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Viking Drawing Ideas

One thing from the Viking Age per press: a ship, a carving, a home or a story.

Viking Drawing Ideas

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  1. A longship side on, oars outLong, low and slender, with both ends curving up alike. Draw the oars as a row of even slanted lines.

Next step Ships and harbors to paint

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Ships and the sea 15

  • A carved dragon head on a prow Longships are sometimes called dragon ships, after the dragon head raised at the front. Curve the neck up and forward.
  • A crew carrying their ship overland The ships were light enough to be carried over land from one water to the next. Line figures along both sides.
  • A gilded weather vane on a longship Vikings made ornamental gilded weather vanes for their longships. Draw a small curved plate that catches the sun.
  • A knarr, the wide cargo ship A knarr's hull was wider, deeper and shorter than a longship's, to take more cargo. Load it with timber and wool.
  • A longship cut away to show the inside Longships had no fixed benches; rowers may have sat on sea chests. The mast stands in a heavy block on the keel.
  • A longship from the front, coming straight at you The carved head is the largest shape. The hull spreads to both sides and the sail fills the space behind.
  • A longship on a calm fjord with its reflection Cliffs rise on both sides. The reflection is darker than the ship and broken by a few ripples.
  • A longship pulled up on a beach A shallow draft let these ships land on beaches. Tilt the hull to one side on the sand.
  • A longship side on, oars out Long, low and slender, with both ends curving up alike. Draw the oars as a row of even slanted lines.
  • A longship under sail in a heavy swell Half the hull is hidden behind a wave. The sail bellies forward and the mast leans with it.
  • A shipbuilder splitting an oak log into planks Planks were split from large oak trunks, not sawn, which made them stronger. Show wedges driven along the grain.
  • A square sail with stripes Sails were woven from wool, and one is described as probably striped or checked. One square sail on one mast.
  • The carved bow of the Oseberg ship The bow and stern of this ship, found in a burial mound in Norway, are covered in complex woodcarving.
  • Overlapping hull planks, close up Viking ships were clinker built: the planks overlap and are riveted together. Dot the rivets in rows.
  • The steering oar at the stern's right side A longship was steered by a flat blade mounted over the right side near the stern. Show its short handle.

Runes and carving 15

  • A band of runes running around the edge of a stone Draw the band as a ribbon first, two lines side by side, then fit the runes between them.
  • A carved animal-head post The Oseberg ship held five carved wooden posts with animal heads. One is a beast that snarls, maybe a wolf.
  • A carved panel from a wooden cart The Oseberg burial held a richly carved four-wheeled wooden cart. Fill one side panel with interlaced animals.
  • A doorway framed with carved interlace Plan the knot on a grid of dots. Every strand goes over, then under, then over again.
  • A knotwork beast biting its own tail Draw the body as one long ribbon that loops through itself three times before the head meets the tail.
  • A picture stone telling a story in rows Picture stones, found in the greatest number on Gotland, give their message in pictures and not in runes.
  • A row of runes carved along a stick Runes are angular, made to be cut into wood or stone. Strokes along the grain were avoided: they split the wood.
  • A rune stone painted in bright colors Runestones were usually brightly colored when they were raised. The paint has worn off, so the colors are yours.
  • A rune stone standing in a field A runestone is a standing stone inscribed with runes. Most survivors are from the late Viking Age.
  • A rune stone worn by weather, with moss and lichen The cuts are shallow and soft at the edges. Lichen grows in round patches that cover parts of the letters.
  • A slim animal in tight loops, in the Urnes style The last phase of Viking animal art. Loop one slim animal through thin ribbons, head in profile, the eye a long almond.
  • A two-strand braid border Two ribbons crossing over and under. Draw a row of slanted ovals first, then join them.
  • Animals that twist, grip and snap on a carved post One animal-head post from the Oseberg ship has a surface of interlaced animals, shown gripping and snapping.
  • Long-branch and short-twig runes side by side The Younger Futhark comes in two forms, long-branch runes and short-twig runes. Copy both rows from a chart.
  • Your name in Viking Age runes The Viking Age rune row, the Younger Futhark, has only 16 characters. Copy each one from a chart.

Homes and daily life 15

  • A board set for hnefatafl, the king in the middle In this old Northern board game the smaller side has a king that starts in the center of the board.
  • A carved sleigh Four elaborately decorated sleighs were found in the Oseberg burial. Carve the side boards with animals.
  • A drinking horn on a stand Drinking horns are known from Viking Age Scandinavia. Draw the curve of an animal horn, wide at the mouth.
  • A farm with a longhouse, a fence and sheep Set the longhouse on a slope above a fjord. The sheep are small ovals on short legs.
  • A harbor with cargo ships at a jetty Wide hulls sit low with their load. Gangplanks and bales lead the eye up to the houses.
  • A helmet with no horns The one well-preserved helmet of the Viking Age, found at Gjermundbu in Norway, is a round iron cap. It has no horns.
  • A hnefatafl board with every piece in place Sources point to boards of 11 by 11 or 13 by 13 squares, with twice as many pieces on one side as on the other.
  • A longhouse, long and low, seen from the side A longhouse is a long, narrow building that a whole household shared. Make the roof the biggest shape.
  • A sunstone held up to a cloudy sky Old Icelandic texts describe a stone used to find the sun in an overcast sky. That sailors used one is a hypothesis.
  • A weaver at an upright loom The weaver stands and works at the top of the cloth. The weights hang in a row near the floor.
  • A wooden sea chest Rowers may have sat on chests that held their belongings. Draw a plain plank box with a flat lid.
  • An upright loom with hanging weights On a warp-weighted loom the threads hang from a bar and are kept taut by weights tied to them in bundles.
  • Inside a longhouse by firelight One long room in one-point perspective, lit by a single fire. The fire lights faces from below.
  • Trade goods stacked on a quay Cargo ships carried goods such as walrus ivory, wool, timber, wheat, furs and honey. Stack them by kind.
  • Two players leaning over a board game by lamplight The lamp sits beside the board. Light the hands and the pieces and let the faces fall half into shadow.

Gods and creatures of the stories 15

  • A burning bridge to the realm of the gods Bifrost is a burning bridge between Earth and Asgard. Modern retellings draw it as a rainbow.
  • A dragon coiled beneath a tree root The dragon Nidhogg lives under one of the world tree's three roots. Wrap it around the root.
  • A great wolf held by a ribbon The gods bound the wolf Fenrir with Gleipnir, a fetter as soft and smooth as silk ribbon, yet strong.
  • A long-bearded wanderer with one eye Odin is described with a long beard, at times as old, and as having only one eye. Put the missing eye in shadow.
  • A squirrel running down a huge trunk Ratatoskr runs up and down the world tree with messages between the eagle at the top and the dragon at the root.
  • A world-circling serpent biting its tail Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent, lies in the sea encircling the Earth with its own tail in its mouth.
  • An eagle with a hawk sitting between its eyes An eagle sits in the branches of Yggdrasil, and between its eyes sits a hawk called Vedrfolnir.
  • Four stags feeding in a treetop Four stags, named in the old poems, eat the highest boughs of Yggdrasil. Stretch their necks up into the leaves.
  • The Midgard Serpent seen from above, ringing a map Draw the land as a rough island and the serpent as a ring of scales in the sea around it.
  • Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse Odin's horse has eight legs and is gray. Pair the legs, two at each corner, and move each pair together.
  • Two goats pulling a chariot Thor's chariot is pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr. Draw them leaping with the harness taut.
  • Two ravens on a pair of shoulders Huginn and Muninn are Odin's two ravens. They fly around the world and bring him news; texts seat them on his shoulders.
  • Two wolves beside an empty high seat Geri and Freki are two wolves said to accompany Odin. Draw one lying down and one sitting up.
  • The whole world tree with everything that lives in it Eagle at the top, four stags in the branches, squirrel on the trunk, dragon under one root.
  • Yggdrasil, the world tree An immense ash tree at the center of the Norse cosmos, supported by three roots. Fill the page from root to crown.

How it works

Start with the ship: long, low, the same curve at both ends, one square sail. These Viking drawing ideas go from there to runes and carving, the longhouse and its loom, and the creatures of the Norse stories.

Read the full guide

Draw the ship in four lines

One long shallow curve for the keel, rising at both ends. A second curve above it for the rail. A mast in the middle and a square sail. Then add what makes it a Viking ship: overlapping planks, a steering oar on the right side and a carved head.

  • Copy each rune from a chart. Do not guess a shape.

Questions and answers

Did Vikings wear horned helmets?

Almost certainly not. The horned helmet is a modern picture that began in the 1800s, when opera costumes gave Vikings horns and wings. Texts of the Viking Age never mention horned headgear, and the helmets found have none.

What are easy Viking drawing ideas?

A longship side on with its oars out, a square sail with stripes, a rune stone standing in a field, a helmet with no horns, or a serpent biting its own tail. The Easy level, under More filters, holds 20.

What runes did the Vikings use?

The Younger Futhark, a row of only 16 runes in use from about the 9th century. Its lifetime matches the Viking Age roughly, and it comes in long-branch and short-twig forms.

What is Yggdrasil?

The world tree of Norse mythology: an immense ash at the center of the cosmos, supported by three roots. A dragon, a squirrel, a hawk and four stags live in it.

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