How to Draw Moana
Use the videos and step-by-step drawing instructions below to learn how to draw Disney's Moana. Stay tooned for more tutorials!
The speed drawing video:
The written step-by-step video tutorial:
Intro: Start off with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. Use light, smooth strokes for sketching.
Step 1: Draw a small circle near the top of the paper as a guide for Moana's head. First draw four small marks to indicate the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge.
Step 2: Draw a small, curved line under the head as a guide for Moana's jaw and chin. Don't draw this line too low, otherwise your Moana will end up with a big chin.
Step 3: Draw two curved intersecting lines inside the head, one horizontal and one vertical. These are construction lines that will help you place Moana's facial features later.
Step 4: Draw a small curved line similar to a backward letter C on the right side of the head as a guide for the ear. Draw two short lines under the head as guides for Moana's neck.
Step 5: Draw a big triangle under head as a guide for Moana's torso by first drawing a horizontal line under the head. Then draw a diagonal line that starts at the top left side and ends near the center at the bottom. Draw another diagonal line on the right to finish the torso's guide. The bottom part should be similar to the letter V.
Step 6: Draw a slightly tilted horizontal line under the triangle as the guide for the bottom half of Moana's body. Add two diagonal lines that connect the bottom line to the triangle to finish the guide for the lower half of the body.
Step 7: Draw an angled line similar to a less-than sign (<) on the left side of the body as a guide for the first arm. Draw another angled line on the right side that is similar to a greater-than sign (>) as a guide for Moana's other arm.
Step 8: Draw a long, diagonal line under the body, on the left side, as a guide for Moana's first leg. Bend the line at the bottom. Draw another diagonal line on the right for the other leg. Don't bend this line because the foot will face forward.
That's it for the guides! For the next steps, use darker lines for a more finished drawing.
Step 9: Lightly sketch two ovals inside the head for the eyes. Use the construction lines as guides for placement. The eye on the left should be longer because of perspective. When you get the size and placement of Moana's eyes right, darken the lines. Remember to make the eye on the right a bit bigger and longer than the one on the left.
The top part of the eyes should be curved, while the bottom part should be flatter. Make the the top part of the eyes thicker for the eyelashes. Use a series of quick, short, vertical strokes that are bunched together to form the eyelashes. Moana's eyelashes for the eye on the left shouldn't be as thick because of perspective.
Step 10: Draw a small circle inside the eye on the left for the first iris. Draw a circle inside the eye on the right as well for the other iris. Inside each iris, draw a big dot for Moana's pupils. Sketch lightly at first to get the placement of the irises right, then darken the lines.
Step 11: Draw Moana's eyebrows above the eyes as thick shapes using a series of curved lines. The outer ends of the eyebrows should be pointy and the inner ends thick. The overall shape should be similar to thick, upside- down check marks. Just like with the eyes, the eyebrow on the left should be smaller because of perspective.
Step 12: Draw Moana's nose in the space between the horizontal construction line and the lower edge of the initial circle. Draw the tip of the nose on the left as a short curved line. Then add the nostril on the right using smaller curved lines. Add an extra line on the left for the other nostril and a light curved line at the top.
Step 13: Draw Moana's mouth under the nose, along the lower edge of the initial circle. Lightly sketch a long curved line for the mouth to get the placement right. Darken the long curved line for the mouth and add a shorter curved line at the top for the top lip. Draw another long curved line at the bottom for the lower lip. The lower lip should be thinner than the top lip.
Step 14: Use the initial circle and curved line under as guides to draw the shape of the head. Darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of Moana's face. The section next to the eye on the left should be thinner. Continue to darken the line on the bottom and right all the way up to the ear to create the chin and jaw. Draw a series of quick, short strokes across the top part of the head for Moana's hairline. Use a longer line on the right to represent the bit of hair covering the top of the ear.
Step 15: Darken the shape of the ear and add a few lines inside for structure. Darken the lines under Moana's head as well to create the neck.
Step 16: Draw a circle below the neck for Moana's pendant. Add a curved line on the top right side for extra detail. Now draw a series of tiny circles and lines that go up to the neck to finish the necklace.
Step 17: Use the angled line on the right side of the body as a guide to draw Moana's first arm. Make the shape of the arm thicker as you follow the basic path of the initial guide line. Sketch lightly at first to get the structure of the arm right. Use a curved line for the forearm. The fingers are folded into a fist, so draw the hand using a roundish shape. The side of the fist closest to the body (the knuckles) should be a bit flatter. Draw a curved line on the right for Moana's folded pinky. Finish the shape of the arm by following the basic path of the initial guide.
Step 18: Use the big triangle under Moana's head as a guide to draw her top. First draw a long, curved, horizontal line at the top but don't overlap the necklace. Draw another horizontal line below the first one, but this line should be made up of tiny vertical lines to represent texture. Darken the sides of the triangle to create the sides of the torso. Draw a wavy line across the bottom for the lower edge of the top. Add a couple of short lines below the wavy line for the exposed torso.
Step 19: Draw the sash around Moana's waist by first drawing a curved, horizontal line below the wavy line. The sash has many folds, so draw another curved line underneath for cloth's creases. Add short vertical lines on the sides, then add another long, curved horizontal line at the bottom for the lower edge of the sash. Add a couple more lines within the shape for more creases on the cloth. Moana's sash should hang low on the waist. The lower edge should be very close to the tip of the initial triangle guide. Draw two wavy rectangle-like shapes on the left side for the ends of the sash.
Step 20: Use the angled line on the left as a guide to draw the other arm. Follow the basic path of the angled line as you make the shape of the arm thicker. Curve the line to create the forearm. Most of Moana's hand is hiding behind the sash, so only draw the visible portion. Curve the outer line as you follow the guide to create the elbow. Make the wrist thin and the hand wider and round.
Step 21: Draw Moana's hair around her head using a series of curved lines. Draw a series of short, overlapping lines above the head for the top part of the hair. Follow the basic curvature of the initial circle as you draw the top edge of the hair. For the right side of the hair, use longer, wavier lines. Continue drawing the line from the top down to the shoulder. Draw the left side of the hair the same way but extend it out toward the left more to represent movement. Add the ends of the hair by drawing a series of short, wavy, spike-like lines on the lower left side. Add a few lines on the sides of the body too for the hair peeking out from behind.
Step 22: Draw the first part of Moana's skirt by drawing a curved vertical line on the right side of the body. Around halfway down the guide for the leg, draw the bottom of the skirt that's made up of triangle-like lines. This line should stop right before hitting the other leg, then connect it to the sash on the left side with a diagonal line. Right below the initial guide for the lower part of the body, draw another line that's made up of small triangles.
Step 23: Now draw the second part of Moana's skirt by using a series of vertical lines on the left side. The lines should be slightly curved and tilted. Three of them should form the left side of the skirt. Use a series of quick, short, vertical strokes to form a horizontal line across the bottom for the grass skirt underneath.
Step 24: Use the lines below the skirt as guides to draw Moana's legs and feet. Lightly sketch the shape of the leg as you follow the guide. Use a curved line on the right side for the calf muscle. Use a curved line on the lower right side for the heel. When you get the structure right, darken the lines. Add a small line at the tip of the foot for Moana's toes. The foot is facing left, so not all the toes are visible.
Now lightly sketch the shape of the leg on the right by using the other line as a guide. Moana's leg should be thin at the top where the knee is, then wider for the calf muscle, then gradually thinner again for the ankle. This foot is facing forward, so the sides of this foot should consist of wavy lines. Pause the video and sketch lightly at first to get the structure of the foot right. Use a few short, vertical lines along the tip of the foot to separate the individual toes.
Step 25: For a more finished look, carefully go over the final sketch lines with a pen or marker.
Step 26: After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.
Final Step: Color your Moana drawing using color pencils, markers or even crayons! Add a base of brown to the hair and eyebrows. Add some dark brown on top and blend the colors together. Use brown for the eyes too. Use dark brown lightly for the lips and blend some red with it by pushing down harder on the pencil.
Use a bit of brown lightly for the shadows on the skin. On top of that, use light brown as a base for the entire skin. Use peach on top of that and blend all three colors together by pushing harder on your pencil. Use gray for Moana's necklace and blue for the pendant. Use red-orange for her top and sash. It has an intricate design, but you can simplify it a bit. Simplify the top's design by leaving two strips blank. Make the bottom strip thick. Add four small circles inside.
Add some brown to the thick strip with the circles. Blend in some red to the rest of the top and sash. Draw two little flower patterns near the middle of Moana's skirt using yellow. Use gray for the skirt's shadows, and to create a pattern on the triangles. Use gray for the grass skirt underneath too.
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