PS Controller Drawing: Button Layout, Grips and Cable

Object Drawing Lessons

This lesson teaches a front-view drawing of a PlayStation-style controller. You will place the body outline, the two grips, the directional pad, the four action buttons, the central buttons and the cable. The drawing uses a simple convention: the controller is centered on a vertical midline, the top edge is horizontal, and button positions are measured from that midline and from the top edge. Letter styles on buttons vary between real controllers and between hand-drawn copies, so the rubric accepts any legible style as long as the position and grouping are correct. All measurements below are hypothetical examples chosen for practice; measure your own reference or printed plate before using them. The resources described are planned and free, not yet built.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Set the frame and body outline

Start with a light rectangle on plain paper. Mark a vertical midline and a horizontal top line. The midline is the symmetry axis for the body and grips. The top line fixes the height reference for every button.

Draw the body as a rounded horizontal shape whose widest part is near the top. Keep the left and right halves balanced against the midline. The body should be wider than it is tall, with a slight dip at the top center where the cable exits.

Add the two grips as downward extensions from the lower left and lower right of the body. Each grip curves outward then inward, ending in a rounded tip. The grips are not identical mirror images in every real controller, but for this lesson draw them as balanced mirror shapes so the layout is checkable.

1. Draw a light rectangle about 12 cm wide and 8 cm tall.
2. Mark a vertical midline through the center and a horizontal top line 1 cm below the rectangle top.
3. Sketch the body outline: a rounded shape 10 cm wide at its widest, 4 cm tall, centered on the midline.
4. Add a small dip at the top center, 1 cm wide, for the cable exit.
5. Draw the left grip from the lower left body edge, curving down 4 cm and outward 2 cm, then rounding inward to a tip.
6. Repeat the right grip as a mirror shape against the midline.

Place the directional pad and action buttons

The directional pad sits on the left side of the body, centered on a horizontal line about 2 cm below the top line. Draw it as a cross or a rounded square with four clear directions. The exact shape is a style choice; the position and the four-direction grouping are what matter.

The four action buttons sit on the right side, arranged in a diamond. Their center is on the same horizontal line as the directional pad center. Each button is a small circle of equal size. Label them with legible letters or symbols; the rubric accepts any consistent style, including simple shapes, as long as the four positions form a diamond.

Keep the gap between the directional pad and the action buttons clear. The central area between them holds the small central buttons.

1. Mark a horizontal line 2 cm below the top line; this is the button center line.
2. On the left, draw the directional pad centered 3 cm left of the midline, about 2.5 cm wide.
3. On the right, mark the diamond center 3 cm right of the midline.
4. Draw four equal circles around that center at top, bottom, left and right, each 0.8 cm across, with each button center 1.2 cm from the diamond center (so opposite centers are 2.4 cm apart and adjacent centers are about 1.7 cm apart).
5. Label each action button with a legible letter or symbol in a consistent style.
6. Check that the directional pad center and the diamond center lie on the same horizontal line.

Add central buttons, cable and final checks

Between the directional pad and the action buttons, draw two small central buttons side by side on the button center line. They are smaller than the action buttons and sit close to the midline. Their exact labels are a style choice; keep them legible and consistent.

Draw the cable from the top center dip. It should leave the body smoothly, curve to one side and end in a simple plug shape. The cable is a single line of even thickness, not a tangle. Keep the curve simple so it can be checked.

Finish by checking symmetry, alignment and grouping. Erase construction lines lightly. The drawing is complete when the body, grips, directional pad, four action buttons, two central buttons and cable are all present and positioned as described.

1. Draw two small circles 0.6 cm across, centered on the midline, 0.8 cm apart, on the button center line.
2. From the top center dip, draw a smooth cable curve 6 cm long toward the upper right.
3. End the cable in a small rounded plug shape 1 cm long.
4. Check that the cable leaves the body at the dip and does not cross the body outline.
5. Erase construction lines and confirm all required parts are present.

Worked example

A student draws a controller with the body 10 cm wide and 4 cm tall, the directional pad centered 3 cm left of the midline and 2 cm below the top line, and the action buttons centered 3 cm right of the midline on the same horizontal line. The four action buttons are placed at top, bottom, left and right with each button center 1.2 cm from the diamond center. The grips extend 4 cm down. Is the layout correct?

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Placing the action buttons in a square or line instead of a diamond. Mark the diamond center first, then place the four buttons at top, bottom, left and right around it with equal spacing.
• Making the grips too short or too straight so the controller looks like a flat bar. Extend each grip downward at least 4 cm and curve it outward then inward to a rounded tip.
• Drawing the cable from the side or crossing the body outline. Start the cable at the top center dip and curve it away from the body without crossing the outline.
• Using inconsistent button sizes or illegible labels. Draw all four action buttons at the same size and label them in one consistent legible style.

Self-check rubric

• Body outline is centered on the midline and wider than it is tall.
• Two grips extend downward from the lower body and end in rounded tips.
• Directional pad is on the left and shows four clear directions.
• Four action buttons form a diamond on the right with equal spacing.
• Directional pad center and action button center lie on the same horizontal line.
• Two small central buttons sit between the directional pad and the action buttons.
• Cable leaves the top center dip, curves smoothly and ends in a simple plug.
• Button labels are legible and consistent in style; any valid style is accepted.

Questions and answers