How to draw Jack Skellington (Badly!)
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Jack Skellington might be the ruler of Halloween Town, but today, he’s starring in your sketchbook.
In this easy step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to draw Jack Skellington the DoofyDoodles way — simple shapes, funny proportions, and plenty of personality.
No fancy tools needed — just grab a pencil, paper, and your weirdest sense of humor.
Let’s turn this spooky skeleton into a hilarious masterpiece.
Quick Tip: Always start your drawing lightly with a pencil—this way, you can easily erase any little mistakes, and your final artwork will look clean, neat, and totally awesome!
Step 1
Draw three circles: a sideways egg on top for his head, an upright egg below for his chest, and another sideways egg to the left. That will be his pumpkin.
Step 2
Give Jack’s big eyes. You can make them happy or give them a little emotion. Add a heart for the center of his tie. Bring his chest oval down to a point for his waist. Add another small circle there for the base of his hand. Add a few triangles to the pumpkin for its eyes and nose and add a crease at the top of the pumpkin.
Step 3
Give Jack his long, thin smile and two small holes for his nostrils. Add a tiny neck. Give his bowtie some eyes and four lines coming off for the general shape. Add two VERY long lines from his waist for his legs. The longer the better! No add a scary mouth on the pumpkin!
Step 4
Add the remaining outline of Jack’s tie. Add his jacket outline and two bent lines for his arms. You can start his bony hand here, too! Now add the interior lines of his long legs. Finally, add a stem and another crease for the pumpkin.
Step 5
Add the final smaller details. Add the small tick marks along his smile for that skeleton look. Add some tired lines under his eye sockets. Put some creases on his bowtie and finish his jacket lapels. Draw the inner lines of his arms and add a few bones for his fingers. Add a button to his jacket and then his tiny feet.
Step 6
Carefully erase all the initial pencil guidelines, leaving a clean, inked drawing of Jack Skellington ready to be colored!
Step 7
Bring Jack to life (or death) with his signature style of black and white. Leave his skull, hand, and shirt white while filling in the rest of his clothes with black. The most fun part of drawing Jack Skellington is adding the white piping to his suit and tie. Try finding a Wite-Out pen or other white paint pen to fill this in (if you’re working on paper instead of digitally). Then add your orange and green to the pumpkin.
At DoofyDoodles, we love putting a goofy spin on our favorite characters. Feel free to experiment and create your very own unique Jack Skellington doodle!
Related Questions about Drawing Jack Skellington
Who is Jack Skellington?
Jack Skellington is the main character from The Nightmare Before Christmas. He’s known as the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, where he’s in charge of making sure every Halloween is perfectly spooky.Why does Jack wear a bat bow tie?
Jack’s bow tie is shaped like a bat because he’s all about the creepy, stylish details. It’s a perfect mix of fancy and frightening.Is Jack Skellington a skeleton or a ghost?
Jack’s technically a skeleton — all bones and no flesh — but his long limbs and floating movements make him look a little ghostly too.Who created Jack Skellington?
Jack was dreamed up by Tim Burton and brought to life in the 1993 stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas.Does Jack Skellington have a dog?
Yes! His ghost dog, Zero, has a glowing pumpkin nose and floats alongside him everywhere he goes.
Fun Facts about Jack Skellington
Jack first appeared in a poem Tim Burton wrote in the early 1980s — almost a decade before the movie was made.
Jack’s head was made in over 400 different versions during filming to show all his facial expressions.
The voice of Jack was performed by two people: Chris Sarandon (speaking) and Danny Elfman (singing).
You can find a hidden Mickey on Jack’s bow tie in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Jack also makes cameo appearances in other movies like James and the Giant Peach and Coraline.
Here at DoofyDoodles, we believe everyone can enjoy doodling their favorite characters. Keep practicing, stay silly, and explore our Goodies page for more fantastic drawing guides and doodling adventures!
Related Drawing Lesson
How to Draw Boogie (Badly!)
Can’t get enough Nightmare Before Christmas? Head over to our Oogie Boogie drawing tutorial!
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