In this tutorial, we are kicking it up a notch by learning how to draw a soccer ball! We will be learning how to create realistic drawings of a soccer ball that are three-dimensional. We begin by constructing the basic shape with a series of smaller simple lines, before using color to create a realistic perspective. Whether you are a
Table of Contents
- 1 An Easy Soccer Ball Drawing Tutorial for All Artists
- 1.1 Step 1: Outline the Main Shape
- 1.2 Step 2: Draw Some Separation Lines
- 1.3 Step 3: Separate Your Soccer Ball Drawing Into Cubes
- 1.4 Step 4: Outline the Center Pentagon
- 1.5 Step 5: Continue Fleshing Out the Pattern
- 1.6 Step 6: Finish the Pattern
- 1.7 Step 7: Draw the Final Outline
- 1.8 Step 8: Begin Adding Texture and Shape
- 1.9
- 1.10 Step 9: Apply A Base Coat of Color
- 1.11 Step 10: Fill the Dark Pentagons with Color
- 1.12 Step 11: Begin Contouring Your Soccer Ball Sketch
- 1.13 Step 12: Continue Your Shading Process
- 1.14 Step 13: Paint the Stitching Detail
- 1.15 Step 14: Continue Adding Structure
- 1.16 Step 15: Highlighting Your Soccer Ball
- 1.17 Step 16: Blending Your Colors Together
- 1.18 Step 17: Finish Your Soccer Ball Sketch
- 2 Frequently Asked Questions
- 2.1 How to Create a Realistic Soccer Ball Pattern?
- 2.2 What Is the Hardest Part of a Soccer Ball Drawing?
An Easy Soccer Ball Drawing Tutorial for All Artists
Learning how to draw a soccer ball may seem like a difficult task, but we try our best to ensure that our tutorials are easy for artists of any level to follow. In order to create that characteristic soccer ball pattern with realistic dimensions, we use a series of construction steps. Once we have the base of our soccer ball sketch laid out, we can begin to add color details and create some three-dimensionality.
You can see an outline of the soccer ball drawing tutorial in the collage below.
You will see in the steps that our tutorial is written for a painting medium, but you can use whichever medium you feel most comfortable with. The construction process is going to differ slightly depending on the medium that you choose. If you are working digitally, then you should create the construction outlines on a separate layer to the coloring steps. For physical mediums, use a light pencil that you can easily erase.
Gather together your drawing supplies, find somewhere comfortable to sit, and let us begin to create our drawings of a soccer ball.
Step 1: Outline the Main Shape
The first step in our soccer ball drawing tutorial involves drawing the main shape of the ball. Begin by finding the center of your drawing area, and draw a large circle. If you do not feel confident in drawing a perfect circle free-hand, then you can trace around a round object or use a compass.
Step 2: Draw Some Separation Lines
When it comes to creating a realistic soccer ball pattern, symmetry is one of the most important considerations. In order to ensure that our pattern is perfect, we are going to create some structure lines. Begin by creating a vertical line that descends down through the center of the circle.
You can then create a central horizontal line, dividing the circle into four equal quarters.
Step 3: Separate Your Soccer Ball Drawing Into Cubes
We are now going to create some additional structure lines by drawing two large rectangular shapes. Begin by drawing a vertical rectangle with the initial vertical line in the center. You can then draw a horizontal one in the same way.
Step 4: Outline the Center Pentagon
In this step, we are going to begin creating that characteristic pentagon soccer ball pattern. Let us start with the central pentagon. Use the structural lines to center the pentagon.
Remember that we are drawing a round ball, so these pentagons are not going to be perfectly square.
Step 5: Continue Fleshing Out the Pattern
Around this central pentagon, you are now going to draw the remaining pentagons. There should be five in total, and they should be even more rounded than the center one.
Step 6: Finish the Pattern
We are now going to complete the pattern by joining the outer pentagons with the edge of the circle. Imagine that you are drawing additional pentagons that wrap around the edges of the soccer ball sketch.
Step 7: Draw the Final Outline
In this final outlining step, we are going to create a more natural outline of our soccer ball drawing. Create a slight bulge between each of the outer pentagon lines. You do not want your outline to be a perfect circle anymore, instead, you want it to capture the slight elevation of each of these pentagons.
Once you have completed your new outline, you can erase any of the remaining construction lines.
Step 8: Begin Adding Texture and Shape
Now that the outline of our drawings of a soccer ball is complete, we can begin to add realism with texture. Using cross-hatching shading, create some rough texture in the different pentagon shapes.
Remember that a soccer ball pattern has alternating black and white pentagons, so you should adjust your shading accordingly.
We are making the center pentagon black, so you can add quite a lot of shading here, leaving a small sliver of blank space in the middle. Shade around the edges of the surrounding pentagons, and around the very edge of the soccer ball drawing.
Step 9: Apply A Base Coat of Color
We are now going to begin adding color to our soccer ball sketch. In order to build up a three-dimensional and realistic coloring, we are going to use several different layers. Begin with a regular paintbrush and some light gray paint, evenly covering the entirety of your soccer ball drawing.
The texture lines should remain somewhat visible through this layer of color.
Step 10: Fill the Dark Pentagons with Color
Now that we have the base color down, we can begin to add more detail. Use a normal paintbrush and some black paint to carefully color the middle pentagon and five alternating partially visible pentagons around the edge.
You can make this coat of color very even, and it does not matter if the texture lines are covered.
Step 11: Begin Contouring Your Soccer Ball Sketch
In this step, we are going to start adding some three-dimensionality to our soccer ball drawing using some dark gray paint. Begin with the white pentagons, using a blending brush to emphasize the contouring around the edges where we created texture earlier.
You can then use the same tools to add a spot of highlighting to the central aspects of the dark pentagons.
Step 12: Continue Your Shading Process
Now that we have the basic pattern of shading and contouring laid out, we can begin to darken certain areas for more emphasis. Use a small blending brush and a touch of black paint to carefully enhance the outer parts of the contoured areas.
Tip: when using black, always begin lightly and darken as needed, as black is very difficult to remove once it has been applied.
Step 13: Paint the Stitching Detail
We are now going to further enhance the detail of our soccer ball drawing by adding stitching around the edges of the pentagons. Use a fine detailing brush and some black paint to carefully apply short lines along the edges of the white pentagons.
Step 14: Continue Adding Structure
In this step, we are going to add structure using some additional shading and some highlights. Begin with the highlights, using a small blending brush and some white paint to apply light spots along the edges of all of the pentagons.
You can then use some dark gray paint and the same blending brush to emphasize the shadows on the pentagons, contrasting the highlights.
Step 15: Highlighting Your Soccer Ball
Let us now make our highlights a little stronger. For this, you will need a fine detailing brush and some white paint. Apply some bright and sharp highlights over your softer white areas from the previous step.
Step 16: Blending Your Colors Together
Just before we finish our realistic soccer ball drawing, we are going to smooth all of our color layers together. Use a large and clean blending brush to softly blend your contouring and highlighting areas together.
This will create a more realistic and smooth surface appearance.
Step 17: Finish Your Soccer Ball Sketch
In order to complete our soccer ball drawing, we are going to remove the dark outlines. Use a fine detail brush and the corresponding color at each point to carefully trace over the black lines. If you are using a digital drawing tablet, you can simply delete the layer with all of the outlines.
We hope that you have enjoyed our soccer ball drawing tutorial and that you now know how to draw a soccer ball that is realistic and three-dimensional. We have many more drawing tutorials that break interesting subjects down into easy-to-follow steps that anyone can follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Create a Realistic Soccer Ball Pattern?
The key to creating a proportional soccer ball pattern lies in the way that you set it up. We use a series of construction steps to create guidelines that help you to position the pentagons in the correct place. This makes it very easy to create that characteristic soccer ball pattern, regardless of your expertise.
What Is the Hardest Part of a Soccer Ball Drawing?
The hardest part of learning how to draw a soccer ball is probably getting the dimensions correct. You will need to create a perfect circle, and then get the spacing and side of the pentagons correct. You can use a compass or a round object to create the overall shape, and we then create some guidelines to help you place the pentagons.
Matthew Matthysen( Drawing and Painting Artist )
Matthew Matthysen is an educated multidisciplinary artist and illustrator. He successfully completed his art degree at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, majoring in art history and contemporary drawing. The focus of his thesis was to explore the philosophical implications of the macro and micro-universe on the human experience. Matthew uses diverse media, such as written and hands-on components, to explore various approaches that are on the border between philosophy and science.
Matthew organized various exhibitions before and during his years as a student and is still passionate about doing so today. He currently works as a freelance artist and writer in various fields. He also has a permanent position at a renowned online gallery (ArtGazette) where he produces various works on commission. As a freelance artist, he creates several series and successfully sells them to galleries and collectors. He loves to use his work and skills in various fields of interest.
Matthew has been creating drawing and painting tutorials since the relaunch in 2020. Through his involvement with artincontext.org, he has been able to deepen his knowledge of various painting mediums. For example, watercolor techniques, calligraphy and lately digital drawing, which is becoming more and more popular.
Learn more about Matthew Matthysen and the Art in Context Team.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
I am an expert and enthusiast assistant. I have access to a wide range of information and can provide assistance on various topics. I can help you with your question about drawing a soccer ball. Let's dive into the concepts used in this article.
The article is a tutorial on how to draw a realistic and three-dimensional soccer ball. It provides step-by-step instructions on creating the soccer ball pattern. Here are the main concepts used in the tutorial:
Step 1: Outline the Main Shape
The first step involves drawing the main shape of the soccer ball. A large circle is drawn at the center of the drawing area. If drawing a perfect circle free-hand is challenging, you can use a round object or a compass to trace the shape.
Step 2: Draw Some Separation Lines
To ensure symmetry in the soccer ball pattern, structure lines are created. A vertical line is drawn through the center of the circle, followed by a central horizontal line that divides the circle into four equal quarters.
Step 3: Separate Your Soccer Ball Drawing Into Cubes
Additional structure lines are added by drawing two large rectangular shapes. A vertical rectangle is drawn using the initial vertical line as the center, followed by a horizontal rectangle in the same manner.
Step 4: Outline the Center Pentagon
The tutorial then focuses on creating the characteristic pentagon pattern of the soccer ball. The central pentagon is outlined using the structural lines as a guide. It's important to note that the pentagons will not be perfectly square due to the round shape of the ball.
Step 5: Continue Fleshing Out the Pattern
The remaining pentagons are drawn around the central pentagon, creating a total of five pentagons. These pentagons should be more rounded than the center one.
Step 6: Finish the Pattern
The pattern is completed by joining the outer pentagons with the edge of the circle. This step involves imagining additional pentagons that wrap around the edges of the soccer ball sketch.
Step 7: Draw the Final Outline
In this step, a more natural outline of the soccer ball drawing is created. A slight bulge is added between each of the outer pentagon lines to capture the slight elevation of each pentagon. The remaining construction lines can be erased.
Step 8: Begin Adding Texture and Shape
With the outline complete, texture is added to enhance realism. Cross-hatching shading is used to create rough texture in the different pentagon shapes. The alternating black and white pentagons of a soccer ball pattern are taken into account when shading.
Step 9: Apply A Base Coat of Color
Color is added to the soccer ball sketch to build a three-dimensional and realistic appearance. A light gray base coat is applied using a regular paintbrush, ensuring that the texture lines remain somewhat visible through this layer of color.
Step 10: Fill the Dark Pentagons with Color
More detail is added by using black paint to carefully color the middle pentagon and five alternating partially visible pentagons around the edge. This coat of color should be even, and it's not necessary to cover the texture lines.
Step 11: Begin Contouring Your Soccer Ball Sketch
To add three-dimensionality, dark gray paint is used to emphasize the contouring around the edges of the white pentagons. A blending brush is used to achieve this effect. The same tools are used to add highlighting to the central aspects of the dark pentagons.
Step 12: Continue Your Shading Process
Certain areas are darkened to enhance emphasis. A small blending brush and a touch of black paint are used to carefully enhance the outer parts of the contoured areas.
Step 13: Paint the Stitching Detail
Stitching detail is added to enhance the overall detail of the soccer ball drawing. A fine detailing brush and black paint are used to carefully apply short lines along the edges of the white pentagons.
Step 14: Continue Adding Structure
Additional shading and highlights are added to further enhance the structure of the soccer ball drawing. A small blending brush and white paint are used to apply light spots along the edges of all the pentagons. Dark gray paint is used to emphasize the shadows on the pentagons, contrasting the highlights.
Step 15: Highlighting Your Soccer Ball
Bright and sharp highlights are added to strengthen the highlights created in the previous step. A fine detailing brush and white paint are used for this purpose.
Step 16: Blending Your Colors Together
To create a more realistic and smooth surface appearance, all the color layers are blended together using a large and clean blending brush.
Step 17: Finish Your Soccer Ball Sketch
In the final step, the dark outlines are removed. A fine detail brush and the corresponding color at each point are used to carefully trace over the black lines. If using a digital drawing tablet, the layer with all the outlines can simply be deleted.
The article also includes a Frequently Asked Questions section that addresses common queries related to creating a realistic soccer ball pattern and the challenges involved in drawing a soccer ball.
I hope this breakdown of the concepts used in the tutorial helps you understand the process of drawing a soccer ball. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!