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How to Draw a Japanese Castle

14 steps · Medium · about 11 min

Draw a Japanese castle in 14 easy steps, about 11 minutes. Free, with a printable worksheet.

Each picture adds one red line. Draw that line, then scroll to the next picture. Rub out any dashed helper lines at the end. First up: stone base.

Step 1: Stone base
Start near the bottom left. Draw a wide stone hill with a flat top, across to the bottom right.
Step 2: First floor
Start on the flat top of the base. Draw a wide box up, across and back down to the top.
Step 3: First roof
Over that box, draw a curved roof sticking out past both sides, with ends that lift up like a smile.
Step 4: Second floor and roof
Start on the first roof. Draw a smaller box up, across and back down to it. Add another curved roof.
Step 5: Top floor and roof
Start on the second roof. Draw a smaller box up, across and back down to it. Add a flat-topped roof.
Tip Let the roof ends lift up, like the roofs below.
Step 6: Golden fish
On each end of the flat top, draw a little fish on its head, tail up, with a dot eye.
Step 7: Windows
Draw 3 small box windows across the first floor, 2 on the second floor and 1 on the top floor.
Step 8: Gate and ground
At the bottom of the base, draw a rainbow gate in the middle. Draw the ground line right across.
Step 9: Stone lines
Add 2 short stone lines on each side of the base, well away from the gate.
Step 10: Pine trees
Draw a pointy pine tree on each side of the base, with a thin trunk down to the ground.
Step 11: The sun
Draw a small round sun with 8 short rays in the top left corner.
Step 12: Yellow fish, blue windows
Colour the fish and the sun yellow, and the windows sky blue. Leave the walls white.
Step 13: Green pines, wooden gate
Colour the pine trees green, and the gate and the pine trunks wood brown.
Step 14: Stone base, slate roofs
Colour the stone base grey around the gate, and the 3 roofs dark slate grey. Go over all your lines!