How to Draw A Cartoon Pillow that looks comfortable

Sketching a cartoon pillow that looks comfortable can be slightly challenging. One simple tip that you can try is using mostly curved lines to create the object. You can also add shadows and gradients to the illustration if you want to make your pillow visually more appealing and realistic.

Of course, the pillowcase is probably the only part of the object that will be visible since this one is covering the whole pillow. You can also add a small hole on the right side of the image to add even more realism to the drawing. Great! Now that we are more familiar with the object we are about to draw, let's begin this simple lesson now ...

using a simple rectangle to represent the object

Start this lesson by adding a simple rectangle to locate the object in your image. This simple step can be useful if you are drawing the entire room and need to place the pillow on a bed (or anywhere else). It's the best time to adjust the size of the object, the angle and the width.

drawing the silhouette of the cartoon pillow

Now that we have an idea of the size and the position of the subject, it's time to polish the silhouette using mostly a long curved line. This is not an object made from solid materials, so it's really important that the outline of the pillow reflect this fact.

adding a small hole on the right side

Once the silhouette is done, you can add a small hole on the right side of the pillow. Like I said earlier, the object is located inside the pillowcase, so adding a hole is really important. However, this hole is not circular and perfect.

Instead, both ends of the hole are drawn using pointed lines. This shapes is tall, but very narrow. You can also follow the lines on the right side of the pillowcase to create the new shape.

working with subtle details

Inside the picture, you can draw a few short lines to simulate the nature of the fabric. Whether the pillowcase is made from cotton, polyester or silk, we need to see some folds in a few areas. Also, notice how the new additions (the lines that are filled with a temporary red color) are pointed near the end. Nice work! This cartoon pillow is now recognizable.

sketching more shadows to form a fun object

Adding shadows can also help improve the illustration. Once again make sure that all new elements have an organic shape. These fun shadows are only drawn from solid shapes. No outlines are visible. To create a subtle contrast, you can use a light gray color inside the shadows.

coloring the hole in black

In this simple step, all you need to do is add colors inside the hole of the pillowcase. You can use a very dark gray color or do like I did and simply opt for black. Nice! We could stop this tutorial here and enjoy a nice cartoon pillow like the one found below. However, there is one last thing we can do to bring this fun image to another level ...

working with gradients to complete this simple tutorial

If you are using a vector application, then you can add gradients to the pillow to create more depth and volume. Don't worry! This effect can also be done using other tools like pencils or paint. Simply make sure that the bottom of the object is slightly darker than the top. You can see the final illustration once all steps are completed below.

I hope you had fun drawing this simple object. Don't hesitate to sketch and draw more pillows using various textures, materials and angles. Adding realistic folds can be a nice challenge that requires some practice to achieve perfectly.

You are also invited to use the image below if you need more help with this tutorial. This picture contains all seven steps needed to draw an accurate pillow from scratch.

Now that we are done drawing this fun object, you can try more fun lessons from the same theme below. These simple tutorials are offering various challenges that can definitely help you learn how to draw quickly and more easily. Have fun creating and remember to practice on a daily basis! :)