A flying dove, a green sprig held crosswise in its beakThe best known pair, the bird and the branch together. Wings up in a V, the sprig small and dark.
A globe held up by a ring of tiny figuresThe world as shared work. Small people with arms raised, all the way around the lower curve.
Three signs in a row: a dove, the circle sign, a V handThree ages of one idea on one sheet. Give each the same height and a box of its own.
A dove asleep with its head under its wingPeace as rest. One round shape with the head hidden and a single olive leaf beside it.
A dove in one line, the pen never leaving the paperPeace as something simple. Start at the beak and do not lift the pen until the tail.
A dove made from a handprint, the thumb as its headTrace a hand sideways, then add an eye, a beak and a sprig. Peace made by your own hand.
A dove settling on a scarecrow's shoulderPeace comes to whatever holds still. Wings braking, feet forward, the straw arm level.
A dove whose wing feathers are olive leavesBird and branch as one. Draw each long feather as a leaf with a center vein.
A dove's shadow crossing a city squarePeace passing over. Draw the square from above and only the shadow of the bird.
A dove-shaped weather vane turning above a chimneyPeace whichever way the wind blows. A flat metal bird on a rod, with N, E, S and W below.
A flock of doves pouring out of an opened windowPeace let out into the world. Small birds near the frame, larger as they climb the page.
A flying dove, a green sprig held crosswise in its beakThe best known pair, the bird and the branch together. Wings up in a V, the sprig small and dark.
A plain dove, no branch, on a sky of flat colorIn 1949 a print of a dove with no branch was the emblem of a peace congress. Color only the sky.
An olive branch alone, its narrow leaves in pairsA sign of peace in Greece since at least the fifth century BC. Add a few small olives.
An olive tree with a bench in its shadePeace as a place to sit. A twisted trunk, a crown of silver-green and one empty bench.
Doves lined up on a roof ridge in early lightAn ordinary quiet morning. White birds on the ridge line and long shadows on the tiles.
Two doves perched beak to beak on the same twigTwo sides meeting. Make the birds mirror images, with the twig as the line under both.
Signs and symbols 12
A great bell rung for peace, seen from belowA bell cast in 1952 was the gift of the people of Japan to the United Nations, as a sign of peace.
A lion and a lamb asleep side by sideHunter and hunted at rest together is a very old picture of peace. Curl the lamb into the mane.
A peace sign drawn in wet sand at low tidePeace that needs redrawing every day. Finger-wide lines, and a wave reaching the edge.
A rainbow peace flag with PACE across the middleFirst carried on a peace march in Italy in 1961. Seven stripes, and pace is Italian for peace.
A two-finger V sign as tall as the sheetPalm outward, two fingers up: victory in the 1940s, and a sign of peace from the 1960s.
A white poppyA sign of peace first handed out in Britain in 1933. Shade the ground, not the petals.
An olive branch held out on an open handIn Roman times envoys carried olive branches to signal peace. The hand is flat, the branch across it.
An origami crane, wings out, with every crease showingIn Japan the crane stands for long life, and folded cranes are left at peace memorials.
The circle sign as a paper cutout on a sunny panePeace let into a room. Draw the sign as a dark shape and leave its four gaps as bright bare paper.
The peace sign: a circle, a center line and two slanted armsMade in Britain in 1958 from the flag signals for N and D, short for nuclear disarmament.
Strings of paper cranes hung in a bunchA thousand cranes are commonly strung as 25 strings of 40. Draw three strings clearly, the rest pale.
Three signs in a row: a dove, the circle sign, a V handThree ages of one idea on one sheet. Give each the same height and a box of its own.
Hands and people together 14
A bundle of sticks tied with one cordOne stick snaps easily and a bundle does not. Pull the cord tight and leave the ends uneven.
A circle dance with sleeves and skirts swingingPeace as a celebration. Tilt every figure the same way so the ring seems to turn.
A crowd whose colored shirts form one big heartMany small dots, one shape. Plan the heart in pencil, then fill it with heads and shoulders.
A long line of people with arms linked at the elbowUnity that does not pull apart. Draw the row of backs and the chain of bent elbows.
A stone arch, every block leaning on the nextUnity as leaning on each other. Wedge-shaped blocks, with the keystone at the top drawn darkest.
A team's hands piled in the center before the cheerA team before it starts. Draw it from above, each hand turned a little from the last.
A tug-of-war rope lying slack, both teams sitting downThe contest is over. The rope lies in an S on the grass and nobody is holding an end.
Four hands, each gripping the next wrist, in a squareA grip that locks. Unity with no one at the head: every hand holds and every wrist is held.
Handprints of every size pressed into one slab of cementEveryone leaves a mark in the same ground. Shallow prints and a date scratched in the corner.
Many thin threads twisting into one ropeUnity as strength. Loose lines on the left of the sheet, one thick rope on the right.
People of every height carrying one long bannerUnity as one thing held by many. The banner dips between each pair of hands.
Rowers pulling together in one long boatUnity as timing. Every oar at the same angle and every back at the same lean.
Singers in a half circle, mouths round on one long noteMany voices, one sound. Draw the mouths as matching ovals and vary everything else.
Two teams in one huddle after the final whistleThe game ends and the sides mix. Two jersey colors, alternating around the circle.
The world 12
A dove circling the globe on a ribbon trailPeace that goes all the way around. Wrap the ribbon behind the globe and out again.
A globe as a seed sprouting two leavesPeace as something that grows. The globe half buried, roots below and two leaves above.
A globe held up by a ring of tiny figuresThe world as shared work. Small people with arms raised, all the way around the lower curve.
A globe sitting in a bird's nestThe world as something fragile being kept safe. Dark twigs all around a pale blue ball.
A globe turning under one sun, half day and half nightEveryone takes a turn in the light. A shaded half, a bright half and a soft line between.
A globe with a small door standing open in its sideEveryone welcome. A door in the ocean, a mat in front and warm light inside.
A globe wrapped twice in a scarf of every colorThe whole world kept warm. One long striped scarf wrapped around the middle, ends flying.
A porthole with the blue planet filling the glassHome seen as one place. A plain wall, a ring of rivets and the Earth where the sea would be.
A sunrise seen from space along the curve of the EarthOne morning for everyone. A thin bright arc with black above it and deep blue below.
A tree with a continent for each leaf in its crownOne trunk for every place. Draw the tree wide and give each of the seven leaves a coastline.
A world map redrawn as one unbroken islandEveryone on the same shore. Join the continents with invented land and color it one green.
The world as a patchwork ball, every patch its own patternMany places, one whole. Stitch lines for borders, and no patch larger than the rest.
Posters and lettering 12
A dove outline used as a speech bubblePeace as the way you talk. Outline the bird, then letter your own line inside its body.
A dove whose dotted flight path underlines the wordLetter the word first, then one swooping dotted line beneath it ending in a small bird.
A poster border of footprints all walking the same wayPeace as a walk taken together. Keep the middle of the sheet clear for the lettering.
A poster split corner to corner: storm sky and clear skyBefore and after. One diagonal line, two skies, and the word lettered on the calm half.
A signpost whose arms all point to the same wordWhichever way you go. One post, five arms at different angles, one word on each.
A stamp for a letter: one bird, one word, a zigzag rimA small poster inside a frame. Draw the toothed edge first, then keep the middle simple.
A traced palm with one thing peace needs in each fingerWrite the five in your own words. Trace your hand as large as the sheet.
A word of your own with the round sign as its OThe sign reads as a letter. HOPE, HOME and WORLD each have an O to swap.
Five windows in a dark wall, one letter of PEACE lit in eachA night poster. Rule five squares in a row, fill them yellow and letter one capital in each.
PEACE in block capitals, a leafy sprig growing from eachLettering as a garden. Wide capitals first, then a short stem from the top of every one.
PEACE spelled by five people holding one letter eachA poster a class can pose for. Five figures of different heights with five square cards.
The word PEACE as flat cut-paper shapes with no outlinesBold shapes read from across a hall. Draw each letter as one piece of solid color.
How it works
Peace drawing ideas start with the dove and the olive branch and go on to the peace sign, paper cranes, people together, the world and poster lettering.
Read the full guide
Where the signs come from
The olive branch has stood for peace since ancient Greece. Early Christians drew a dove carrying one, and the pair later became a sign for everyone. The circle peace sign was made in Britain in 1958 from the flag signals for N and D.
Unity drawing ideas
Hands and people together answers a unity theme: four hands each gripping the next wrist, many thin threads twisting into one rope, rowers pulling together in one long boat. Repeat one shape many times and let one line join them.
For a white bird on white paper, shade the sky behind the dove and leave the bird as bare paper.
Trace a cup or use a compass for the peace sign. A wobbly circle is the first thing people notice.
Questions and answers
What are the symbols of peace to draw?
A dove, an olive branch, the circle peace sign, a two-finger V, a paper crane, a white poppy and a rainbow peace flag are all on the list. Most have a hint that says where the sign comes from.
Why is a dove a sign of peace?
Early Christians drew a dove with an olive branch, and the image later came into general use. The olive branch alone was a sign of peace in Greece from at least the fifth century BC.
How do you draw the peace sign?
Draw a circle and a straight line down its middle. Add two shorter lines from the center to the rim, one to the lower left and one to the lower right. It combines the flag signals for N and D.
What can I draw for a peace poster?
Posters and lettering has layouts: PEACE in block capitals with a leafy sprig growing from each, a dove outline used as a speech bubble, or a word of your own with the round sign as its O.