving house, furniture piled on a toy wagon Stack a bed, a chair and a teapot and rope them down. One gnome pulls, one pushes.
Two gnomes sharing one bench, hats touching at the tips Draw the bench first. Their feet do not reach the ground.

How it works

A gnome is a hat, a nose and a beard, so almost anyone can draw one. These gnome drawing ideas go on from there: gnomes at work in the garden, one for each season, the houses they live in and whole families.

Read the full guide

Where the garden gnome comes from

In German the statues are called Gartenzwerge, garden dwarfs. A firm in Dresden had small ceramic dwarfs in stock by 1841, and within ten years they had spread across Germany and into France.

Draw the nose first and hang the rest from it: the hat brim sits on top, the beard starts underneath.

Questions and answers

What is an easy gnome to draw?

A winter gnome in three shapes: a tall hat, a round nose and a long beard, with no eyes to get wrong. A beard drawn as one cloud shape is quicker still. Easy, under More filters, holds 22.

How do you draw a gnome step by step?

Stack a cone on a ball on a bell. The cone is the hat and takes the top third. Add an oval nose under the brim, a cloud-shaped beard below it, and two boots.

What does a traditional garden gnome look like?

Usually a bearded man in a red cap. Garden gnomes are often shown fishing or napping, and some are molded in terracotta. On the list an old one is drawn with its paint chipped.

What is the difference between a gnome and a nisse?

A garden gnome is a lawn statue. A nisse, or tomte, is a household spirit of Nordic folklore: a small figure in a red cap and gray clothes that does the stable chores and is paid in porridge at midwinter.