How to Draw Spider Man

Co-authored by Renée Plevy and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: February 3, 2023 References

Spiderman is one of the most fun superheroes to draw! Once you sketch a general body outline, spend time on the iconic Spidey suit. Then, make a symmetrical web-covered mask. Go back and add details or colors to make your web-slinging hero even more lifelike.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Outlining the Body

1
Draw a small circle and add an oval with a tapered bottom to make the head. Lightly draw a circle in the upper 1/2 of your paper. Then, draw an oval with a narrow curve at the bottom that extends from the bottom of the circle. Make the bottom of this oval slightly pointed to create Spiderman's chin.^{[1]
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- Don't erase the line from the bottom of the circle since you'll use it as a guideline for drawing the details of the mask.
- Make the width of the oval portion 1/2 the size of the circle you drew for the head. If you draw the oval too low, the jaw will be too large.
2
Sketch 2 vertical lines for the neck and make a horizontal oval for the chest. Draw a short vertical line coming down from each side of the jaw where it meets the side of the head. Draw an oval positioned horizontally so the top line of the oval touches the lines for the neck. Make the width of the oval the same as the width from the top of the head to the chin and the length about 2 times the length of the head.^{[2]
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Tip: Press lightly as you draw so you can go back and erase guidelines once you're finished drawing.

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3
Make 2 straight lines that angle down from the oval to create the middle of the torso. Leave a space that's as wide as the width of the oval and draw a horizontal line below the oval to give you an idea of where the waist is. Then, draw a straight line from the end of each oval down to the ends of the waistline.^{[3]
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- The waistline is about 3/4 the size of the upper chest.
4
Sketch an upside-down pentagon to outline the lowest part of the torso. Draw a short straight line coming down from each end of the middle torso. Make the lines angle away from the body since this is where Spiderman's hips are. Then, draw a V-shape from the bottom of these lines, which creates the bottom of the torso.^{[4]
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- Round the bottom of the V-shape to draw a realistic crotch.
- Draw the bottom torso segment 1/2 as wide as the head or chest segment.
5
Draw a half-circle with a small circle below it for the shoulder and upper arm. Sketch a half-circle on 1 end of the chest's oval. Make the half-circle extend 3/4 of the way down the side of the chest segment. Then, draw a rounded U-shape extending from the bottom of the half-circle. Draw the bottom of the curved shape so it's level with the center of the middle torso segment.^{[5]
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- Repeat this on the opposite side of the torso to make the other shoulder and upper arm outline.
6
Make an oval and narrow rectangle extend from the upper arm to make the forearm. Sketch a vertical oval that's connected to the bottom of the U-shape. Make this oval the same length as the U-shape. Then, draw a vertical rectangle extending from the bottom of the oval. Make the rectangle narrower to create a tapering wrist.^{[6]
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- Draw the bottom of the rectangle so it's level with the very bottom line of the torso.
- Repeat this for the other arm.
7
Draw a small circle at the bottom of the rectangle to make an outline for a fist. To give your Spiderman slightly clenched fists, make a circle connected to the bottom of the rectangle. Make the circle slightly wider than the ovals you drew for the arm.^{[7]
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- Remember to do this for the other arm as well.
8
Sketch 2 U-shaped lines and circles extending from the torso. To make the upper legs and knees, make a U-shape coming down from 1 side of the bottom torso. Make it 1/2 as long as the entire torso and 1/2 the width of the bottom part of the torso. Then, draw a circle the size of the fist below the U-shape to create a knee.^{[8]
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- Do this for the opposite leg too.
9
Make a U-shape and vertical rectangle below the knee circle for the lower legs. Lightly sketch another U-shape extending down from the knee. Draw it 1 1/2 times as long as the knee circle and 1/2 as wide as the upper leg shape. To finish the lower leg, add a vertical rectangle to the bottom of the U-shape. Make this rectangle the same length as the U-shape.^{[9]
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- Draw these on the opposite leg as well, but make them at a slight angle so it looks like Spiderman is resting his weight on this leg.
10
Sketch the feet so it looks like Spiderman is pointing 1 foot forward. To Spiderman's right foot, make a triangle at the bottom of the leg. Position the triangle so the top point touches the bottom of the rectangle and put the other 2 points where the bottom of the foot begins and ends. To draw the opposite foot, make 2 vertical lines coming straight down from the lower leg. Sketch a short horizontal line to connect them.^{[10]
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- Drawing a square-shaped foot makes it look as though the foot is pointing forward.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Drawing a Detailed Head

1
Draw a vertical line through the head. To make a guideline for placing the eyes, sketch a straight line from the top of the head down to the bottom of the chin. Press lightly since you'll erase this line later.^{[11]
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2
Sketch 2 triangles that touch the guideline in the center of the head. Position each triangle so 1 point touches the middle of the bottom line. Make another point come close to the vertical guideline, but don't let the point touch it. Then, draw the final point up towards the temple and draw lines to connect each point.^{[12]
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- These triangles are the outlines for the eyes of Spiderman's mask.
3
Round the bottom point of each triangle and extend the top point towards the temple. Draw over the bottom point of each triangle to make the bottom of the eyes curved. To exaggerate the top of the eyes, make each of the top corners point up toward the temple.^{[13]
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- If you prefer, make the top inner corner of the eye curved as well.
4
Draw straight lines that radiate like a web between Spiderman's eyes. Put your pencil on the vertical guideline between the eyes and draw over it again to darken it. Then, make a straight line that extends from the middle of the eyes up towards the top of the head at an angle. Keep drawing these straight lines around the head and leave space in between each.^{[14]
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- Use a ruler if you need help creating perfectly straight lines for the webbing.
Tip: Avoid drawing over the eyes that you just finished making. If you forget, erase them or shade in the eyes so they're uniform.
5
Make small curved lines in between each straight line to create the webbing. Start at the lines that are just above the eyes. Make small lines that curve down in the middle and connect with the straight lines on the ends. Do this up towards the head, making the curved lines larger to connect with the straight lines.^{[15]
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- Make the bottom webbing lines curve up instead of down since they're being drawn towards the center of Spiderman's face.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding Details to Spiderman

1
Draw a bold line to connect the outer shapes of Spiderman's body. Take a darker graphite pencil and use it to draw from the neckline, across the shoulder, and down the outer edges of the arm. Then, draw the outline of the torso and down the outside of the legs. Draw over your feet outlines and up along the inner legs.^{[16]
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- Make this bold line smooth as you connect the outline shapes.
Tip: Make the line around the knees and elbows bulge a little to indicate the joints.
2
Add small curves on the chest and upper legs to represent muscles. To highlight Spiderman's muscular build, draw a horizontal line near the bottom of the chest oval. Make the line curve down in the middle on each side of the chest. Then, draw a short straight line near each inner thigh. Angle them towards the knee so they look like bulging muscles.^{[17]
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- If you'd like to draw more muscles, sketch a few short horizontal lines that curve up toward Spiderman's abdomen.
3
Draw the knuckles of each clenched fist. To draw Spiderman's right hand, draw the outline of his thumb so it's close to his torso. Then, draw just a few knuckles since all of them aren't visible from your perspective. To draw his left hand, make his thumb close to the torso and draw 2 or 3 knuckles along the clenched hand.^{[18]
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4
Sketch a Spiderman logo in the center of his chest. Make the logo as detailed or simplistic as you like. Start by making a small diamond in the middle of the chest. Then, draw a slightly smaller diamond above the first diamond so the bottom overlaps. Shade in the diamonds and draw 4 short lines that extend up from the center of the 2 diamonds. Make 4 short lines that point down from the center of the diamonds.^{[19]
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- If your Spiderman drawing is small, keep the logo tiny and don't worry about drawing all of the details.
5
Outline the red parts of Spiderman's outfit. Draw a horizontal line on each calf to create the boots, which will be red, and make a horizontal line that curves up on each forearm to indicate gloves, which will also be red. Draw a horizontal line below each shoulder towards the chest. Make each line curve down to the waist. Each of these lines creates a narrow segment that runs down the torso. Then, draw a horizontal line along the waist to separate the torso from the lower half of the outfit.^{[20]
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- Make the long segments on the side of the torso as wide or narrow as you like.
6
Draw webbing on the chest, boots, and forearms. Draw vertical lines through each of the segments that will be red. Sketch the lines so they contour to the shape of Spiderman's body. Then, make horizontal lines that curve up in the middle of each segment between the vertical lines.^{[21]
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- Leave a small space between each vertical line. If the lines are too close, you won't see the webbing.
7
Erase unnecessary guidelines and color in Spiderman if you like. If you want the drawing to look bolder, use a pen to draw over all of the lines that you want to be visible. Once the ink dries, erase the guidelines. Then, use colored pencils to make the webbed portions red. Color the remaining segments blue.^{[22]
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- To make the muscles stand out, shade them in with black colored pencil.
8
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I draw a shadow?

ChurchGirl Gaming2017

Community Answer

You could start with the leg shadow or go deeper into the details and make a stretching shadow in the sun to cover his full body. Make sure to shade away from the direction the sun is shining in your picture.