How to draw a house

A house is often the first thing children learn to draw — and with a couple of small touches (a roof that overhangs, a chimney that sits on the slope) it looks noticeably better.

Once you have it, add the tree, flower and car tutorials to build a complete street.

Step-by-step: how to draw a house

1. 

   1Square and triangle guides

   Draw a square for the walls and a triangle on top for the roof, slightly wider than the square.

2. 

   2Draw the walls

   Draw the two side walls and the ground line, extending the ground beyond the house on both sides.

3. 

   3Roof and chimney

   Draw the roof triangle so it overhangs the walls a little on each side. Add a chimney on the right slope — its bottom edge follows the roof line.

4. 

   4Add the door

   Draw an arched door in the middle of the front wall and a small dot for the handle.

5. 

   5Windows, round window and smoke

   Add a square window with a cross on each side of the door, a round window in the roof, and a wiggly line of smoke from the chimney. Erase the guides.

6. 

   6Colour the house

   Yellow walls, a red roof, a brown door and chimney, light blue windows and green grass.

Tips for a better house

• Overhang the roof. A roof exactly the width of the walls looks like a pencil tip.
• Chimney follows the slope. Its bottom edge must meet the roof line, not float above it.
• Windows level. Line up the tops of both windows — your eye notices immediately if they don’t match.

Try a variation

Add a second floor, a garage on one side, or a path curving to the door. Draw the same house on black paper with glowing yellow windows for a night scene.

More things to draw

Level up

• Basic shading
• Colour theory for beginners
• Drawing ideas
• Easy things to draw