37 Free Printable Christmas Drawing Templates (Ready to Use!)

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Last Updated on November 13, 2025 by Dee

There’s something magical about starting with a blank template instead of a blank page. No pressure, no “where do I even begin?” panic—just clean lines waiting for your creative touch.

I’ve put together 37 printable Christmas drawing templates that work whether you’re tracing to build confidence, adding color for a quick creative break, or using them as starting points for your own designs. Some are simple outlines perfect for kids or beginners. Others have more detail for anyone wanting to dive deeper into shading and decoration.

These templates aren’t just coloring pages (though they absolutely work for that). They’re proper drawing practice tools. Trace them to learn proportions. Color them to practice staying in lines. Add your own details to make them uniquely yours. Tuck them into Christmas junk journal stickers spreads or use them for handmade cards.

Download the free printable drawing templates at the end of this post.

What You’ll Need (The Practical Stuff)

Let’s talk supplies before we get into the templates themselves.

This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend supplies I actually use and trust!

Paper for Printing

Not all printer paper is created equal. Regular copy paper works fine if you’re just tracing or doing light coloring. But if you want to use markers, watercolors, or heavy color application, upgrade your paper game.

I print mine on this cardstock—it’s thick enough to handle wet media without buckling, but still feeds through a standard printer. For watercolor specifically, grab printable watercolor paper. Yes, it exists, and yes, it’s a game-changer.

If you’re printing a bunch of templates at once for a workshop or just to have a stash ready, this heavyweight bright white paper hits the sweet spot between regular copy paper and cardstock.

Coloring Tools That Actually Work

For colored pencils, I always recommend Prismacolor Premier if you want buttery smooth application, or these Castle Art colored pencils if you’re on a budget but still want decent quality. You can also check out my full breakdown of drawing tools for more options.

For markers, Copic markers are the gold standard if you’re serious about blending, but Ohuhu alcohol markers give you similar results for a fraction of the price. I’ve tested both extensively, and honestly, the Ohuhus are shockingly good.

For gel pens and fine liners, grab this Sakura Gelly Roll set for adding white highlights and metallic details, and Micron fineliners for crisp black outlines and detail work.

For watercolors, keep it simple with this portable watercolor set or go professional with Winsor & Newton cotman sets.

Pro tip: Don’t overthink the tools. I’ve seen stunning work done with a $5 pack of Crayola markers. The template doesn’t care what you’re using.

What’s Actually in These Templates

These aren’t random drawings I threw together. Each template connects to the fun drawing ideas I share on my blog, but in ready-to-print format.

You’re getting:

Classic Christmas symbols like trees, ornaments, candy canes, stockings, wreaths, stars, and bells. The foundational festive shapes everyone recognizes.

Cozy indoor scenes including mugs of hot cocoa, candles, fireplaces, gift boxes, stacked books, and snow globes. Perfect if you’re into that hygge vibe.

Nature and botanicals such as holly, pine branches, poinsettias, mistletoe, oranges with cloves, and cinnamon sticks. These pair beautifully with vintage Christmas botanicals if you want that classic illustration look.

Winter critters like cardinals, reindeer, penguins, rabbits, and owls. Because animals in tiny scarves make everything better.

Food and treats including gingerbread cookies, Christmas cookies on plates, candy, peppermints, and fruit cake. Yes, fruit cake. It’s more fun to draw than to eat.

Finishing touches like snowflakes, winter hats and mittens, and festive banners. The details that pull everything together.

Each template has clean, crisp lines on a white background. No fussy details you don’t need, no overwhelming complexity. Just clear outlines ready for whatever you want to do with them.

How to Actually Use These Templates (Beyond Just Coloring)

1. Straight-Up Coloring Practice

Print, color, done. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need—a low-pressure creative moment with zero decision-making required. Pick your medium, pick your colors, fill in the shapes.

This is meditation disguised as art. Put on a podcast, pour some tea, and just color. Nobody’s grading you.

2. Tracing for Learning

If you’re building drawing confidence, tracing is not cheating. It’s learning. Your hand learns the shapes, your brain registers the proportions, and gradually you internalize how things are constructed.

I taught high school art for 18 years. You know what works? Tracing the same shape five times, then trying it freehand on the sixth attempt. That’s how muscle memory develops.

Use a light box or tape your template to a sunny window with your drawing paper on top. Trace. Repeat. Eventually you won’t need the template anymore.

3. Customization Station

The templates are starting points, not rules. Add patterns inside the ornaments. Give the reindeer a ridiculous hat. Turn the fireplace into a modern minimalist version or a elaborate Victorian one.

Draw additional elements around the templates. That cardinal? Put it on a holly branch you draw yourself. Those gift boxes? Stack them differently, add ribbons that flow off the page, scatter tiny stars around them.

This is where the templates stop being templates and become uniquely yours.

4. Mixed Media Experiments

Try watercolor washes behind the black outlines. Add collage elements. Use the templates as bases for embroidery patterns (trace onto fabric instead of paper). Cut them out and layer them in shadow boxes.

I’ve seen people print these on transparency film and use them as window decorations. I’ve seen them printed on magnetic paper for fridge art. I’ve seen them decoupaged onto ornaments.

Creative people get weird with templates in the best possible ways.

5. Junk Journaling and Card Making

Print multiples, color them different ways, cut them out, and add them to journal spreads or handmade cards. The clean outlines make them perfect for mixed media projects.

Layer them with Christmas junk journal stickers, washi tape, and ephemera. Use them as focal points or as small scattered elements throughout a spread.

For cards, print on cardstock, color, cut out, and mount on folded card bases with foam tape for dimension. Instant handmade cards that actually look good.

6. Digital Coloring in Procreate

If you’re a digital artist, these templates work beautifully in Procreate. Import the PDF or image file, create a new layer underneath, and color away with brushes and textures.

The crisp black lines stay on top while you experiment with color layers below. Delete and restart as many times as you want without wasting paper.

7. Teaching Tools

If you work with kids or teach art classes, these templates are lifesavers. They give structure without being prescriptive. Everyone starts with the same outline but ends up with completely different results.

Use them for teaching color theory (how many different color combinations can you try?), shading techniques (add dimension to flat shapes), or pattern practice (fill each section with a different pattern).

Tips for Better Results

Print in actual size. Don’t let your printer auto-resize. The proportions are already figured out.

Test your markers first. Some markers bleed through paper. If you’re using alcohol markers, slip a piece of scrap paper underneath so they don’t mark your desk.

Start light if you’re using colored pencils. You can always add more pressure and saturation, but you can’t easily remove heavy color.

Outline after coloring, not before. If you’re planning to add black outlines with a fineliner, color first. This prevents smudging and gives you cleaner edges.

Make copies, not originals. If you find a template you love, scan or photocopy it multiple times before coloring. That way you can try different color schemes or techniques without losing the original.

Don’t stress about staying in the lines. Seriously. Some of the most interesting colored work I’ve seen has intentionally messy edges or goes outside the lines for effect. The lines are guides, not rules.

Storage and Organization (Because You’ll Print a Lot)

Once you start printing templates, you’ll accumulate them fast. Here’s how I keep mine organized without drowning in loose paper:

Get a simple accordion folder and label the sections: Symbols, Nature, Animals, Scenes, etc. Or use plastic sheet protectors in a binder—blank templates on one side, colored examples on the other.

I keep a “ready to color” stack in a clipboard folder with a pencil case attached. Grab and go whenever the mood strikes.

Printing Settings That Matter

Quality: Set your printer to “Best” or “High Quality” for crisp lines. The difference between draft and best quality is significant.

Paper Type: Tell your printer you’re using cardstock if you’re using cardstock. It adjusts the ink distribution and drying time.

Black and White Only: Make sure color printing is turned off unless you specifically want a colored template. Save your color ink for actual coloring.

Borderless or Margins: Your choice. Borderless gives you more drawing space but not all printers support it. Standard margins work fine.

When Templates Stop Being Helpful

Here’s something nobody talks about: at some point, you might outgrow templates. That’s not only okay, it’s the goal.

Templates are training wheels. They’re meant to build confidence, teach proportions, and give you a starting point. But eventually, you’ll want to draw that Christmas tree freehand. You’ll see a cardinal outside and want to sketch it from life instead of from a template.

When that happens, you’ll know the templates did their job.

Until then? Use them guilt-free. Print them constantly. Color them poorly. Trace them repeatedly. Cut them up and reassemble them. Make mistakes on them.

That’s literally what they’re for.

Quick Ideas for Using Multiple Templates at Once

• Create a Christmas collage: Print 10-15 templates at different sizes, color them all in a cohesive color scheme, cut them out, and arrange them on a large sheet of cardstock or poster board. Frame it.
• Make a December daily drawing challenge easier: Print 31 templates (okay, I only have 37 here, but close enough). Color or complete one per day. Way less intimidating than facing blank pages for a month.
• Build a custom coloring book: Print all the templates, punch holes in the side, and bind them with book rings or a plastic coil binding. Instant personalized coloring book.
• Host a coloring party: Print multiples of the same templates, set out various coloring supplies, invite friends over. See how differently everyone interprets the same outlines.
• Create wrapping paper or gift bags: Print templates on larger paper, color in festive patterns, use them to wrap small gifts or create custom gift bags.

The Actual Downloads Below (Finally)

Right. That’s what you came here for.

The download includes all 37 templates as individual PDFs, plus a compiled version if you want to print them all at once. Each template is sized to standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper but scales well if you want to print smaller or larger.

They’re yours to use personally—print as many times as you want, for yourself, for gifts, for classes, whatever. The only thing I ask is that you don’t sell them or redistribute them as your own. (But really, who does that?)

Now go print something and make it festive. Your printer is waiting. ✨