This Easy Reindeer Line Art Project combines the magic of drawing and watercolor techniques to create an adorable reindeer with a cozy Christmas sweater and playful bobble hat.
As an extension to our simple fox line art project, the striking black-and-white line work combined with colorful, festive woollies and background makes this project an absolute treat for the holiday season.
To make this activity enjoyable and accessible for all skill levels, we’re offering two template options: one with pre-drawn lines for kids who prefer a bit of guidance, and another with blank sections that encourage children to add their creative touches.
This reindeer art project is a fantastic way to introduce young children to line art techniques, allowing them to experiment with textures, patterns, and pen control.
Adding the Christmas sweater and hat gives kids more opportunities to personalize their artwork, making it a fun and creative exercise that helps develop fine motor skills.
How to Make the Easy Reindeer Line Art Project
Materials:
- Card Stock for Printing
- Pencil
- Black Marker Pens
- White Crayon
- Watercolor Paints
- Colorful Crayons or Marker Pens
- Reindeer Line Art Template (members will need to login to access the templates).
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Let’s Prepare the Reindeer for Line Art:
Step 1: Draw a series of arches.
Begin just above the nose and draw a series of horizontal arches that span both sides of the bridge. Continue this pattern, gradually working your way up to the top of the forehead.
The spacing between each arch is entirely up to your creative preference—they can be wide, narrow, or a mix of both.
Step 2: Draw vertical lines between the arches.
Within the white space between each arch of the reindeer’s forehead, draw a series of vertical lines that follow the curve of the design. This is a great opportunity for your Arty Crafty Kids to experiment with different line styles:
Spaced Out Lines: For a lighter effect, spread the lines further apart. This gives the design a more relaxed, open feel.
Tightly Packed Lines: Drawing the lines close together creates a denser, textured look that can help emphasise the fur-like texture of the reindeer.
Next, repeat the previous step to fill in the area around the reindeer’s eyes. This time, change the direction of the arches to add emphasis and dimension, drawing attention to the reindeer’s facial features.
Make the lines longer and more spaced out to create a striking contrast, enhancing the depth and texture of the artwork.
This subtle change in line direction and spacing helps bring the reindeer’s face to life, making it the piece’s focal point.
We’ve added circles around the reindeer’s mouth area and filled them with short, compact lines to accentuate the shape and texture.
This technique draws attention to the reindeer’s mouth, giving it a more defined and expressive look.
Continue adding lines within the reindeer’s ears and antlers, experimenting with different directions and spacing.
Varying the angle and flow of the lines adds texture and interest, helping to highlight the unique shapes of the ears and antlers.
Encourage your Arty Crafty Kids to play around with line styles to see how it changes the overall effect and brings their reindeer to life!
Complete the black-and-white line drawing by adding detailed lines to the reindeer’s neck.
Step 3: Design the reindeer’s Christmas sweater and bobble hat.
Use a pencil to fill the sections of the Christmas sweater and bobble hat with a variety of playful patterns. These could include zigzags, polka dots, or stripes.
For Arty Crafty Kids feeling adventurous, encourage them to try more intricate designs like mini Christmas trees, stars, or delicate snowflakes.
Step 4: Color in the Christmas sweater and bobble hat.
Use crayons or marker pens to color in the pencil-drawn patterns. In contrast to the black-and-white reindeer line art, this is where Arty Crafty Kids can really have fun making their Christmas sweater and bobble hat bright, colorful, and oh-so-festive!
Once the patterns are filled with color, go over the designs with a black marker pen to outline them.
Step 5: Outline the Reindeer Line Art with a wax crayon.
Use a white wax crayon to outline the reindeer design—this will create a protective barrier, keeping the reindeer crisp and clean as watercolor paint is added to the background.
This resist technique helps prevent the colors from wandering into the reindeer, ensuring it remains the focal point.
Step 6: Apply the watercolor paint.
Dampen your brush and begin painting a series of overlapping circles in the surrounding space. This simple watercolor layering technique creates stunning blends and is an easy, relaxing activity for kids.
Opt for wintry hues like soft blues, purples, and pinks to evoke a frosty, festive feel. The overlapping colors will naturally merge, adding depth and a magical touch to the background.
You might also notice that we’ve included a sprinkling of wax-drawn snowflakes to enhance the wintery feel. These hidden snowflakes magically appear as you paint, adding an extra touch of festive fun to the scene.
And that wraps up our Easy Reindeer Line Art tutorial!
I hope your Arty Crafty Kids had a fantastic time creating their festive reindeer designs and experimenting with patterns, textures, and colors. This project is all about embracing creativity and having fun with art during the holiday season.
If your little artists are eager for more Christmas-themed projects, be sure to explore our How to Draw Santa tutorial, create your own silhouette Christmas cards, or try the adorable circle Christmas tree card idea. Each project is designed to inspire creativity and bring a bit of festive cheer to your holiday crafting sessions.
Download the Reindeer Line Art Template:
Create festive reindeer art with our Easy Reindeer Line Art Templates!
Featuring guided outlines and spaces for customization, kids can explore line art, add patterns, and finish with a colorful watercolor background. Perfect for Christmas crafting!
