• 45 ideas

Graduation Drawing Ideas

Layouts for a card, a poster or a cap top, each with a note on where the school colours go and no year written in.

Graduation Drawing Ideas

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  1. A cap top split into four quarters, one per school yearCap-top square. Rule corner to corner through the button, one small drawing per triangle. Alternate school colours.
  2. A thank-you poster for a teacher, signed by the classPoster or large card. An apple or a cap in the centre with room all round for names. Border in school colours.
  3. A cap top with your initials as a monogramCap-top square. Overlap two or three tall capitals around the button. One school colour per letter, black outline.

Next step Build the cap top from cut paper insteadBolder letter styles for a banner

All 45 ideas

Cards 18

  • A border of hanging tassels round a card Card front. Rule a frame, hang a tassel every 2 cm along the top, and alternate the two school colours.
  • A cap toss against an open sky Card front or poster. Scatter flat diamonds at every tilt, smaller toward the top. Tassels in the school colours.
  • A diploma rolled and tied with a ribbon Card front. A tube with a spiral at each end and a bow across the middle. The ribbon takes the school colour.
  • A gown on a hanger with the cap hooked over it Card front. A long bell shape with wide sleeves and a V neck. Keep the gown black and add a stole in school colours.
  • A handshake with a scroll passing between the hands Card front. Two mitten shapes meet in the centre, fingers added last. One school colour on each cuff.
  • A medal on a striped ribbon Card front or cap top. A circle, a rim and a star on a V of ribbon. Stripe the ribbon in the school colours.
  • A paper plane launched from an open book Card front. An open book at the bottom, a dotted loop, a dart at top right. Stripe the wings in school colours.
  • A pop-up card with a cap that stands off the fold Card inside. Cut two slits across the fold, push the tab forward, glue a paper cap on. Tassel in a school colour.
  • A single tassel hanging down the edge of a card Card front. A button, a cord and a brush of fine lines. The cord and the strands carry the school colours.
  • A stack of books with a cap on top Card front. Four flat boxes, each turned a little, and a diamond on top. Two spines take the school colours.
  • A teddy bear in a gown holding a scroll Card front for a small child's big day. Pear body, round ears and a bell-shaped gown in the school colour.
  • A thank-you poster for a teacher, signed by the class Poster or large card. An apple or a cap in the centre with room all round for names. Border in school colours.
  • An empty locker with the door swung open Card front. A tall box, three vent slits and one forgotten sticker inside. Paint the door in the school colour.
  • An instant-photo frame with a stick figure in a gown Card front. A square window above a deep white strip for a caption. Draw the gown in the school colour.
  • An owl in a mortarboard Card front or cap top. Two big circles for eyes under a flat diamond. Give it a bow tie in the school colours.
  • Bunting that spells CONGRATS, one letter per flag Card front or poster. Eight triangles on a sagging line. Alternate the two school colours flag by flag.
  • CLASS OF in block capitals with an empty box for the year Poster or card front. Rule a box four numerals wide and leave it blank. Letters in one school colour, box in the other.
  • Two shoes stepping off the top stair Card front. Three steps climbing to the right and one foot in the air. Laces or socks in the school colours.

Posters 14

  • A cap-top sunrise with rays out to every corner Cap-top square or poster. The button is the sun. Rule rays from it to the edges and alternate the school colours.
  • A crowd of caps seen from the back row Poster, landscape. Rows of diamonds shrinking toward a stage. Pick out every tassel in the school colour.
  • A map with dotted routes to where everyone goes next Poster, landscape. A star for the school and a dotted arc to each new town. Use a school colour for the arcs.
  • A party banner reading CONGRATS GRAD Poster strip, three sheets taped end to end. Pencil every letter before inking. One school colour for each word.
  • A photo frame big enough for two people to hold Poster board with the middle cut out. Letter the school name along the bottom bar. Frame in the school colours.
  • A portrait in cap and gown, turned three quarters Poster, portrait. The board sits level with the ground, so it reads as a thin diamond. Stole in school colours.
  • A road leading to a sunrise Poster, landscape. Two lines meet at a point on the horizon with a half sun behind. Rays in the school colours.
  • A rocket lifting off from a stack of books Poster, portrait. Books for a launch pad, a cloud of smoke, a rocket near the top. Fins in the school colours.
  • A row of doors, one for each school year Poster, landscape. The smallest door on the left, the last one open and lit. Paint the doors in school colours.
  • A summit with a flag planted on top Poster, portrait. A zigzag path up a triangle peak and a small figure at the top. The flag takes the school colours.
  • A yard sign with the name panel left blank Poster on a stake. A cap in one corner, a wide empty panel and a bold border. Border and tassel in school colours.
  • An academic hood seen from behind Poster, portrait. A long black loop down the back. The lining shows the school's colours, often as chevrons.
  • An invented school crest with a cap above the shield Poster, portrait. Quarter the shield: a book, a torch, a ball, a note. Opposite quarters share a school colour.
  • Honour cords draped over a gown, drawn close up Poster, portrait. Twisted cords with a tassel at each end, often a knotted pair. Twist two school colours together.

Cap tops 13

  • A cap top covered in the tools of your subject Cap-top square. Brushes, a calculator, a stethoscope, a wrench: whatever you used. Ground in the school colour.
  • A cap top drawn as a board game path to the finish Cap-top square. A path of squares spiralling in to the button, which is marked Finish. Tile it in school colours.
  • A cap top drawn as a book cover with you as the author Cap-top square. Title at the top, your name at the bottom, the button as a seal. Cover in the school colour.
  • A cap top lettered with a four-word motto Cap-top square. Two words above the button and two below, in thick capitals. One school colour for each line.
  • A cap top showing the skyline of where you go next Cap-top square. A strip of rooftops along one edge with the button as a low sun. Sky in the school colour.
  • A cap top split into four quarters, one per school year Cap-top square. Rule corner to corner through the button, one small drawing per triangle. Alternate school colours.
  • A cap top with a flower border round the edge Cap-top square. Draw on paper cut to fit the board and keep the centre clear for the button. Petals in school colours.
  • A cap top with your initials as a monogram Cap-top square. Overlap two or three tall capitals around the button. One school colour per letter, black outline.
  • A cap-top compass rose with the button as the pin Cap-top square. Eight points from the centre, the long ones to the corners. Alternate school colours point by point.
  • A cap-top night sky with one constellation Cap-top square. Navy ground, white dots and thin lines joining one star pattern. Ring the button in a school colour.
  • A cap-top record with the button as the spindle Cap-top square. Circles out from the centre, a label ring and fine grooves. The label takes the school colours.
  • A cap-top sunflower with the button as its centre Cap-top square. Two rings of pointed petals reaching the edges. Swap the yellow for a school colour if you like.
  • A cap-top thank-you to the people who got you here Cap-top square. Thank You above the button and the names below, in letters 3 cm tall. Capitals in school colours.

How it works

A card, a poster and a decorated cap are what people make in the last week of term, and these graduation drawing ideas cover all three. Each of the 45 layouts names its format and where your school colours go. No item carries a year, so you letter your own. Deal three, or tap Cards, Posters or Cap tops.

Read the full guide

Graduation poster drawing: letter the year last

Posters holds 18 layouts for a hall, a yard or a party wall. CLASS OF in block capitals with an empty box for the year leaves a gap four numerals wide, so the layout is done before the numerals go in. Pick two school colours and one neutral, then stop. A road leading to a sunrise takes the colours in its rays and nowhere else.

Design a cap top around the button

Cap tops holds 16 designs for the square board. The tassel is gathered at a button in the centre, so the middle of any design is already taken. A cap-top sunflower with the button as its centre uses it, and a motto goes round it. Draw on a paper square cut to fit, and ask whether your school allows decorated caps first.

  • It is called a mortarboard after the flat board a bricklayer holds mortar on. Worn level, it draws as a thin diamond.
  • In the US many undergraduates start with the tassel on the right and move it to the left. Schools differ, so ask before you ink it.
  • Put the cap on and mark the back edge before lettering, so the words read the right way up from behind.

Questions and answers

What is an easy graduation drawing for a card?

Choose Cards for 18 fronts. A diploma rolled and tied with a ribbon is a tube, two spirals and a bow. A single tassel hanging down the edge of a card is a button, a cord and a brush of fine lines, leaving room for a message.

Why do the layouts leave the year blank?

A printed year is wrong for every class but one. Each layout that needs a year leaves a ruled gap for your own hand. Names work the same way: A yard sign with the name panel left blank is drawn first and lettered once the spelling is checked.

Where do school colours go when the gown is black?

On the smaller pieces. The American academic code sets black for bachelor's gowns and above. An academic hood seen from behind shows the school's colours in its lining, often as chevrons. Honour cords are twisted cords with a tassel at each end. On a card, the ribbon or the border does the same job.

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