How To Draw a Pumpkin

Here’s a simple and easy process on how to draw a pumpkin.

Step By Step Process of Drawing a Pumpkin

Step 1: Draw the Basic Oval Shape

Start by sketching a wide, slightly flattened oval. This will form the overall body of the pumpkin. Keep your lines light and loose since this is just a foundation shape. The oval should be wider than it is tall to give the pumpkin a natural, squat appearance. Don’t worry about perfection—this shape simply establishes the pumpkin’s size and placement on the page.

Step 2: Add Vertical Guidelines for the Ridges

Inside the oval, draw a few curved vertical lines from top to bottom. These lines should follow the curve of the pumpkin’s form, not straight lines. Place one in the center and then add symmetrical curved lines on each side. These guidelines represent the pumpkin’s natural ridges and help create its segmented look. Keep the lines light and evenly spaced.

Step 3: Draw the Stem

At the top center of the pumpkin, sketch the stem. Start with two slightly curved vertical lines rising upward from the pumpkin’s top. Connect them with a curved line at the top. Add subtle bends and curves to make the stem look organic rather than stiff. You can slightly flare the base where it meets the pumpkin to make it look firmly attached.

Step 4: Refine the Pumpkin’s Segments

Now begin refining the outer edges and ridges. Darken the outer contour of the pumpkin and adjust the curves to make each section bulge slightly outward. Emphasize the vertical ridges by thickening some lines and tapering others. The ridges should curve inward at the top and bottom, enhancing the rounded, three-dimensional look.

Step 5: Add Detail and Texture

Enhance the stem by adding subtle vertical lines to show its fibrous texture. Lightly sketch contour lines along the pumpkin’s ridges to reinforce its volume. Begin adding light shading along one side of each segment to suggest depth. Keep your shading soft and directional, following the curvature of the pumpkin.

Step 6: Shade and Ground the Pumpkin

Deepen the shading on one side of the pumpkin to create a clear light source. Add darker tones in the grooves between ridges and near the base. Finally, draw a soft horizontal shadow beneath the pumpkin to ground it on a surface. Blend or layer your shading to create smooth transitions, giving the pumpkin a realistic, three-dimensional finish.