Several people are offering free classes as a service during the coronavirus pandemic. Although I am writing and illustrating picture books  full time now, I taught art to children for many, many years. In fact, while I was teaching art, Target Stores of America named me the National Teacher of the Year. Because many children are at home now, waiting for the threat of the coronavirus to end, I decided to post a free drawing course to help provide them some fun during this time.

Today, we’ll draw Bowtie Man. But before we begin, remember that our drawings will never be perfect. We are simply practicing and doing the best that we can. The more we draw, the more nearly perfect that we’ll become.

The only materials that you need to begin to learn to draw are a plain 8.5″ x 11″piece of printer or copier paper and a regular school pencil.

For our first drawing lesson, we are going to create a simple cartoon face.

Step 1: Begin by drawing a medium-sized circle in about the middle of your paper. Don’t draw a tiny circle.

Step 2: Very lightly draw a cross or a bullseye in the center of your circle. We’ll use this cross to help us correctly place the rest of our features, but at the end, we’ll erase the cross. For that reason, you must draw the cross very lightly.

Step 3: About halfway between the center of the cross and the left side of your circle, draw a  small circle. Place the circle exactly on the horizontal bar of your cross. You can color that circle in with your pencil.

Step 4: Repeat step 3, but this time, place the circle on the right half of the circle.

Step 5: Draw another circle. Place it exactly on the vertical part of the cross but lower on the face.

Step 6: Repeat step 5, but place this circle about the circle that you drew in step 5.

Congratulations! You have drawn a very simple cartoon face. Now, let’s add some ears.

Step 7: Use the horizontal part of your cross as a guide and add a C and a backward C on each side of your person’s head. These are your ears.

Step 8: Draw an upside-down U beneath your person’s head. This is his shirt. Notice that the shirt disappears beneath the bottom of your person’s head. Draw lightly for now. We’ll have to erase part of the shirt later when we add the bowtie.

Step 9: Draw a triangle on the left side of the shirt. Allow one corner to touch the vertical line of the cross. You will need to erase where the triangle covers up your person’s head and his shirt.

Step 10: Repeat step 9 but this time, place your triangle on the right side.

Step 11: Draw a circle in the center, where the two triangles touch the vertical part of the cross. Erase the parts the of triangles that the circle overlaps.

Step 12: Add some eyebrows, one above each eye.

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Step 13: Draw lines above your person’s ears. Bowtie man doesn’t have much hair.

Step 15: Erase the cross that you drew in the middle of your circle.

Step 16: You are never finished drawing. Draw another man. This time, change his hair. Color him. Add shapes to his shirt. Draw a lady to be Bowtie Man’s friend. Draw some Bowtie children. Draw a bowtie dog and a bowtie cat. Go wild. Create a bowtie world.

Join the Bowtie Bunch

Draw the Bowties

Check back tomorrow, and I’ll show you how to draw Bowtie Cat,

The next day, I’ll show you how to draw Bowtie Bunny.

The following day, we’ll draw Bowtie Dog.

Every day, we’ll draw a new dog, cat, or person, or flower, or sun, or moon, or mouse or house, or kid, until we have drawn the entire Bowtie Town.

Soon, Draw the Bowties will come to a bookstore near you.

Within a couple of hours today, I received two children’s drawings of Bowtie Man. After you have followed the instructions, feel free to add your own special toches. That is what I like about children’s art–kids add the most magnificent touches.

  Bowtie Man Drawn by a 10-year-old

Bowtie Man Drawn by a Girl on her 11th Birthday