How to draw a cartoon grim reaper

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a cartoon grim reaper that looks appealing and filled with simple details. This frightening character is often featured in horror movies, dark novels and of course, during Halloween. Don't worry! Illustrating this creature can easily be done if you follow all steps available below carefully. Let's start with a short video that depicts how this cartoon character was drawn using a tablet and a vector software.

a basic video to see it all in action!

Unlike other characters from this series, this particular one is filled with details that are usually not added. The posture is also a small challenge if you are not familiar with the character. Once you are done with the video, you can continue below with the written version of this tutorial to learn more about the creation process.

How to draw a cartoon grim reaper in four easy steps!

First, we need to draw a simple guideline so that we can figure out how the character will look like on your illustration. It's the perfect moment to polish the posture and make sure all proportions are right. Since we are working on a cartoon character, you can improvise and be more creative than usual.

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Next, it's time to draw the creature using a mix of straight and curved lines. Pay attention to all details and make sure all shapes are relevant and realistic. No need to draw fingers or complex teeth. Simplicity rules! 

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Once the character is drawn, you can erase all gray lines created earlier for the template. This monster is visually quite interesting. We can make it even more fascinating by adding colors. This is a very dark character, so we will use mostly a large selection of gray colors ... and a little bit of brown. I will show you how to make a simple 2D image look more realistic without working with gradients or transparency.

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Time to bring this illustration to life! As you can see below, only plain colors are used. I recommend watching the video above if you want to appreciate how this part of the tutorial was created. It's not a complex process, but seeing it live is definitely more interesting.

draw more cool creatures like this one!

Below you can see all four steps required to draw a cool cartoon grim reaper quickly and easily. Don't hesitate to try more postures, various shapes or different colors. Just be creative! Working on fictional characters is fun simply because there are no right or wrong. Have fun! :)

Go back to How To Draw A Cartoon Illustration (Basic Lessons)
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