how to draw a crater

In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw a crater made from simple effects. This might seem like a weird subject, but knowing how to illustrate a cool cartoon crater can be useful. Whether you are planning on sketching the moon, the surface of the earth or any other planet (fictional or not) craters are definitely an important component. Ready? Let's begin our work on this interesting place ...

drawing the cartoon crater using basic shapes

First, you need to draw a simple circle to form the rim of the crater. Of course, this element can be made from an irregular shape. It's important to leave some room around the shape so that we can add more stuff later.

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If you have access to a vector application, then you can add gradients inside the subject. If you don't, then simply try to duplicate all effects shown below. Using a circular gradient is highly recommended. Notice how the rest of the map is filled with a simple plain color. For this lesson, let's use mostly brown colors.

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Let's make the rim more visible by drawing a simple shape around the original one. You can see our new addition below (with a temporary blue outline). Gradients are also added to this shape. You can make the top of the shape brighter and the bottom slightly darker.

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Inside the cartoon crater, we can add a dark shadow made from a curved line. This new element must be filled with a dark brown color. This time, don't hesitate to play with the opacity of the new shape, Indeed, the shadow must be partially visible on top.

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Around the rim, you can now create a simple irregular shape made from various curved lines. This new addition represent the impact ejecta from the comet. Once again, make sure that the top part of this shape is brighter and the bottom darker. This contrast is more than enough to give more depth to the drawing.

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It can be a good idea to extend the impact ejecta of the crater by creating a larger shape around the original one. This time, you can make the area slightly brighter. We are not done yet with this lesson on how to draw a crater. More effects are needed to create the perfect image.

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Around the point of impact, you can draw more shapes that are all facing the middle of the crater. These new textures will give more realism to the picture. Right now, we can feel the power of the impact and how the area around the crater was affected.

These new elements must be filled with a dark brown color. Once again, it can be a good idea to play with the opacity of these shapes to create a subtle result. 

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Now that we are done with the area surrounding the hole, let's work inside this one. Indeed, we need to show how high the rim really is. For this step, you can draw a dark shadow around the rim using multiple curved lines. Make sure that all triangles are facing the middle of the cartoon crater.

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Outside the crater, we have drawn several shapes to create debris filled with dark colors. It's now time to apply the same recipe inside our subject. Just like we did in the previous step, make sure that all triangles are facing the center of the illustration.

good job learning how to draw a crater like this one!

Now that all steps are completed, you can see the final version of our crater below. Of course, feel free to add more details inside your illustration. You can also remove a few effects if you prefer to draw something simpler. The choice is all yours. Don't hesitate to draw more versions. Each crater is unique and different. You can't be wrong! :)

Below, you can see all steps required to learn how to draw a crater grouped into a single illustration. You are now invited to learn how to draw more places using tons of cool lessons from the same series here. Have fun!

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