A pear-shaped turkey with a ruffled half-ring tailDraw a pear, narrow end up. Wrap a wide band behind it and cut the band into rounded feather tips.
A square turkey: a box body and ruler-straight feathersDraw a square with a smaller square head. Fan seven straight lines behind and cap each with a small diamond.
A tail fan on its own: three rows of scallopsDraw a half circle. Run two more arcs inside it and trim all three with bumps that overlap like roof tiles.
A tail feather with a scalloped tip and three bandsDraw a long narrow leaf with a center line. Round the tip into three bumps and rule three bands across it.
A thumbprint turkey with pen-line feathersPrint a thumb in washable ink for the body. Draw seven lines fanning out behind it with a loop on the end of each.
A turkey face close up: two dots, a diamond beak, a wattleDraw a circle. Set two dots high, a diamond between them and a long teardrop hanging off one side of the beak.
Show all 60 doodles (54 more)
Turkeys, continued
A turkey from a capital U with striped feather sticksDraw a wide U and close the top. Stand five straight bars behind it and stripe each one.
A turkey from a cupcake-liner fan and a peanut bodyDraw a pleated half circle like a paper baking cup. In front of it stand a peanut shape with a beak and two feet.
A turkey from a figure eight and a fan of five loopsDraw an 8 for the head and body. Arc five long loops behind it, then add a triangle beak and two stick legs.
A turkey from a spiral body and a ring of dashesStart with a spiral of three turns. Ring it with long dashes for feathers and hang a small head at the front.
A turkey from behind: a ring of feather loops over two feetDraw a ring of long loops like a daisy. Cover the middle with a small plain circle and add two feet below.
A turkey in profile from a comma body and a hooked neckDraw a fat comma lying down. Raise a neck like a question mark, then fan the tail in three rows of scallops.
A turkey peeking over its own scalloped fanDraw a half circle and trim its edge with bumps. Tuck a small round head with two dot eyes at the bottom middle.
A turkey stacked like a snowman: small ball on big ballDraw two circles, one on the other. Ring the lower one with teardrop feathers and hang a wattle under the beak.
Three turkeys side by side: small, medium and largeDraw three ovals on one ground line. Give each the same fan of loops, sized to match, and tilt every head a new way.
Table and kitchen 15
A basket of rolls: a woven U full of domesDraw a wide U and crosshatch it. Pile five half circles above the rim and score a short line on each.
A bowl of mashed potatoes with a gravy pool on topDraw a half circle bowl. Heap three bumps above the rim and dent the top with a small oval.
A covered dish: a dome lid with a knob, steam aboveDraw a low oval dish. Cap it with a half circle and a small ball, then three wavy lines rising.
A drumstick: a teardrop on a bone with a paper frillDraw a fat teardrop. Add a short bone with two knobs and wrap a zigzag paper cuff where they meet.
A fork and spoon crossed over a napkin ringDraw the fork and spoon as an X. Where they cross, add a short band with a line at each edge.
A ladle resting in a round tureenDraw a wide pot with two ear handles and a foot. Lean a long handle on the rim with its cup hidden inside.
A lidded tub of leftovers with a label on the frontDraw a box with rounded corners and a lid a little wider. Stick a label on the front and rule one line on it.
A napkin pleated into a fan and pinched in a ringDraw a fan of seven pleats. Squeeze its base through a small band and let two short pleats flare below.
A pie from above cut into six, a dot of cream on eachDraw a circle with a pinched rim. Rule three lines through the center and set a small swirl on every wedge.
A rolling pin lying across a flattened round of pastryDraw a long bar with a short handle at each end. Under it draw a wobbly circle, flatter on one side.
A stack of five plates, rims as stacked ovalsDraw one flat oval. Repeat its front edge four times below, each a hair lower, and close the sides.
A stick of butter on a dish with one pat cut offDraw a long box in simple 3D on a flat oval. Slice a square off one end and lean it against the stick.
An empty pie tin: an oval, a fluted rim and four crumbsDraw a wide oval. Echo it inside, tick short lines round the gap for the fluting and drop four dots.
An oven mitt: a mitten with a quilted gridDraw a big mitten with a thumb. Rule slanted lines both ways across it and add a loop at the cuff.
Salt and pepper shakers: two domes with dotted topsDraw two rounded jars side by side. Dot three holes on one and five on the other, and letter S and P.
Pumpkins and harvest 15
A barn: two roof slopes each side and crossed double doorsDraw a wide box with a roof bent in two slopes. Split the front into two doors and cross each corner to corner.
A bundle of cornstalks tied at the waist, both ends flaredDraw a band. Fan long leaves above it and cut stalk ends below, like a bow tie stood on end.
A bushel basket: a tub of slats with two wire hoopsDraw a bucket wider at the top. Rule upright slats, cross them with two bands and add a wire handle each side.
A gourd: a pear with a bent neck and wartsDraw a round base. Pull the top into a neck that hooks over, and scatter small circles on the belly.
A hay bale: a loaf with rounded ends and two tiesDraw a long loaf shape. Wrap two bands round it and fill between them with short scribbled lines.
A jar of preserves under a cloth lid tied with stringDraw a jar with rounded shoulders. Cap it with a wavy-edged circle of cloth and wind a string round the neck.
A pattypan squash: a scalloped flying saucerDraw a flat oval with a wavy edge. Add a short stem on top and curved lines from the stem to each dip.
A pitchfork leaning on a fence postDraw a short post with a rail stub. Lean a long handle on it and end the handle in three curved tines.
A pumpkin built from one circle and four C-shaped ribsDraw a circle. Add two C curves inside each half, backs to the middle, and a stub of stem bent to one side.
A scarecrow from two crossed sticks, a sack head and a hatDraw a tall post and a crossbar. Add a round sack with stitched eyes, a floppy hat and straw at the cuffs.
A sheaf of wheat: a fan of lines pinched by a bandDraw a short band. Fan straight stalks above it and a shorter fan below, and tip each stalk with a zigzag ear.
A toy-sized tractor from two circles, a hood and a cabDraw the large back circle first. Add a small front one, a long hood between them and a cab above the large one.
A wheelbarrow carrying three pumpkinsDraw a tray on one wheel with two handles. Sit three ribbed ovals in the tray, the middle one highest.
Brussels sprouts on the stalk: a club studded with ballsDraw a thick stalk that narrows upward. Stud it with rows of small circles and top it with a tuft of leaves.
Three nuts: an acorn, a walnut and a chestnut in its burrDraw the acorn with a cap, the walnut as a wrinkled ball and the chestnut inside a spiky shell.
Lettering and place cards 15
A border of forks and spoons, one after the otherDraw a small fork, then a spoon the same height, and repeat along a ruled line with even gaps.
A border of pie-crust crimps: a rope of pinched VsRule two close lines. Fill the band with V shapes nose to tail so it looks pressed with a fork.
A border of tiny drumsticks tilted left and rightDraw a teardrop on a short bone. Tip one left and the next right all along the edge of the page.
A buffet sign on a tiny easel with one dish nameDraw a card on a three-legged stand. Letter one dish in capitals and underline it with a wavy line.
A name flag on a toothpick, standing in a bread rollDraw a round roll with a scored top. Stand a thin stick in it and fly a small paper flag with one name line.
A paper tent sign for the kids' table, lettered in crayonDraw a folded card that stands. Letter KIDS in wobbly capitals and add a few short scribbles round it.
A place card folded like a tent with a feather in a slitDraw a long box with a fold line along the top. Rule a line for the name and tuck a feather into one end.
A place card held in the scales of a pine coneDraw the cone as rows of U shapes. Wedge a small card upright in the top rows and rule one name line.
A tag looped on a napkin ring with one name lineDraw a tag with a clipped top and a hole. Thread a short string to a band and rule a single line.
EAT with a fork head standing in for the EDraw a fork head pointing right with three tines for the E. Follow it with a plain A and T the same height.
GIVE THANKS on a ribbon that rises and falls three timesDraw a long wavy band and tuck its ends behind. Fit GIVE on the first rise and THANKS across the next two.
GOBBLE GOBBLE in wobbly letters, a feather on each BPencil two rows of capitals that lean in turn. Swap the upright of every B for a small striped feather.
GRATEFUL stacked in three rows inside a pumpkin outlineDraw a wide pumpkin. Fit GRA, TEF and UL into it, stretching the middle row to touch both sides.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING lettered round the rim of a plateDraw two circles, one inside the other. Space the letters round the band between them, feet toward the center.
NOVEMBER in capitals with a pumpkin for the OSpace eight capitals on a line. Replace the O with a ribbed oval and a short stem.
How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-02: 60 small Thanksgiving doodles in four groups (turkeys; table and kitchen; pumpkins and harvest; lettering and place cards), each named by the shapes it is built from, with the first strokes to draw. Each is also marked easy, cute, detailed or for cards. Kept apart from this site's Thanksgiving drawing ideas, whose scenes and turkeys are fuller drawings, and from its fall doodles, the season without the holiday: the hand turkey, the horn of plenty, the lattice pie, the wishbone and the acorn border stay on those lists. No doodle repeats a title from another list on this site. The date of the holiday in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November) was read on 2026-10-02 in the Wikipedia article Thanksgiving (United States) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29, CC BY-SA 4.0). No other fact is stated. Licence: own work
How it works
Thanksgiving doodles for a place card, a menu or the margin of a list: turkeys, table and kitchen things, harvest and lettering. Each of the 60 is named by its shapes and gives the first strokes.
Read the full guide
An easy turkey doodle from two shapes
A turkey from a figure eight and a fan of five loops is the quickest: an 8 for the head and body, five loops behind, a triangle beak and two stick legs. Turkeys also has birds built from a U, a pear, a spiral and a thumbprint.
Doodles for place cards and the table
For cards marks the ones that suit a name card or an invitation, such as A place card held in the scales of a pine cone and NOVEMBER in capitals with a pumpkin for the O. Pencil the name first so it fits.
Fan the tail feathers before you draw the body, then tuck the body in front.
Keep a border to one motif, tilted left and right in turn, so it stays even.
Questions and answers
Which Thanksgiving doodles are easiest?
Press once, then choose Easy in the list under the button. A stack of five plates, rims as stacked ovals and An oven mitt: a mitten with a quilted grid are each one shape repeated or filled.
What can I doodle on a Thanksgiving place card?
A name with one small thing beside it: a feather tucked in a slit, a tag on a napkin ring, or A name flag on a toothpick, standing in a bread roll. Lettering and place cards has the rest.
When is Thanksgiving?
In the United States Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, so the date moves from year to year.
How are these different from the Thanksgiving drawing ideas?
Thanksgiving drawing ideas holds fuller scenes, the hand turkey and the horn of plenty. These are small doodles of a few lines, each with its first strokes.