How to Draw Gru (Despicable Me)
Use the video and step-by-step drawing instructions below to learn how to draw Felonius Gru from Despicable Me. A new cartoon drawing tutorial is uploaded every week, so stay tooned!
Intro: When learning how to draw Gru, start off with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. Use light, smooth strokes for sketching.
Step 1: Start by drawing a circle near the top of the page. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s just a guide. This will be the basic shape for Gru's head.
Step 2: Next, draw two intersecting lines across the circle, one vertical and one horizontal. Bend the lines so that they contour to the shape. These will be construction lines that will help you place Gru's facial features later on.
Step 3: Draw two small shapes as guides for Gru's eyes. Draw them sitting on top of the horizontal construction line and on either side of the vertical construction line. The shapes should be similar to half-circles.
Step 4: Draw an angled line between the eyes as a guide for Gru's nose. Use the construction lines as guides for placement. Gru's nose should be big, and the line should start at the vertical construction line, point downward and end at the horizontal construction line.
Step 5: Under Gru's nose, draw a thin shape as a guide for his mouth. This shape consists of two curved lines on top of each other.
Step 6: On the left side of the head, draw an arc similar to the letter C as a guide for Gru's ear. Place the ear at the end of the horizontal construction line on the left.
Step 7: That’s it for the initial sketch! You have the basic shape of Felonious Gru from Despicable Me. Now go in and tighten your drawing. From this point on, press harder with your pencil in order to get darker lines and a more defined sketch.
Step 8: Use the angled line as a guide to draw Gru's nose. Make the top of the nose bulge out more. The tip of Gru's nose and the bottom left end should be rounder.
Step 9: Above each eye draw a long, thin shape for Gru's eyebrows. Use quick, short strokes when you draw the eyebrows to make them bushy. Draw the eyebrow on the right raised up a little to give Gru a sinister look.
Step 10: Darken the edges of Gru's eyes and make the ends rounder. Draw a curved line under each eye to indicate the bags under his eyes. Draw a small line over each eye for his half-closed eyelids.
Step 11: Inside each eye, draw a small circle for Gru's irises. Inside each iris, draw a big dot for the pupils. On the top left side of each iris, draw a tiny circle to represent the glare in the eyes.
Step 12: Use the main circle as a guide to draw Gru's head. Follow the basic path of the circle as you darken the line. When you get to the eyebrow on the right, the line for the face bulges out a little. On the left side, extend the line for Gru's head farther out toward the ear to give the head a more oval shape.
Step 13: Use the C-shaped arc on the left as a guide to draw Gru's ear. Darken the edge of the ear and draw a few lines within the ear for structure.
Step 14: Draw Gru's mouth using the set of lines under the nose as guides. Darken the edges of the shape and draw the left side of the mouth a bit higher to give him a smirk. Draw a few tiny lines inside of Gru's mouth for his gums and teeth.
Step 15 (optional): Draw a couple of circles around Gru's head for his scarf. On the bottom of the circles, near the sides, draw a couple of straight lines for the ends of the scarf.
Step 16 (optional): Draw a line on either side of the head for Gru's shoulders. Under the scarf, draw a couple more lines for the jacket's collar and a small rectangular shape for the zipper.
Step 17: That’s it! You now have a nice sketch of Felonious Gru from Despicable Me. You can stop at this quick drawing for a rough, sketchy look or go for a more finished look by continuing to the step below.
Step 18: For a more finished, inked look, carefully draw over the final sketch lines with a pen or marker. Wait for the ink to dry, and then get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser. You now have a finished inked drawing of Gru! You can stop here or go to the final step to complete your Gru drawing.
Step Final Step: For a completely finished Gru drawing, you have to color it. You can use markers, color pencils or even crayons! Color his hair and eyebrows brown and his eyes dark blue. His skin is peach, but if you don't have peach, improvise and use yellow-orange or light brown. Experiment! Alternate between gray and black for the scarf. The coat is black, and the zipper is gray. That’s it! You now have a completed drawing of Felonious Gru from Despicable Me.
