Here are 12 Christmas card drawing ideas made from simple shapes, plus four free printable Christmas card fronts to color, cut out and send.
I’ve drawn four of my favorite designs as printable card fronts for you, ready to color, cut out and glue onto a folded card, with a page showing how to draw each one in four steps. Pop your email in just below and they’ll land in your inbox.
Get four free Christmas card fronts
Print them at 100% on A4 or US Letter card, then scroll down for all twelve ideas and the step-by-step pictures.
There’s a particular kind of Christmas card that never gets thrown away. It’s not the glittery one from the shop. It’s the slightly wonky one somebody drew themselves, with a tree that leans a bit and a snowman whose hat is too big.
The good news is that the best Christmas card drawing ideas are made from shapes you already know. A tree is three triangles. A bauble is a circle with a hat on. A wreath is a ring of leaves. If you can draw those, you can draw a card people will keep on the mantelpiece until February.
Table of Contents
Why Draw Your Own Christmas Cards?
Quick answer: a hand-drawn Christmas card is cheaper, more personal and far more relaxing to make than you’d think. One simple drawing on the front, a short greeting, and you’re done in twenty minutes.
All you need is a black pen, a stack of folded card and an evening at the kitchen table, and by the end of it you can have a little pile of cards you’re genuinely proud of. They won’t be perfect. That’s rather the point.
Drawing a card also slows December down. Twenty minutes with a pen and a cup of tea is a gift to yourself as much as to the person opening the envelope. And if you’re someone who says “I can’t draw”, cards are the perfect place to prove yourself wrong, because nobody expects a Christmas card to be realistic. They expect it to be cheerful.
What You Need to Draw Christmas Cards
Quick answer: a black fineliner, some card and a few colored pencils. That’s genuinely all.
- A fineliner pen. A Sakura Pigma Micron set is what I reach for. The 05 is right for the main outline and the 01 is lovely for snowflakes and little dots. The ink doesn’t smear when you color over it later.
- A brush pen for greetings. A Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen makes even quick handwriting look like lettering, because the line gets thicker as you press.
- A white gel pen. This Sakura Gelly Roll white and Micron set is my secret weapon for snowflakes and highlights on kraft or colored card.
- Card. Thin white card (around 200–250 gsm) folded in half. Kraft card looks gorgeous with white pen. Pre-folded blank cards with envelopes save a lot of faff.
- Something to color with. Colored pencils, felt tips or watercolor. Pencils are the most forgiving.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you buy through them. I only recommend things I actually use.
Pencil and eraser are optional. I like to sketch the big shapes very lightly in pencil first, go over them in pen, then rub the pencil out once the ink is properly dry.
12 Christmas Card Drawing Ideas
Every one of these starts with a basic shape. I’ve put the four easiest first, and those four are the ones in the free printable pack.
1. The triangle tree
Three triangles stacked on top of each other, getting bigger as they go down, with wavy bottoms instead of straight ones. A little rectangle trunk, a star on top and a curve of garland across each layer. Dot on some baubles and you’re done. It’s the most forgiving drawing on the list.
2. Three hanging baubles
Three circles of different sizes hanging from strings that come down from the top edge of the card. Give each one a little rectangle cap and a loop, then a different pattern: stripes, a zigzag band, polka dots. Hang them at different heights so the card doesn’t look like a row of buttons.
3. The peeking snowman
Draw a huge half circle rising from the bottom edge of the card, so the snowman looks like he’s popping up to say hello. A top hat, two coal eyes, a carrot nose and a smile made of dots. A striped scarf across the bottom hides any wobbles where the circle meets the edge.
4. The leafy wreath
Draw a light pencil circle first. Then add little almond-shaped leaves all the way round it, alternating inside and outside the line. Berries in clusters of three, a bow at the bottom and your greeting in the middle. Rub the pencil circle out at the end and nobody will ever know it was there.
5. A glowing candle
A tall rectangle with a slightly curved top, a teardrop flame and a few short lines radiating out for the glow. Tuck a couple of holly leaves at the base. It’s a calm, quiet card that suits a more grown-up recipient.
6. A round robin
An egg shape on its side for the body, a triangle beak, a dot for the eye and a wedge for the tail. Color the face and chest orange-red and the rest warm brown. Perch him on a single curved line for a twig. Robins are the friendliest thing you can draw on a Christmas card.
7. A snowy village
Three houses made of rectangles with triangle roofs, all slightly different heights. Wavy snow on each roof, a square window and an arched door. One chimney with a curl of smoke. Color the windows yellow and the whole card suddenly feels warm.
8. Mittens on a washing line
A drooping line across the top of the card with two mittens pegged to it. Each mitten is a rounded rectangle with a thumb bump and a cuff. Draw a little snowflake on each one. Mismatched colors are more charming than a perfect pair.
9. A stack of presents
Squares and rectangles piled on top of each other, each with a ribbon down the middle and a bow made of two loops. Color every box differently. This one is lovely for a child’s card, and children can draw it themselves.
10. A holly sprig
Three spiky holly leaves meeting in the middle with three round berries where they join. Keep it small and place it in one corner of the card, with the greeting in the opposite corner. Very simple, very classic.
11. A star over the hills
Two gentle wavy lines along the bottom for snowy hills, one big five-pointed star above them and a scattering of tiny stars and dots. If you color the sky in deep navy and leave the star gold, it looks wonderful.
12. A lettered greeting
Sometimes the drawing is the word. Write “Joy”, “Noel” or “Peace” big and bold in the middle of the card with a brush pen, then add tiny holly leaves, dots and little stars around it. Thicken the downstrokes of each letter and it instantly looks like lettering.
If you’d like even more festive things to doodle on your cards, my 30 easy Christmas drawing ideas and 31 Christmas things to draw are full of them.
How to Draw Three of the Cards, Step by Step
Quick answer: start with the biggest shape, add the details inside it, then finish with the little extras around it. Each card below takes four steps.
In each picture the red line is the new bit, so you can see exactly what gets added at every step.
How to draw a Christmas tree card
- Stack three triangles and a trunk. Start with the bottom one, which is the widest. Give each layer a wavy, scalloped bottom edge.
- Add a star and the ground. A five-pointed star sitting right on the top point, and a gentle curved line under the trunk.
- Swoop in a garland. One curved line across each layer, dipping down in the middle.
- Baubles, snow and a greeting. Small circles scattered over the tree, a few dots of snow around it, and “Merry Christmas” underneath.
How to draw a peeking snowman card
- A big half circle and a top hat. The half circle sits on the bottom edge of the card. The hat is a tall rectangle on a flat oval brim.
- Eyes, a carrot nose and a smile. Two filled dots, a long triangle for the nose and five dots in a curve for the mouth.
- A hat band and a scarf. A band around the bottom of the hat and a wide scarf across the bottom of the card, with a few stripes.
- Snowflakes and a greeting. Little six-armed asterisks and dots, and “Let it snow” across the top.
How to draw a leafy wreath card
- A light pencil circle. Trace round a mug or a small bowl if you like.
- Leaves all the way round. Small almond shapes, alternating just inside and just outside the pencil line, all tilting the same way.
- Berries in little threes. Six clusters spaced around the ring.
- A bow and a greeting. Two loops and two tails at the bottom, then your words in the middle. Rub out the pencil.
Snowflakes on your cards looking a bit lopsided? My step-by-step snowflake tutorial fixes that in about five minutes.
5 Tips for a Card Front That Looks Finished
- One hero drawing. Pick one main thing and let it be big. A single snowman beats six tiny ones fighting for space.
- Leave white space. A card that’s a third empty looks calm and deliberate. Resist filling every gap.
- Two line weights. A thicker pen for the outline, a thinner one for details and snowflakes. It’s the quickest way to make a doodle look designed.
- Repeat a color. If the scarf is red, make the berries or the bauble red too. Three colors plus black is plenty.
- Add a little shine. A white gel pen dot on baubles, berries and the snowman’s eyes makes everything look glossy.
If you’d rather paint your cards, my watercolor Christmas cards post has fifteen designs made for paint, and these drawings work beautifully as outlines for a little watercolor too.
What’s in the Free Card Fronts
Quick answer: five A4 pages with four hand-drawn card fronts, ready to color, cut out and send.
- A cover page showing all four cards colored in, so you can see one way to color them.
- Two sheets of card fronts with two designs on each: the triangle tree, three baubles, the peeking snowman and the leafy wreath. Each one is 92 × 130 mm, which fits neatly on a folded A6 or 4×6 inch card.
- A how-to-draw page with all four designs broken into four steps, so you can draw your own freehand next.
- A last page pointing to where to find more printables like these.
Print on thin white card if your printer will take it, or on ordinary paper and glue it onto colored card for a little border. Color first, then cut along the dashed line.
Want More Printables Like These?
If drawing and coloring your own cards is your idea of a cozy evening, my Artsydee Creation Club is where the rest of my printables live. It’s a growing library of junk journal kits, drawing templates, coloring pages and watercolor outlines, with new printables added every month and the seasonal sets landing there first.
You can also browse my shop at payhip.com/Artsydee if you’d rather pick up one printable at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest Christmas card to draw?
The triangle tree. It’s three triangles, a rectangle and a star, and it looks lovely even when the lines wobble. Once you’ve drawn it twice, try the three baubles.
What should I draw on a Christmas card if I can’t draw?
Pick something made from one or two basic shapes: baubles (circles), a tree (triangles), a candle (a rectangle and a teardrop) or a lettered word like “Joy”. Or print the free card fronts and simply color them in.
What pen is best for drawing Christmas cards?
A waterproof fineliner, such as a Micron 05, for the outline, because it won’t smudge when you color over it. Add a white gel pen for highlights and snowflakes.
What size are the free card fronts?
Each front is 92 × 130 mm, two to an A4 page. That fits on a folded A6 card or a 4×6 inch card with a small border. Print at 100% (turn off “fit to page”) on A4, or choose “fit to page” for US Letter.
Can I sell cards I make with the free card fronts?
Please keep them for your own cards and gifts. You’re very welcome to sell cards you’ve drawn yourself using the ideas and steps on this page.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to be good at drawing to make a Christmas card someone will treasure. You need a pen, a few simple shapes and twenty quiet minutes. Start with the triangle tree, draw it twice, and the third one will be the one you send.
I share drawing and painting tutorials on my YouTube channel, so if you’d like to draw along with me, subscribe here. And you’ll find lots more Christmas ideas on my Pinterest boards.
Pin this for later so you can find the ideas when the card-writing evening comes round.
You Might Also Like
- Watercolor Christmas Cards: 15 Easy Designs to Paint
- Easy Christmas Drawing Ideas: 30 Simple Things to Draw
- Gingerbread House Drawing, Step by Step
- Christmas Coloring Pages for Adults
- Birthday Card Drawing Ideas
Happy drawing!
Dee x