How to Draw a Princess Step by Step (Easy Ball Gown Cartoon)

Ask a group of kids what they want to draw, and a princess in a huge swishy gown comes up almost every time. This lesson shows you how to draw a princess step by step, from light guide lines to a colored picture with a crown, a braid and a wand. She is my own original character, so change anything you like once you know how she's built.

How to draw a princess step by step - finished colored princess drawing — Lavender gown, golden crown and a little star wand: this is where your twelve steps will take you.

Follow the color code in the pictures: blue lines are the ones to add now, gray lines came from earlier steps. The pale guide shapes stay faint until you erase them in step 11.

Quick overview
⏱️ Time: about 40 minutes, plus time to color
🎯 Level: beginner; the braid takes a bit of patience
✏️ Steps: 12
👑 You'll draw: a smiling princess with a jeweled crown, a side braid, a star wand and a ball gown with a ruffled hem

What Goes on the Table Before the Crown

An HB pencil for light sketching
A clean eraser
A black fineliner or thin marker
Colored pencils or markers
Plain paper held upright, since she's tall and narrow

A pencil and a few crayons are plenty; the shapes matter far more than the tools.

How to Draw a Princess Step by Step

Step 1: Draw a center line and head marks

Draw a long, light line down the middle of the paper and a flat ground line across the bottom. Add a circle for the head at the top. Then mark the head's height again and again down the center line, so she ends up about four and a half heads tall.

💡 Tip: Press so lightly that you can barely see the marks; all of them get erased later.

Step 2: Sketch the bodice box, the bell and the arm lines

Under the head, draw a narrow box, slightly wider at the top, for the bodice. From its bottom corners, swing two curves out and down to the ground like the sides of a bell. I use stick lines for the arms: one hangs down, the other bends up so the hand sits beside her shoulder.

💡 Tip: Let the bell curves bulge outward near the top; straight lines give you a triangle dress instead of a ball gown.

Step 3: Outline the face and the neck

Go over the lower half of the head circle for a round face with a soft chin; the top will be hidden by hair anyway. Two short lines make the neck, flaring out a little at the bottom. Keep the neck thin, because a wide neck makes a cartoon girl look much older.

💡 Tip: Leave the sides of the face slightly fuller than a perfect circle for chubby, friendly cheeks.

Step 4: Add the bangs, the back hair and a side braid

Draw the hair as a cap sitting slightly outside the head circle, with a row of pointed clumps across the forehead. Leave a gap on top where the crown will sit. On one side, let the back hair fall in a long wave past the shoulder. On the other, draw a thick tube from the temple over the shoulder, add slanted lines inside it, and finish with a hair tie and a small tuft.

💡 Tip: Draw the braid lines like a fishbone, each one slanting from the edge in toward the middle.

Step 5: Place a crown with round gems

Sit the crown on top of the hair, not on the forehead. Draw a curved band first, then five points rising from it, with the middle one tallest. A small ball on each tip keeps it friendly instead of spiky. Add an oval gem in the middle of the band and a round one on each side.

💡 Tip: A crown that's narrower than the head looks dainty; one as wide as the head starts to look like a helmet.

Step 6: Draw the bodice and the puffed sleeves

Trace the bodice from your guide box. The neckline is a gentle scoop, the sides come in a little at the waist, and the bottom ends in a shallow V pointing into the skirt. Draw a round puff on each shoulder with two curved lines inside so the sleeves look gathered. A small heart in the middle is a sweet extra.

💡 Tip: Tilt the sleeve puffs slightly outward, so they look like they rest on the shoulders instead of floating.

Step 7: Shape soft arms, hands and a star wand

Around each stick line, draw two lines that are wider at the top and narrower at the wrist. I keep cartoon arms soft and fairly thick, because thin arms next to a big gown look like twigs. The hanging hand is a mitten oval resting on the skirt. The raised hand is a round fist wrapped around a thin stick with a star on top.

💡 Tip: Leave a small gap of paper between the hanging arm and her waist, so the arm doesn't melt into the body.

Step 8: Draw the ball gown and its soft folds

Starting under the point of the bodice, draw the skirt along your bell guides. The sides puff out quickly at the hips, then fall almost straight down. Stop a little above the ground, since the ruffle comes next. Inside, draw four long curves from the hips toward the hem, each bowing outward slightly; they make the fabric look heavy and soft.

💡 Tip: Space the folds wider apart at the bottom than at the top, like the ribs of an open umbrella.

Step 9: Add the scalloped ruffle hem

Across the bottom of the skirt, draw a band slightly wider than the gown that dips in the middle. Give its lower edge a row of rounded scallops touching the ground line. Then add a short line up from each dip. Those tiny lines tell the eye the fabric is gathered.

💡 Tip: Draw the middle scallop first and work outward to both sides, so they stay evenly sized.

Step 10: Give her a sweet face and some sparkles

Most of her charm comes from this step. Place two tall ovals on the eye line, about one eye width apart, and leave a round white shine near the top of each. Add a lash flick at each outer corner, soft brows, a small hook for the nose, a small curved smile well above the chin and pink cheeks. Scatter a few four-point sparkles around her.

💡 Tip: Keep the eyes low on the face, roughly halfway down the head, for a younger, cuter look.

Step 11: Ink the outline and erase the guides

Trace every line you want to keep with a black pen. I go slowly around the crown and the braid, since they have the most small turns. Skip the center line, the head marks and the bell guides. Let the ink dry for a minute, then erase the pencil underneath.

💡 Tip: Turn the paper as you ink curves; your hand draws smoother lines pulling toward you than pushing away.

Step 12: Color your princess

Color the gown and bodice light purple, then add a darker purple along the right side of the skirt and beside each fold. The sleeves and ruffle get pale lilac. Use brown for the hair, peach for the skin and yellow for the crown and wand. Finish with a blue center gem, red side gems and pink for the heart and cheeks.

💡 Tip: Color the big gown in long strokes that follow the folds, never in scribbly circles.

Where Princess Drawings Tend to Wobble

A gown shaped like a triangle. Ball gowns puff out at the hips first. Curve the sides outward before they fall to the ground.
A head that's too small. Realistic proportions make a cartoon princess look stiff. Keep the head big, about one quarter of her height.
Stick-thin arms. Next to a wide skirt they look fragile. Give the arms real thickness and round mitten hands.
A crown pushed down onto the forehead. It hides the bangs and looks like a hat. Set it on top of the hair, above the hairline.
Folds drawn as straight stripes. Ruler-straight lines turn the skirt into a tent. Let every fold bow out gently as it goes down.

Ways to Make Your Princess One of a Kind

Once she feels easy, start swapping parts. Trade the wand for a single rose, let her hair down in loose waves, or make the gown pale pink with a bow at the waist. Every princess needs a home, so draw the fairy-tale building from the castle drawing tutorial behind her, or design a new outfit with the dress drawing step by step lesson.

Princess Coloring Page and Printable Drawing Steps

Want to color without drawing first? The free princess coloring page has her bold outline, a small colored example to copy and a key that names each color. The step-by-step guide PDF puts all 12 steps and tips on a few pages that print on Letter or A4 paper.

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Free PDF

Princess Coloring Page

1 pageUS LetterColor key

Black outlines with a colored example and the color names at the top. Ready to print and color.

⬇️ Download Coloring Page

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Free PDF

Step-by-Step Princess Drawing Guide

7 pagesA4All 12 steps

Every step picture with its instructions and tips, to keep beside your paper while you draw.

⬇️ Download Drawing Guide

📱 On a phone? Tap a download button, then open the file and choose Share → Save to Files or Print. On a computer, the PDF opens or saves straight to your Downloads folder.

Pin the Princess Steps for Art Time

How to draw a princess step by step - all 12 steps on one page (Pinterest) — Every step in one tall image, handy for a rainy afternoon or an art club.

Questions Young Artists Ask About Drawing Princesses

What is the easiest way to draw a princess?

Start with a head circle and a bell shape for the gown, then add the details on top. A crown and a big skirt are what make people read her as a princess straight away.

How do you draw a princess dress that looks puffy?

Curve the skirt outward right below the waist, then let it fall almost straight. A few long fold lines and a ruffle at the hem add the extra fullness.