Last Updated on April 29, 2026 by Dee
The moon is one of those subjects that quietly waits for you in every sketchbook. A circle, a sliver, a soft glow above pine trees — somehow it never gets old. And it might just be the most forgiving thing a beginner can draw.
I’ve put together a free pack of 8 easy moon drawing templates — full moon, crescent, half, gibbous, a smiling-moon character, the moon phases, a moon over mountains, and a celestial moon-and-stars design. Trace them, watercolour over them, or use them as warm-ups when your sketchbook feels intimidating.
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Table of Contents
Why moons are the perfect beginner subject
Quick answer: Moons are simple geometric shapes — a circle or part of one — which makes them forgiving for beginners. They look beautiful even when they’re a little wonky, they pair with almost any medium (graphite, ink, watercolour), and you can finish a satisfying drawing in about 15 minutes.
If you’re staring at a blank sketchbook and your brain has gone quiet, a moon is a kind invitation. The shapes are clean. The values are gentle. And there’s no version of “wrong” — every moon you’ll ever see has a slightly different surface, so even an off-balance crescent reads as your moon.
The other thing I love: moons make space for atmosphere. A simple circle floating over a single line of mountains, with three tiny stars scattered around it, already feels like a finished piece. You’re not painting a portrait — you’re suggesting a whole sky.
Grab your free 8 moon drawing templates
Quick recap of what’s in the pack — all sized for A4, all clean line art you can trace or paint over:
- Full moon with detailed crater face — the classic
- Crescent moon — slim, elegant, a one-line warm-up
- Half moon — clean dividing line, satisfying values
- Gibbous moon — that almost-full shape that looks lovely with shading
- Smiling moon — whimsical character with a gentle face
- Moon phases — all eight phases laid out across one page
- Moon over mountains — a serene landscape composition
- Celestial moon with stars — ornate, decorative, tarot-card energy
Scroll back up to the email box if you haven’t grabbed it yet — pop your email in and the pack lands in your inbox in a couple of minutes. That’s the only step.
What you need to get started
Quick answer: A pencil, an eraser, a piece of paper, and a printed template are enough. If you want to add value or wash, a graphite set (2H–6B) covers all the shading you’ll need; for paint, a small watercolour pan set and a single round brush will get you through every moon in this pack.
I’m a fan of keeping the supply list short — moons reward restraint more than they reward equipment. Here are the bits I actually reach for when I’m sketching the moon:
Heads up: a couple of links below are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to supplies I genuinely use.
- A soft graphite pencil set — a Faber-Castell graphite set is great for layered shading on the full moon’s craters.
- A small watercolour pan set — I use a Winsor & Newton Cotman pocket box for everything moon-related; the navy and Payne’s grey are perfect for night-sky washes.
- Cold-press watercolour paper — even if you’re tracing, paint over a printed template on a sheet of Strathmore 400-series watercolour paper for the loveliest washes.
- A round watercolour brush — a single Princeton Velvetouch round size 6 covers wash, edges, and the tiny stars.
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8 easy moon drawings to try
Quick answer: The eight moons in this guide go from absolute-beginner (a smooth crescent) to gently more involved (a full moon with crater detail and a celestial composition). Pick whichever one matches your mood — there’s no order you need to follow.
1. The full moon (with a crater face)
Start with a soft circle — a circle template, the rim of a small jar, or a freehand round. Lightly map out the dark seas: Mare Tranquillitatis (the right cheek), Mare Imbrium (the left), the bright crater of Tycho near the bottom. Keep your pencil light. The face of the moon is famously imperfect — your imperfect version is closer to real than a smooth circle would be.
2. The crescent moon
The simplest and the loveliest. Draw a circle, then a second circle slightly offset to one side. The bit of the first circle that doesn’t overlap is your crescent. If you want a little personality, give the inner curve a soft profile — closed eyes, a gentle nose, a hint of a smile. Or leave it abstract.
3. The half moon
A circle, divided cleanly down the middle. Shade one side dark, leave the other light. The crisp terminator (the line between light and dark) is what makes a half moon look real. Don’t blend across it — keep the contrast sharp.
4. The gibbous moon
A circle with a soft curving shadow on one edge — more than half lit, but not quite full. This is the moon shape that looks the most painterly because the terminator curves gently rather than running straight. Lovely to shade with the side of a soft pencil.
5. The smiling moon
This is the whimsical one — a crescent with a small face. Closed eyes, soft smile, three little stars floating around it. It’s the moon you’d put on a child’s wall, or in a sketchbook page about a good day. Don’t overthink the face: two short curved lines for the eyes, one soft line for the mouth, done.
6. The moon phases
All eight phases in a row across the page — new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent. This one is part drawing, part diagram. Looks beautiful as a page on its own, and even better as a border around a journal spread.
7. The moon over mountains
This is where a moon turns into a scene. A full circle hovering above two or three layered mountain silhouettes, with a couple of tiny pine trees in the foreground and three or four scattered stars in the sky. The whole composition takes about ten minutes and looks complete.
8. The celestial moon with stars
The most decorative one — a crescent moon at the centre, framed by a starburst, with delicate scattered stars and small constellation lines around it. Has a slight tarot-card feeling to it. Looks especially pretty drawn in white gel pen on a deep navy or black page if you’ve got one.
How to take your moon drawings further
Quick answer: Once you’re comfortable with the line work, paint over a printed template with a soft watercolour wash — Payne’s grey for a moonlit blue, raw umber for a warm full moon, or a wet-on-wet bleed of navy and lavender for a night sky. Watercolour over a traceable line is the fastest way to graduate from “drawing” to “painting”.
If you want to keep practising, try the same moon four times across one page in different mediums — graphite, ink, watercolour, gel pen. You’ll learn more from one page of comparison than from four separate finished pieces.
And if moons turn into a phase you want to stay in, my Patreon drops new watercolour template packs every month — the kind you can trace, paint, or re-mix into your own sketchbook. The Tier 2 Creatives Treasure Chest is £8 a month and includes the full back catalogue of watercolour PDFs, Procreate brushes, and printable extras (a lot of which sit in this dreamy celestial-and-botanical space).
Tips for beginners
Quick answer: Sketch with a light pencil first (anything from 2H to HB), build values gradually rather than going dark too soon, use a small jar or coin as a circle template if your freehand isn’t smooth, and let the moon take up about a third of the page rather than centring it perfectly.
- Sketch lightly first. A pencil that’s too dark will dent the page and shadow your watercolour wash. Use a soft hand and a 2H if you’re doing line work, an HB if you’re shading.
- Build values gradually. Most beginners go too dark too fast. Lay down a soft mid-tone, look at it, then push the shadows where they’re needed.
- Use a circle template if you need one. The rim of a glass, a coin, the lid of a tin — anything round. There’s no virtue in freehanding a wobbly circle if a perfect one will let you focus on the values.
- Don’t centre the moon perfectly. An off-centre composition (rule of thirds) almost always looks better than a moon planted dead-centre on the page.
- Let the page breathe. A small moon with lots of negative space around it usually feels more atmospheric than a big moon filling the whole sheet.
Want monthly templates? Join the Creations Club
If junk-journal-adjacent printables are more your thing — vintage ephemera, scrapbook kits, pocket pages, decorative borders, and seasonal collections — that’s the home of the Artsydee Creations Club. £8 a month, new printables every month, and a growing back catalogue. Watercolour and Procreate templates live on my Patreon; junk-journal printables live in the Creations Club.
You can also browse the full Artsydee Payhip shop if you’d rather pick up individual template packs.
Moon drawing FAQ
What’s the easiest way to draw a moon?
Start with a crescent. It’s a single curve, finishes in two minutes, and looks beautiful with almost no shading. Trace a circle template, draw a second circle slightly offset, and erase the overlap — the leftover shape is your crescent.
Can I print these moon templates on regular paper?
Yes — they print beautifully on standard A4 printer paper for tracing and pencil work. If you want to paint over them with watercolour, print onto a sheet of cold-press watercolour paper instead so the paper doesn’t buckle.
What pencils should I use to draw the moon?
A 2H for the initial outline (so it stays light and erases cleanly), an HB or 2B for general shading, and a 4B–6B for the deepest shadows on a full moon’s craters. A blending stump helps, but your finger works in a pinch.
How do I draw a realistic moon face with craters?
Look at a reference photo (NASA has free-to-use moon photographs) and lightly sketch the dark seas first — Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Imbrium, Mare Serenitatis — as soft grey shapes. Add the bright crater of Tycho near the southern edge with rays radiating outward. Keep all your values mid-grey; the real moon doesn’t have hard black shadows, just gentle gradations.
Can I sell drawings I make using these templates?
The templates are for personal practice — trace them, paint over them, fill your sketchbook. Original artwork you create after practising is yours. The template files themselves can’t be resold or redistributed.
Final thoughts
If your sketchbook has been quiet, a moon is a kind way back in. It’s small, it’s forgiving, it makes space for atmosphere, and it asks almost nothing of you in terms of supplies. Print one of the templates tonight, trace it lightly, and see what happens when you add a bit of wash.
📌 Pin this for later — save the pin below to your favourite sketchbook board so the templates stay close to hand. And if you’d like more like this, follow me on Pinterest where I share a new aesthetic drawing prompt or template pack most weeks.
You might also like
- Easy Drawings for Beginners — 50 simple ideas to get you sketching tonight
- Aesthetic Things to Draw — moody, dreamy, sketchbook-friendly prompts
- Celestial Junk Journal — moons, stars and night-sky printables
- 100 Sketchbook Prompts — a year’s worth of drawing ideas
- Sketch Ideas for Beginners — gentle, low-pressure drawing prompts