Draw a Clown
In this article, I am going to introduce you to a somewhat ambiguous character because we are not sure whether he amuses us or scares us. I am talking about the clown! Originally, he was all smiles and pranks, but literature and cinema have also endowed him with a horrible and diabolical aspect! But today we're not going to draw one of those terrible clowns with a scary smile and sharp teeth. I propose creating a little guide that will help you draw the kind of clown who pulls scarves out of his sleeves and squirts people with a big plastic flower!
Whether a circus clown or simply a birthday entertainer, the "clown" character has some "codes" that will be useful for you to know. Above all, a clown is a costume and just as importantly, makeup.
I will take the same base and apply different types of makeup and hairstyles.
The wig is generally colored, sometimes very colorful, quite imposing and all curly. You can choose to have a single color [1] or dotted with different shades, in splashes or slices of color [2]. You can opt for a shape that spreads over just the sides, as if your clown were bald with just the temples adorned [3]. And you can also dress the wig with a hat [4].
For makeup, first, you need to decide whether or not to powder the entire face of your character in white [as in model 3]. In any case, the idea is to highlight the eyes and accentuate the smile.
For the smile, the lips are usually made up in red and the outline of the mouth is exaggerated.
Another element not to forget is the red nose. Either you opt for just makeup on the nose [1 and 4] or for an added round nose [2 and 3]. In both cases, it will traditionally be red!
For the upper face, you can surround the eyes with white and draw large outlines, emphasize the eyebrows by exaggerating their size, and opt for colorful shapes. There are actually many different variations you can choose from!
Note that often the makeup will not be symmetrical, the left eye will not be made up exactly like the right eye. Dimples are also regularly highlighted [2].
As I did for the face, we will take a common base and make some changes. No matter what choices you make for your costume, jacket, or suit, don't forget an important principle: take 2 or 3 sizes larger! What I mean by that is that a clown does not dress in clothes that fit perfectly: the jackets are too big, the shoes are too big, the pants as well, etc.
For the combination, either opt for pompoms or large buttons on the chest area. You can treat the fabric uniformly [1] or divide it into two parts [2], one side striped, the other polka-dotted, or one side one color and the other a different color. For the collar, you can choose a large flat ruff, which works very well. Note that clowns generally sport a multitude of very bright colors, but sometimes you find clowns in just black and white costumes [2], like Pierrot the clown, who has his own codes. The combination lends itself well to this style. Here in the drawing [2], I chose to have two colored elements, but the pompoms and shoes could very well also have been in black and white.
Regarding the very large pants with suspenders [3], the idea is that the pants are fixed on a hoop and the straps are rigid. As for the suit, you can either treat the fabric uniformly or divide it into two parts.
Yet another key element is the bow tie. As always, opt for a bow tie that's far too big. We also see the round hat seen in the makeup/wig section.
In [4] there is a large tailcoat jacket with trousers and in [5] there is a variation with a more classic jacket, a vest and also trousers. In drawing [4], I opted for a top hat decorated with a big beautiful flower. In drawing [5], I added a tie, and, like the bow tie, feel free to make it a bit more imposing than is normal. And add a new fancy touch, such as pompoms on the shoes if you wish!
For fabrics, opt for bright and strong colors, you have the choice between polka dots, bold stripes, harlequin pattern [pants 5], tartans [pants 4], and naïve motifs [flowers t-shirt 3].
I will guide you through creating a fairly classic clown, but since this article does not deal with the creation of a character more broadly, I will not detail how to construct our character's body. Feel free to check out our in-depth and comprehensive article for learning to draw a man's body.
DRAWING A CLOWN STEP BY STEP
The clown's pose: he waves at you with one hand and his other hand is hidden behind his back... Is he about to pull out some streamers? Or maybe a large multicolored bouquet? Well, the idea is that he's up to something!
I start by just tracing the face, and my character is smiling. For more information, feel free to check out our tutorial to learn how to draw a man's face.
I will now draw the wig and the bow tie. For the wig, I create some irregular curves. And for the bow, I don't hesitate to make it big!
I've decided to go for the hoop pants with suspenders. I form the hoop a bit above the hips, which shapes the pants.
I draw the legs, keeping in mind that the clown often wears loose clothing. I slightly mark the crease at the crotch and the "bulge" of fabric at the knee fold of the supporting leg.
I draw the straps starting from the shoulders, near the neck. Let's not forget that these are not usual straps, they are rigid and attach to the edges of the hoop.
Above the outline of the feet, I draw the shoes, which are quite wide. For the top, I draw a shirt with fairly wide sleeves. I place pom-poms on the buttonhole and ruffles on the visible sleeve edge. The red arrows indicate the basic folds formed at the elbows.
We will redraw the design neatly, starting with the knot. I will detail the fabric folds more. On the pants, I mark the edge of the hoop in blue, I draw a red line for the leg seam, add a pocket in orange, and detail the fly in green.
Now onto the top. In red, I add a belt. In pink, I draw a seam line on the shirt and in blue, I mark the folds under the groin. I also place several folds at the wrist.
In blue, I draw the collar around the neck, and I draw the shoes. I decided to add two pompoms on the top of the shoes (to match the pompoms on the shirt).
I will now erase the construction lines.
ADDING COLOR TO THE CLOWN DRAWING
For my flat colors, I've chosen to use bold colors.
We are going to apply makeup to our subject. I've decided to powder the face of our clown in white!
I've opted for a red nose, and a slightly exaggerated red mouth. For the eyes, I've colored one with a blue triangle and for the other I've highlighted the eyebrows by thickening it!
I'll break up the solid color of the wig by speckling it with lighter areas. For the bow tie, I've opted for stripes, as on the suspenders and one of the pant legs. I chose polka dots for the shirt and the other pant leg.
Finally, I lighten up the frills on the sleeve as well as the glove. I add a touch of light on the tips of the shoes and shade the character.
We can also equip our clown with accessories, such as oversized glasses, a plastic flower on the lapel, or any other exaggerated object as well if we want.
Illustrator and Editor: Elo Illus