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How to Draw Penrose Stairs
Draw penrose stairs 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: the first landing.
Step 1: The first landing
Near the bottom of your paper, a little right of the middle, draw a flat diamond.
Tip All 4 sides are the same length. This is the nearest corner of the stairs.
Step 2: A step down
Start at the diamond's left corner: a short line down, a long line up-left, across, then back to it.
Tip This step is lower, so it tucks behind the diamond: stop at the diamond's edge.
Step 3: Another step down
From that step's left corner, do it again: down, up-left, across, and back until you touch the step.
Tip Each new step hides a little behind the one before.
Step 4: The left landing
From the new step's left corner: a short line down, then 3 sides of a diamond, back to the step.
Step 5: Round the corner
Start just below the left diamond's top corner. Draw a long step up-right: out, across, and back to the step.
Tip This step is lower too: it hides behind the left diamond.
Step 6: One more step
Start on that step's far side. Draw another long step behind it, then a short line up to its corner.
Step 7: The top landing
From that step's far side: 3 sides of a diamond, then a short line up to the step's corner.
Tip This is the far corner. Now the stairs come back down the right side.
Step 8: A short step
From the top diamond's right corner draw a short line down. Stop and hang a thin slanted box there.
Tip The box's left corner sits just under the diamond's bottom corner.
Step 9: The right landing
From the box's bottom and right corners draw 2 short lines down. Join them with a diamond.
Step 10: Back to the start
From the diamond's bottom corner draw a line down, then a thin box. Join it down to the first diamond.
Tip You went down all the way round, yet you are back where you started!
Step 11: The walls
Draw lines down from the left, bottom and right corners. Join their ends. Add 1 line down inside the hole.
Step 12: Light blue tops
Go over your lines. Colour the flat top of every step and landing light blue.
Step 13: Blue left walls
Colour every wall that faces left blue: the big left wall, 2 step fronts and inside the hole.
Step 14: Navy right walls
Colour every wall that faces right navy. Now walk round your stairs: they go down forever!
Tip Dark and light sides make the stairs look solid.
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: penrose stairs, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
