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Memorial Day Drawing Ideas for Posters and Quiet Pages

Three poster, poppy or lettering ideas for the last Monday in May, each with where things go on the sheet.

Memorial Day Drawing Ideas for Posters and Quiet Pages

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  1. We Remember on a ribbon round a wreathDraw the wreath first, then a ribbon crossing its lower half with the two words on it.
  2. A town band marching past a memorialDrums and brass in the foreground, a plain stone pillar behind, flags along the street.
  3. Never Forgotten in letters that look stitchedDraw each stroke as a row of short dashes, as if sewn in red thread on white cloth.

Next step More subjects that work as silhouettesMore lettering styles to try

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Poppies and flowers 16

  • A border of poppies round a space for a name Flowers and buds along all four edges, stems weaving. Leave the middle empty.
  • A bunch of red, white and blue flowers Poppies, daisies and cornflowers tied with a striped bow. Stems cut level at the bottom.
  • A dove carrying a poppy A white bird in profile, wings up, the stem in its beak. Pale blue ground.
  • A field of poppies under a pale sky The 1915 poem In Flanders Fields speaks of poppies among the graves. Red dots far off, whole flowers near.
  • A garland of paper poppies across a window A sagging string, a poppy every hand's width, the panes behind left white.
  • A hand laying down one flower Draw only the hand, the stem and the stone edge it rests on. Grey stone, one spot of red.
  • A jar of garden flowers beside a small flag The day began as Decoration Day, when graves were dressed with flowers. Jar left, flag right.
  • A paper poppy pinned to a coat Two red petals, a green button, one pin. The American Legion made the poppy its symbol of remembrance in 1920.
  • A poppy bud, a flower and a seed head on one page Left to right: nodding hairy bud, open flower, round pod with a flat cap.
  • A poppy made from two red handprints Overlap two painted palms, fingers out, and press a black thumbprint where they meet.
  • A ring of flowers floating on still water The wreath from above, its reflection just under it, one ripple spreading outward.
  • A single red poppy with a dark centre Four overlapping petals like crumpled tissue, a black disc, a thin bristly stem. Red, black, green.
  • A windowsill with one poppy in a glass of water Seen from inside: sill along the bottom, glass in the middle, bright panes behind.
  • A wreath of poppies laid at the foot of a flagpole A ring of red with green leaves between, leaning on the base. The pole runs off the top of the sheet.
  • One poppy growing through a crack in a stone path Flat grey slabs drawn from above, one dark crack, one red flower standing out of it.
  • Poppy petals drifting across the page Seven red teardrops falling from top left to bottom right, smaller as they go.

Posters 22

  • A bench with a name plate and one flower left on it A park bench from the front, a small brass rectangle on the top rail, a poppy on the seat.
  • A bugler on a hill against a low sun Taps is the bugle call sounded at memorial ceremonies. One dark figure, horn raised.
  • A calendar page with the last Monday in May ringed Memorial Day is the last Monday in May. Draw the grid, ring the date, add a small flag.
  • A candle in a jar beside a framed photograph Keep the photo as a plain oval. The flame is the brightest thing on the page.
  • A child planting a small flag in the grass Kneeling figure in profile, both hands on the stick, the flag no bigger than the child's head.
  • A clock at three o'clock beside a bowed head In 2000 Congress asked people to pause at 3 pm for a National Moment of Remembrance.
  • A family at a memorial, seen from behind Three figures of different heights, hands joined, the smallest holding flowers.
  • A flag at half-staff against a sunrise Everything in silhouette except the sky, which runs from orange up to pale blue.
  • A flag at half-staff mirrored in a pond The pole, the flag and their reflection make one long line down the middle of the sheet.
  • A gold star banner hanging in a window White field, red border, a gold star with a blue edge: a family member who died in service.
  • A hand raising the flag at noon Draw the pole, the rope, one hand and the flag halfway up. A clock face in the corner reads twelve.
  • A lone tree on a hill with a flag beneath it Big round tree, small flag, a wide empty sky. Green, red, white and blue.
  • A memorial wall with one hand touching it Rule rows of short dashes for the names. The hand and its reflection meet at the fingertips.
  • A picnic table with one chair left empty The day also opens the summer. Plates set for everyone, a poppy on the empty seat.
  • A poster in two halves: remembering, then summer Left half grey and quiet, right half lake and picnic. One flag crosses the join.
  • A town band marching past a memorial Drums and brass in the foreground, a plain stone pillar behind, flags along the street.
  • An old letter tied with ribbon, a poppy across it Folded paper with soft corners, faint lines of handwriting, a thin ribbon, one red flower.
  • The flag at half-staff in the morning and full-staff after noon On Memorial Day the flag flies at half-staff until noon only, then goes to the top. Two panels.
  • The long shadow of a flagpole across a lawn The pole is a thin line; the shadow is the subject. Put a small bunch of flowers where it ends.
  • People carrying flowers up a hill in 1868 The first national Decoration Day was 30 May 1868. Long coats, armfuls of flowers, no faces needed.
  • Rows of white headstones with a small flag at each Rule the rows back to one point. Keep each stone plain and each flag small.
  • Two hands round a lit candle at dusk Fingers glow orange where the light comes through. Dark blue everywhere else.

Lettering 14

  • 3 PM in big numerals with a small bell The hour of the National Moment of Remembrance. Fill the 3 with stripes and the bell with stars.
  • A bookmark with a poppy at the top and Remember down the strip A tall thin card. Letter the word one capital per line, reading downward.
  • A name banner for someone your family remembers Ask at home first. First name, years, and one small drawing of something they loved.
  • An acrostic of REMEMBER with a small drawing per line Eight lines down the left edge: R for roses laid down, E for evening bugle, and so on.
  • The date lettered like a postmark A circle with MEMORIAL DAY round the top, the year round the bottom and wavy lines beside it.
  • Decoration Day in old handbill letters The holiday's first name. Tall thin capitals with slab feet, black on cream, a rule above and below.
  • Four lines of your own, framed in poppies Write them in your best handwriting on ruled pencil lines, then rub the lines out.
  • In Memory inside a laurel frame Two leafy branches curving up to meet at the top, the words centred between them.
  • Memorial Day with a poppy for the O Letter the words in navy capitals and swap the O for a red flower with a black centre.
  • Never Forgotten in letters that look stitched Draw each stroke as a row of short dashes, as if sewn in red thread on white cloth.
  • Remember and Honor in two lines of capitals Rule four guide lines. Red for the top word, navy for the bottom, a small star between.
  • Their Names Live On across a rising sun A half circle on the horizon, rays as wedges, the words following the curve of the sun.
  • We Remember on a ribbon round a wreath Draw the wreath first, then a ribbon crossing its lower half with the two words on it.
  • The word PEACE with a dove on the P Each year the President's proclamation asks people to pray for permanent peace.

How it works

Memorial Day is for remembering service members who died, so these Memorial Day drawing ideas are quiet ones: poppies, flowers, flags at half-staff and names. None shows a weapon or a battle.

Read the full guide

What belongs on a Memorial Day drawing

Flowers came first: the holiday began as Decoration Day, when graves were dressed with them. Poppies followed after the First World War. Flags are right too, drawn at half-staff for the morning. Leave thank-you cards for Veterans Day in November, which honours everyone who has served.

Keep the page quiet

Use few colours: red, white, navy, and grey for stone. Leave plenty of empty paper round the subject. Silhouettes suit people, since a plain dark shape against a bright sky says enough without a face or a uniform to get wrong.

  • Flag check: thirteen stripes, red and white in turn, starting with red, so the bottom stripe is red too.
  • Drawing a name? Ask the family first, and copy the spelling from something written down.
  • A poppy is four loose petals and a dark centre. Wobbly edges look more real than neat ones.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, mourns United States service members who died while serving. Veterans Day, on 11 November, honours everyone who has served. Cemeteries, poppies and half-staff flags belong to May; thank-you cards belong to November.

Why are poppies drawn for Memorial Day?

The 1915 poem In Flanders Fields describes poppies growing among soldiers' graves. The American Legion adopted the poppy as its symbol of remembrance in 1920, and the first veterans' Poppy Day drive in the United States was held for Memorial Day in 1922.

How should the flag be drawn for Memorial Day?

At half-staff for a morning scene and at the top for an afternoon one. The Flag Code says the flag flies at half-staff until noon only on Memorial Day and is then raised to the top of the staff.

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