Draw a Witch on a Broomstick: Silhouette, Hat and Bristle Detail

Object Drawing Lessons

This lesson teaches a repeatable way to draw a witch on a broomstick. You will work from large silhouette shapes to small details: first the body and broom as one readable outline, then the hat, cape and bristles. The method uses simple geometry and a defined convention for judging proportions, so you can check your own drawing without needing a finished reference. All measurements are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and tools before drawing.

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

Reference illustration

Use the stated measurements and conventions for each exercise.

Start with the silhouette as one shape

A silhouette is the outer boundary of the figure with no internal lines. For a witch on a broomstick, the silhouette should read as a single connected shape: the rider sits slightly forward, the broom handle runs diagonally, and the bristles fan out behind. Begin by drawing a light bounding box on your paper. For example, on a 20 cm by 28 cm sheet, a hypothetical figure box of 14 cm wide and 18 cm tall leaves room for the bristles and hat. Mark the box corners lightly so you can erase them later.

Inside the box, place three anchor points: the seat (where the rider meets the broom), the hat tip, and the bristle end. Connect these with a loose outline. Keep the rider's torso as a rounded wedge and the legs as a bent shape that overlaps the broom handle. The broom handle is a long narrow rectangle or tapered line; the bristles are a fan of short strokes attached to the handle end. Do not add facial features or fabric folds yet.

1. Draw a light bounding box and mark its centre line.
2. Place the seat anchor slightly left of centre and the bristle end at the lower right.
3. Outline the torso as a rounded wedge leaning forward.
4. Add bent legs that overlap the broom handle.
5. Draw the broom handle as a narrow tapered shape from seat to bristle end.
6. Fan short bristle strokes from the handle end, keeping them inside the box.

Build the hat with a brim and cone

The hat is the strongest vertical element. Draw the brim as a flattened oval or a shallow curve that sits on the head. The cone rises from the brim and may bend. A useful convention is to treat the hat height as roughly one-third of the figure box height; this is a hypothetical proportion, not a rule. If your figure box is 18 cm tall, the hat cone would be about 6 cm from brim to tip. Adjust to your own design.

Keep the brim edge clear of the face area so the silhouette stays readable. The cone can lean toward the direction of travel or away from it; either is valid if the outline remains connected. Add a small band where the cone meets the brim, but keep it as a single line so the silhouette is not broken.

1. Draw the brim as a shallow curve or flattened oval on the head.
2. Mark the cone height using your chosen proportion.
3. Draw two tapering lines from the brim to the tip.
4. Bend the tip slightly for character, keeping the outline continuous.
5. Add a single band line at the brim junction.

Add cape flow and broom-bristle detail

The cape connects the hat area to the seat and gives the figure motion. Draw it as a curved triangle or a set of two or three overlapping curved panels. The cape should not cover the broom handle completely; leave a gap so the handle remains visible. For bristles, use a fan of short strokes that start at the handle end and spread outward. Vary stroke length slightly, but keep the fan within the bounding box.

Bristle detail is the smallest element, so add it last. Use a simple convention: each bristle stroke is a single line, and the fan is judged by whether it reads as a brush rather than a solid block. You may group bristles into three or four clusters. This is a design choice, not a universal answer.

1. Draw the cape as two or three curved panels from shoulder to seat.
2. Leave a visible gap between cape and broom handle.
3. Mark the bristle fan width at the handle end.
4. Draw three or four bristle clusters with short strokes.
5. Vary stroke length slightly and keep the fan inside the box.

Check proportions and readability

Use simple arithmetic to check your drawing. Measure the figure box width and height in centimetres. The hat cone height should be about one-third of the box height; the bristle fan width should be about one-quarter of the box width. These are hypothetical examples. If your box is 14 cm wide, the bristle fan might be about 3.5 cm wide. Record your actual measurements and compare.

Readability check: view the drawing from about one metre away. The silhouette should still read as a witch on a broomstick. If the hat merges with the cape or the bristles merge with the handle, redraw those boundaries with a slightly stronger line. Keep all units consistent in centimetres.

1. Measure the figure box width and height.
2. Calculate one-third of the height for the hat cone.
3. Calculate one-quarter of the width for the bristle fan.
4. Compare your drawn measurements to these targets.
5. View from one metre and adjust any merged boundaries.

Worked example

On a 20 cm by 28 cm sheet, draw a witch on a broomstick using a 14 cm by 18 cm figure box. The hat cone is one-third of the box height and the bristle fan is one-quarter of the box width. Describe the construction and give the calculated measurements.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Drawing the rider and broom as separate shapes that do not touch. Make the seat anchor a single point where torso, legs and handle overlap.
• Making the hat cone too wide so it reads as a triangle rather than a hat. Taper the cone gradually and keep the brim wider than the cone base.
• Filling the bristle fan as a solid block. Use separate short strokes grouped into three or four clusters.
• Letting the cape cover the entire broom handle. Leave a visible gap between the cape edge and the handle.

Self-check rubric

• Silhouette reads as one connected figure from one metre away.
• Hat has a clear brim and a tapering cone; direction may vary.
• Bristles read as a fan of separate strokes, not a solid block.
• Cape panels connect shoulder to seat and leave the handle visible.
• Proportions are measured and recorded in consistent units.
• Valid alternatives are accepted if the silhouette remains readable.

Questions and answers