Veterans Day Drawing Ideas for School Posters and Thank-You Cards

52 Veterans Day layouts for school posters, thank-you cards and lettering, each with its colours spelled out.

Veterans Day Drawing Ideas for School Posters and Thank-You Cards

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  1. A flag flying outside a school on a bright November morningPole right of centre, flag at the very top, low building behind. Bare trees, pale blue sky, red brick.
  2. A camouflage swatch in four coloursFill the whole sheet with overlapping blobs, no two neighbours alike. Olive, tan, dark brown and sage.
  3. A flag filling the sheet, with thanks lettered along the white stripesLandscape sheet, no border. The blue union spans the top seven stripes. Letter in navy on the white stripes only.

Next step More lettering styles to trySubjects that suit bold marker lines

All 52 ideas

Easy 22

  • 11.11 in tall numerals, each 1 a flagpole Four numerals across the width with a small flag at the top of each. Navy numerals, red and white flags.
  • A bald eagle head in profile Head facing left and filling the page. White head, yellow hooked beak, yellow eye, dark brown at the neck.
  • A blue star banner in a front window Tall narrow banner centred in a window frame. White field, red border, one blue star for each relative serving.
  • A calendar page reading November 11 Tear-off pad centred, red header band, a huge navy 11. The date never moves, whatever the weekday.
  • A camouflage swatch in four colours Fill the whole sheet with overlapping blobs, no two neighbours alike. Olive, tan, dark brown and sage.
  • A clock at eleven with stars for the hours Clock centred, twelve stars round the rim. The 1918 armistice began at the 11th hour of 11 November. Navy, white, red.
  • A five-pointed star split into red, white and blue bands One big star in the middle, drawn in a single stroke, then cut into three bands. Red on top, white, navy.
  • A flag flying outside a school on a bright November morning Pole right of centre, flag at the very top, low building behind. Bare trees, pale blue sky, red brick.
  • A flag waving from a short pole Pole down the left edge, flag filling the rest. Top and bottom stripes are both red. Red, white and navy.
  • A folded flag triangle One triangle, long side down, centred. Only the blue field of stars shows once a flag is folded. Navy and white.
  • A home-made thank-you medal on a striped ribbon Ribbon hanging from the top edge, a gold circle below with a star on it. Gold, red, white and navy.
  • A mailbox with its flag up and a letter inside Mailbox on a post, left of centre, door open. Grey box, red signal flag, white envelope with a heart seal.
  • A pair of dog tags on a ball chain Chain looping in from the top corner, two identical rounded tags overlapping. Silver grey, one white highlight.
  • A pair of laced service boots, side view Boots centred, toes pointing right, laces as a zigzag. Tan or black, with a darker line for the sole.
  • A red, white and blue heart Heart centred. Navy top-left corner dotted with white, red and white stripes across the rest.
  • A row of five small flags on sticks Sticks planted along the bottom edge like a fence, every flag blowing to the right. Red, white, navy, grass green.
  • A saluting silhouette against a striped sky Figure on the right third, right hand raised to the brow. One solid navy shape over red and white bands.
  • A white sailor cap with an upturned brim Cap centred on a navy ground: a low dome with the brim standing up all round. White with pale grey shadow.
  • A yellow ribbon tied round a tree trunk Trunk down the centre, bow at eye height. A yellow ribbon asks for the safe return of troops. Yellow, brown, green.
  • An envelope with a star stamp and a heart seal Envelope flat and centred, flap up. White paper, navy star stamp top right, a red heart where the flap closes.
  • Bubble letters spelling THANKS, striped like the flag Six rounded capitals across the middle. Red and white stripes inside, a navy outline, white stars on the T.
  • The word HERO with a star inside the O Four fat capitals across the width. Navy letters, a white star in the O, a thin red shadow to the right.

Posters 17

  • A bald eagle with wings spread above a banner Wings across the full width, banner underneath for the words. Brown body, white head and tail, yellow beak and feet.
  • A bugle on a tasselled cord Bugle on a diagonal, bell toward the top right. A bugle normally has no valves. Brass yellow, red cord, navy ground.
  • A flag filling the sheet, with thanks lettered along the white stripes Landscape sheet, no border. The blue union spans the top seven stripes. Letter in navy on the white stripes only.
  • A four-panel poster: land, sea, air and space Quarter the sheet. Green hills, navy waves, pale sky with one white trail, black space with stars. Words in the middle.
  • A parade seen from the kerb: flags, a drum and marching feet Crop at knee height so the feet fill the bottom and flags cut the top edge. Navy, red, white, a grey road.
  • A poster with its own lapel-pin test in the corner Draw the design large, then again in a corner box 1 by 1.5 inches. The official poster also becomes a pin that size.
  • A red, white and blue wreath on a stand Wreath centred on a stand. The national ceremony at Arlington opens at 11 a.m. with a wreath laying. Red, white, navy.
  • A service dog in a red vest sitting beside a pair of boots Dog on the left looking up, boots on the right, a horizon line behind. Golden coat, red vest, tan boots.
  • A veteran and a child holding hands, seen from behind Two figures low in the centre, a tall one and a small one, under a striped sky. Navy shapes, red and white bands.
  • A wall of thank-you notes pinned in the shape of a flag Small rectangles in rows: a block of navy notes top left, red and white rows elsewhere. A few words on each.
  • A young hand shaking an older hand Crop to the wrists and centre the clasp. One striped cuff, one plain. Skin tones, navy, a thin red border.
  • Home of the free because of the brave, on two curved lines Top line arching up, bottom line arching down, a star between them. Navy capitals, red star, cream paper.
  • Honoring All Who Served on a ribbon banner One curved ribbon across the centre, tails folded back. The official poster must carry these words. Navy on gold.
  • Mountains, prairie and coast in three bands under one flag Three stacked landscape strips with a small flag at the top. Purple-grey peaks, gold grass, blue-green sea.
  • Six saluting silhouettes, one for each branch Line them along the bottom third: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard. Navy on white.
  • THANK YOU VETERANS in block capitals with a star for the A Three stacked lines filling the sheet, the middle word largest. Red, navy, red, with a gold star in THANK.
  • Three generations of one family, the eldest in a veteran's side cap Three heads in a row, the eldest in the middle. Warm skin tones, a navy cap, a plain pale blue ground.

Thank-you cards 11

  • A border of made-up ribbon bars Small striped rectangles in rows of three across the top of the card. Invent the stripes; do not copy real awards.
  • A card built round the words Dear Veteran Words across the top third in navy capitals, ruled lines below for the letter. One small red star beside the name.
  • A coupon on the back of the card: one afternoon of yard work Dashed border like a ticket, words in navy, a rake and a leaf pile drawn small at one end in orange and brown.
  • A portrait of the veteran you know, as they are today Head and shoulders, centred, in their usual chair or jacket. Natural colours. The day is mostly for thanking the living.
  • A saluting teddy bear in a striped scarf Bear centred, sitting, right paw to the brow. Brown fur, a red and white scarf, a navy card behind.
  • A thank-you card with a striped border and a blank middle Upright card. Rule a 2 cm frame of red and white diagonal stripes, a navy star in each corner, the centre left empty.
  • Thank you for your service in your best handwriting Rule four pencil lines and write one phrase per pair. Navy pen, a small red heart after the last word.
  • Thank you, Grandpa on a name banner, or Aunt, or Coach Banner across the top third with the name in the largest letters. Navy on white, a red star at each end.
  • Two hands making a heart round a small flag Hands meet at the fingertips and thumbs in the centre, a flag seen through the gap. Skin tones, red, white, navy.
  • Welcome Home strung between two porch posts A sagging banner from post to post, one letter per pennant. White pennants, navy letters, a yellow bow on each post.
  • Your family lined up, with one person in uniform Stick figures or full figures on one ground line, names underneath. Everyday colours, one plain green or navy outfit.

Lettering 2

  • An acrostic of the word SERVICE with a small drawing per line Letters stacked down the left edge in red, a short phrase after each in navy, a thumbnail at each line end.
  • Veterans Day lettered in stars and stripes, with no apostrophe Two words on two lines. Fill Veterans with stars on navy and Day with red stripes. The VA spells it with no apostrophe.

How it works

Laid out for school posters and thank-you cards, each of these 52 Veterans Day drawing ideas says where things go on the sheet and which colours to use. None needs a service seal, a weapon or a battle. Deal three, then pick a group.

Read the full guide

What belongs on a Veterans Day poster

The Department of Veterans Affairs chooses an official poster each year, and its rules suit a classroom too. No service seals. No cemeteries or grave markers, which belong to Memorial Day. The words Veterans Day, the date and Honoring all who served must appear. Simple designs win, because the poster is also shrunk to a lapel pin of 1 by 1.5 inches.

Veteran drawing ideas for a thank-you card

The day is mainly for thanking living veterans, so draw the person as they are now. A portrait of the veteran you know, as they are today needs only head, shoulders and their usual jacket. The Thank-you cards group holds 21 layouts that leave room for a message. Letter the name large, because a card addressed to one person gets kept.

  • Flag check: 13 stripes, red at the top and the bottom, and a blue corner seven stripes deep. Hung flat on a wall, the stars go top left.
  • Skip the poppy. The VA says poppies are worn on Memorial Day, not on 11 November. A yellow ribbon or a plain star does the job here.
  • Easy holds the things to draw for Veterans Day in ten minutes. A folded flag triangle is one triangle and a scatter of stars.

Questions and answers

Why is there no apostrophe in Veterans Day?

The VA's answer is that the day does not belong to veterans. It is a day for honouring all of them, so the word takes an s and no apostrophe. Veterans Day lettered in stars and stripes, with no apostrophe turns the rule into the design.

Are these veterans drawing ideas suitable for young children?

Yes. The list was written for school use, with no combat and nothing frightening. People in uniform appear as plain shapes, as in Six saluting silhouettes, one for each branch: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard. Real uniforms are easy to get wrong, and a silhouette is not.

What are good Veterans Day art ideas for a whole class?

Press once, choose Posters and deal one idea per table. A wall of thank-you notes pinned in the shape of a flag works as a joint piece: each child letters one note. The date is always 11 November, so count back from there.

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