• 60 designs
  • Checked October 2026

Things to Draw on Jeans

Three drawings for a pair of jeans, each placed on a pocket, hem, seam or knee, with its colors.

Things to Draw on Jeans

Show all 60
  1. Turtle shell on each knee, plates drawn as hexagonsGreen, yellow. One oval per kneecap; a ring of plates around a center plate. Fabric marker.
  2. Single star on the small watch pocketYellow or white. Centered on the small pocket at the front. Fabric paint pen.
  3. Giraffe with its neck running up the outer seam, head at the hipYellow, brown, white. Body near the knee; brown patches up the neck along the seam. Fabric paint pen.

Next step Pick flowers for the seamFind a cute face for a knee

All 60 designs

Back pockets 12

  • Bandana corner hanging out of a back pocket Red, white, black. A triangle drops from the top edge, filled with teardrops and dots. Fabric paint pen.
  • Cherries hanging from the top edge of a back pocket Red, green. Two stalks meet at one top corner; the fruit hangs mid-pocket. Fabric marker.
  • Crest with your initial, drawn to the five sides of a back pocket White, gold. A second outline just inside the pocket's stitching; the initial fills the middle. Fabric paint pen.
  • Fishbowl pockets: a water line under the top edge, one fish in each Light blue, orange, white. Wavy line across both back pockets; bubbles rise to it. Fabric marker.
  • Folded map sticking up from a back pocket, a dotted route across it Cream, red, green. The map's top third shows above the pocket's top edge. Fabric marker.
  • Frog pocket: two eyes drawn above the top edge, a wide mouth across Green, white, black. The pocket is the face; the eyes sit just over its top edge. Fabric paint pen.
  • Honeycomb filling one back pocket, three bees on the other Yellow, black, white. Hexagons packed edge to edge on the left; bees with dashed paths on the right.
  • Open book across both back pockets, the center seam as its spine White, black. One page per pocket, with ruled lines and a word of your own. Fabric marker.
  • Owl face on a back pocket, beak at the bottom point White, yellow, brown. Two ringed eyes side by side under the pocket's top edge. Fabric paint pen.
  • Polka dots inside one back pocket, none outside it White or yellow. Dots stop at the stitching, so the pocket reads as a spotted patch. Fabric paint pen.
  • Second line of dashes just inside a back pocket's stitching One bright color. Follow the pocket's own outline with even dashes all the way around. Fabric marker.
  • Tulip filling a back pocket, its stem running down the leg below Red, green. Bloom inside the pocket; the stem starts at the pocket's bottom point. Fabric marker.

Hems and cuffs 12

  • Bird footprints walking around the hem White. Three-toed prints in left and right pairs, a little above the hem stitching. Fabric paint pen.
  • Lace edge of scallops and dots along the hem White. Half circles hang below a straight line, one dot in each. Fabric paint pen, fine tip.
  • Ocean waves circling the hem, one small boat at the outer seam White, light blue, red. Wave line just above the hem stitching; the boat rides on the seam. Fabric paint pen.
  • Parade of snails around the hem, each shell a different color Five colors, white. Coin-size shells; one pale trail joins them just above the stitching.
  • Row of arrowheads around the hem, all pointing the same way One bright color. Small triangles tip to tail just above the stitching, around both legs. Fabric marker.
  • Row of cross-stitches around the hem, each X a different color Four colors in turn. Small Xs sit just above the hem stitching, all the way around. Fabric marker.
  • Short message inside the cuff, read when it is turned up White or silver. Your own words in capitals around the inside of one hem. Fabric paint pen.
  • Sock stripes: two bands around the hem like an athletic sock White, red. Two even bands just above the stitching, on both legs. Fabric marker.
  • Stripes on the inside of the hem, seen only when the cuff is rolled Any three colors. Turn the hem up, draw bands around the inside, roll the cuff to show them. Fabric marker.
  • Tape-measure ticks around the hem, a numeral at every fifth mark Yellow, black. Short ticks stand on the hem stitching; every fifth one is taller. Fabric paint pen.
  • Train running around the hem, engine at the outer seam Red, yellow, white. One car per color; the hem stitching is the track. Fabric marker.
  • Zipper teeth around the hem, the slider at the outer seam Silver or white. Two rows of small teeth face each other above the stitching. Fabric paint pen.

Seams and legs 12

  • Beanstalk climbing the outer seam from hem to pocket Two greens. The seam is the stalk; leaves branch left and right in turn. Fabric marker.
  • Fishing line dropping from the front pocket to a fish at the knee White, orange. A thin line leaves the pocket's corner; hook and fish hang at the kneecap. Fabric marker.
  • Giraffe with its neck running up the outer seam, head at the hip Yellow, brown, white. Body near the knee; brown patches up the neck along the seam. Fabric paint pen.
  • Kite high on the thigh, its string and bows running down to the hem Red, yellow, white. Diamond below the front pocket; the string wanders along the outer seam.
  • Leaves tumbling from the hip pocket to the hem Yellow, orange, red, brown. Close together at the pocket, spreading apart down the leg. Fabric marker.
  • Music staff down the outer leg with notes for a tune of your own White. Five ruled lines run hip to knee beside the seam; notes sit on and between them. Fabric paint pen.
  • River running down the leg from hip to hem, fish and stones along it Light blue, white, orange. Two wavy banks cross the knee and widen at the hem. Fabric paint pen.
  • Shoelace crisscross drawn over the outer seam, a bow at the hip White. Xs span the seam from the hem up; loops and loose ends at the pocket. Fabric paint pen.
  • Snake winding down one leg, crossing the outer seam three times Green, yellow, black. Head on the thigh, tail tip at the hem; bands across its back. Fabric paint pen.
  • Stack of faces from hem to pocket, each in a different mood White, one color. Coin-size circles one above another up the shin and thigh. Fabric marker.
  • Two track stripes down the outer seam White. One line on each side of the seam, waistband to hem. Fabric paint pen and a ruler.
  • Word of your own down the outer seam, one capital under another One light color. Letters sit just in front of the seam, hip to knee. Fabric paint pen.

Knees and patches 12

  • Drawn knee pads: an oval on each knee with strap lines around the leg White, red. Ovals on the kneecaps; two bands run toward the back of each leg. Fabric marker.
  • Drawn plaid patch with dashed stitches around it Red, white, yellow. Square over one knee; crossed lines inside, dashes outside. Fabric marker.
  • Face on each knee, one awake and one asleep White, pink. Draw with the knee bent so the faces sit on the kneecaps. Fabric paint pen.
  • Fake rip: a drawn tear with a starry sky showing through Navy, white, yellow. Jagged outline above the knee; fill it dark, then dot the stars. Fabric paint pen.
  • Flower blooming around a ripped hole, petals drawn from the frayed edge Yellow, white. Petals fan out from the rip; the hole is the flower's center. Fabric paint pen.
  • Grass-stain knees: green scribble blades with a single flower Two greens, white. Short upward strokes across both kneecaps; one flower on one side. Fabric marker.
  • Map patch: a square of invented map with a dotted trail and an X Cream, green, red. Square above one knee, edged with dashes like a sewn patch. Fabric marker.
  • Monster mouth around a rip, teeth along both edges of the hole White, green. Triangles point into the rip; two eyes above it. Fabric paint pen.
  • Spiral starting at the middle of the knee and winding outward One light color. Begin on the kneecap and keep the turns evenly spaced. Fabric paint pen.
  • Three small patches down the thigh: dots, stripes, checks Three colors. Squares stepped down the front of one leg, each edged with dashes. Fabric marker.
  • Turtle shell on each knee, plates drawn as hexagons Green, yellow. One oval per kneecap; a ring of plates around a center plate. Fabric marker.
  • Two crossed bandage strips drawn over one knee Tan, white. Two short rounded strips in an X, three dots on each end. Fabric paint pen.

Easy 12

  • Belt drawn around the waistband, the button as its buckle Brown or black, gold. A band along the waistband with holes beside the button. Fabric marker.
  • Bright dashes beside the stitching of both front pockets One bright color. A second, dashed line follows each curved pocket opening. Fabric marker.
  • Dots along the waistband, each one the next color Six colors in turn. Evenly spaced dots all the way around, between and under the belt loops.
  • Every belt loop a different color As many colors as loops. Fill each loop solid, all the way around the waist. Fabric marker.
  • Five small stars under the back waistband White, yellow. A row centered over the back seam, the middle star largest. Fabric paint pen.
  • Front-pocket face: the two rivets as eyes, the pocket's curve as a smile White. Add brows over the rivets and trace the curved opening as the mouth. Fabric paint pen.
  • Hand-drawn label inside the back waistband with your name White or silver. A small rectangle with stitch dashes at both ends, name in capitals. Fabric paint pen.
  • Ladybug walking along the curve of a front pocket Red, black, white. Thumbnail size, a dotted trail behind it along the opening. Fabric paint pen.
  • Single star on the small watch pocket Yellow or white. Centered on the small pocket at the front. Fabric paint pen.
  • Tally marks along the waistband, a stroke of your own for each trip White. Groups of five beside the button; add a stroke whenever you choose. Fabric paint pen.
  • Wavy line along both front-pocket openings Light blue or white. One even wave from rivet to rivet on each side. Fabric paint pen.
  • Your initials on the small watch pocket One light color. Two capitals side by side, sized to the pocket. Fabric paint pen.

How it works

Jeans come with their own drawing guides: pockets, rivets, a seam down each leg, hems that roll. Each of these 60 designs starts from one of those parts and lists its colors.

Read the full guide

Start from a part of the jeans

The familiar pair has two pockets in back, two in front and a small watch pocket, with rivets at the pocket corners. Front-pocket face: the two rivets as eyes, the pocket's curve as a smile uses two of them. Open book across both back pockets, the center seam as its spine uses the seam between.

Easy ones first

Twenty-three designs are in the Easy group: few colors and simple marks, such as Every belt loop a different color or Sock stripes: two bands around the hem like an athletic sock. Stripes on the inside of the hem, seen only when the cuff is rolled stays hidden until you choose.

  • Put cardboard inside the leg or pocket so the denim lies flat and firm under the pen.
  • Sketch in tailor's chalk first: it is made for temporary marks on cloth.

Questions and answers

What do you use to draw on jeans?

A fabric marker or a fabric paint pen; most designs here name one. We do not test pens: how a drawing is set and what washing does to it is on the pen's label.

What are easy things to draw on jeans?

Dashes, dots and stripes that follow a line the jeans already have: Second line of dashes just inside a back pocket's stitching, Row of arrowheads around the hem, all pointing the same way, or Two track stripes down the outer seam.

Where is the best place to draw on jeans?

A back pocket. It is flat, framed by its own stitching and holds one small picture, such as Owl face on a back pocket, beak at the bottom point. A knee bends, so draw there with the leg bent.

Can you draw on ripped jeans?

Yes, and the rip can be part of the picture. Flower blooming around a ripped hole, petals drawn from the frayed edge and Monster mouth around a rip, teeth along both edges of the hole both start from the tear.

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