Sun Drawing: Step-by-Step Tutorial & Easy Ideas

Every good sun drawing starts the same way: a circle with triangle or wavy rays, refined step by step into a finished piece. Below you'll find a complete step-by-step tutorial you can follow with any pencil and paper, plus easy sun drawing ideas — from quick five-minute doodles to more detailed studies.

  • Difficulty Easy
  • Time ~6 min
  • Tools Pencil, eraser, paper
  • Starts with a circle with triangle or wavy rays
Sun drawing — hand-drawn sun illustration with ink lines and soft colors
Sun drawing — hand-drawn sun illustration with ink lines and soft colors

How to Draw a Sun Step by Step

How to draw a sun step by step — 9-step sun drawing tutorial sheet

Step 1 of 9

Sun circle guide

Draw a light circle slightly above and right of center for the sun's face.

See the full sheet
How to draw a sun step by step — 9-step sun drawing tutorial sheet
How to draw a sun step by step — 9-step sun drawing tutorial sheet

  1. Sun circle guide

    Draw a light circle slightly above and right of center for the sun's face.

  2. Circle outline

    Trace the guide into the sun's solid circle outline.

  3. Long rays

    Add four longer triangle rays pointing outward at the top, bottom, left and right.

  4. Short rays

    Add four shorter triangle rays filling the gaps between the long rays.

  5. Sleepy eyes

    Add two closed, gently curved eyes near the top of the face.

  6. Cheeks and smile

    Add two small rosy cheek circles and one gentle curved smile below the eyes.

  7. Soft halo

    Trace one soft ring between the circle and the rays.

  8. Ink the lines

    Go over every kept line with dark ink, then erase the light circle guide.

  9. Color the sun

    Fill the face orange-yellow, color the rays warm yellow, tint the cheeks pink, and shade the halo pale yellow.

Sun Drawing Ideas to Try Next

Once the basic sun clicks, run it through these variations — each one practices a different skill while staying on a subject you already know.

  • Sun and moon yin-yang

    Half sun face, half crescent moon sharing one circle — THE celestial tattoo classic.

  • A sun rising between mountains

    Two triangle peaks, half a sun, rays fanning up — a complete landscape in three shapes.

  • Vintage map sun

    The old-cartography style: stern face, alternating straight and wavy rays, weathered shading.

  • Day and night split sun

    Divide the page down the middle and render the same sun in both lightings.

  • Sun at golden hour

    Same drawing, warm palette, long shadows — light does the heavy lifting.

  • A tiny sun in a glass jar

    The miniature-world trend: your sun scene bottled with a cork on top.

  • Sun through a window frame

    Draw a simple window and place the sun outside it — built-in composition and cozy mood.

  • A minimalist one-line sun scene

    Reduce the sun to its simplest continuous line — modern, framable, and fast.

  • Sun with a wanderer figure

    One tiny silhouette person gazing at your big sun — instant scale and story.

Sun Drawing Styles: Easy, Cute & More

Easy sun drawing — easy style sun sketch

Easy Sun Drawing

Try a simplified version built from basic shapes — perfect for beginners and kids. Same nine steps as above — simply simplify or stylize the final pass.

Browse more easy ideas →

Tips for Better Sun Drawings

  • Ray spacing is everything — count and mark before you draw. Twelve marks like a clock face takes ten seconds and is the difference between 'design' and 'child's fridge art' (unless that's the goal).
  • Detail only the focal area and let the edges stay loose. The viewer’s eye goes where the detail is; detail everywhere means focus nowhere.

Not feeling the sun today?

Let the generator pick your next subject — filtered by mood and difficulty.

🎲 Random Drawing Generator

Sun Drawing FAQ

How do you draw a sun easily?

Start with a circle with triangle or wavy rays, keeping your lines light. Refine the outline, add the defining details, then erase the construction shapes. The nine-step method above breaks this down — most people get a recognizable sun on their very first try with it.

How long should it take to draw a sun?

A simple sun drawing takes about 6 minutes following this tutorial. A quick doodle version can be done in two or three minutes, while a detailed, fully-shaded study might take an hour. Speed comes with repetition — the second attempt is always faster than the first.

What do I need to draw a sun?

Just a pencil, an eraser, and any paper. An HB pencil for construction lines and a 2B for final outlines is a nice upgrade, and colored pencils or markers finish it off — but nothing on this page requires special supplies.

Is a sun easy to draw for beginners?

Yes — the sun is one of the friendlier subjects for beginners, and this method was written for first-timers. Kids can follow the same steps; just expect wobblier lines and more charm.