You don't need a degree from CalArts to make something spooky. Honestly, most people overthink it. They try to draw a hyper-realistic werewolf on their first go and end up with a wet dog that looks like it’s having a mid-life crisis. Stop doing that. The secret to easy to draw halloween things isn't about talent; it’s about breaking down spooky icons into the basic shapes your brain already knows. Think circles, triangles, and wiggly lines.
Halloween art is fundamentally about mood. If the vibe is there, the technical skill doesn't matter as much. You can draw a ghost that is literally just a lopsided U-shape with two dots for eyes, and everyone knows exactly what it is. That’s the beauty of October. The imagery is so baked into our collective consciousness that even a minimalist scribble carries weight.
Why We Struggle With Simple Spooky Art
Most of us haven't picked up a pencil for fun since middle school. We get "blank page syndrome." We look at a professional illustrator’s Instagram and feel like our stick-figure skeleton is a failure. But here’s a reality check: some of the most iconic Halloween designs, like the original Scream mask or the classic Jack-o'-lantern, are incredibly simple.
Complexity is often the enemy of charm. When you look for easy to draw halloween things, you’re looking for symbols. Symbols are shortcuts. A jagged line is a lightning bolt. A circle with a few legs is a spider. It’s visual shorthand.
The Classic Ghost: More Than Just a Bedsheet
Let’s talk about the ghost. It’s the ultimate entry point. But even a "simple" ghost has levels. You’ve got the classic "Sheet Ghost," which is basically a wavy bell shape.
To make it look better, don't make the bottom line straight. Give it some "hem." Use a series of connected, inverted "U" shapes at the bottom to suggest fabric folding. For the eyes, don't just do circles. Try elongated ovals. It gives the ghost a worried or mournful look that feels more "Halloween" and less "Pac-Man." If you want to get fancy, add a small circle for a mouth to make it look like it's yelling "Boo!"
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Another variation is the "Wispy Ghost." Instead of a sheet, think of a flame or a drop of liquid. Start with a round head and let the body taper off into a curved, pointed tail. This implies movement. It looks like it’s floating through a hallway rather than just standing there.
Jack-o'-Lanterns and the Power of Geometry
Pumpkins are tricky because people try to make them perfectly round. Real pumpkins aren't round. They’re lumpy, squashed, and weird.
Start with an oval that’s wider than it is tall. Instead of drawing one smooth line for the perimeter, draw three or four overlapping vertical ovals. This automatically creates those ridges that give a pumpkin its depth. Now, the face. This is where easy to draw halloween things become a playground for your personality.
- The Classic: Triangles for eyes, a triangle for the nose, and a jagged, "stair-step" line for the mouth.
- The Creepy: Long, thin slits for eyes and a massive mouth filled with vertical lines to represent "teeth."
- The Goofy: One huge eye, one tiny eye, and a tongue sticking out.
A pro tip for the stem: don't just stick a rectangle on top. Make it look like a little stump. Give it a slightly flared base where it meets the pumpkin and some lines for texture. It makes a huge difference.
Spiders and Bats: Mastery of the Silhouette
If you’re doing a mural or just doodling in the margins of a notebook, silhouettes are your best friend. They require zero shading and zero internal detail.
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For a bat, don't try to draw a furry body with ears and tiny fangs. Just draw a "M" shape for the top of the wings, but make the peaks of the M really sharp. Connect the ends with a scalloped line—think of an upside-down umbrella. Put a tiny little circle with two points (ears) in the middle. Done. If you draw five of these in different sizes, you have a colony. It looks intentional and atmospheric.
Spiders are even easier, but people usually mess up the legs. Spiders have two body segments, not one. Draw a small circle for the head and a larger circle for the abdomen. Then, the legs. All eight legs should come out of the front segment (the cephalothorax), not the big back part. If you draw them coming out of the back, it looks like a tick or a weird grape. Bend the legs in the middle to give them that "creepy-crawly" angle.
The "Stitched" Aesthetic
One of the most effective easy to draw halloween things is the "stitched" look, often associated with Frankenstein’s monster or ragdolls.
You can turn literally any shape into a Halloween shape by adding stitches. Draw a heart? Put a jagged line through it and add tiny horizontal "staple" lines across the crack. Now it’s a zombie heart. Draw a simple circle? Add stitches and mismatched button eyes. Now it’s a voodoo doll head. This is a great "cheat code" for people who feel they aren't "creative" enough. You take a normal object and "monster-ify" it with simple line work.
Haunted Houses Without the Architecture Degree
You don't need to draw 3D perspectives to make a cool haunted house. Go for the "crooked silhouette" approach.
Draw a tall, thin rectangle. Put a triangle on top for a roof, but make the triangle lean to one side. Add a smaller rectangle sticking out of the side with its own leaning roof. The key to a haunted house is that nothing is level. The windows should be different sizes. The chimney should look like it’s about to fall off.
Adding the Atmosphere
Once you have your house shape, add a dead tree next to it. Dead trees are just a series of "Y" shapes. Start with a thick trunk that splits into two branches. Those branches split into two more. Keep going until the tips are thin and spindly. Avoid leaves. Leaves are for summer; we want "skeletal" branches.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Over-complicating the eyes: In cartooning and simple spooky art, "less is more." Two black dots are often creepier than a fully rendered eyeball with an iris and pupil.
- Symmetry: Nature isn't symmetrical, and monsters definitely aren't. If one wing of your bat is slightly bigger than the other, it actually looks more organic and dynamic.
- Heavy pressure: Most people press too hard with their pencil. Sketch lightly first. You can always go over it with a darker pen later. If you start heavy, you can't erase your mistakes, and the drawing looks "stiff."
Tools of the Trade (Keep it Simple)
You don't need a $500 tablet. Honestly, a Sharpie and a piece of printer paper are all you need for that high-contrast, "ink-heavy" Halloween look.
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- Fine-liners: Good for those tiny stitches or spider webs.
- Thick Markers: Great for filling in bat silhouettes or the dark voids inside a Jack-o'-lantern’s mouth.
- Yellow Highlighter: If you're drawing on paper, use a yellow highlighter to fill in the eyes and mouths of your pumpkins to make them look like they’re glowing. It’s a cheap trick that looks surprisingly professional.
Taking Action: Your Spooky Sketchbook
Don't just read about easy to draw halloween things—actually go draw them. Start with a "doodle sheet." Take a single piece of paper and try to fill every square inch with tiny versions of the things mentioned above.
Start with five different ghosts. Then five different pumpkins. By the time you get to the bottom of the page, your hand-eye coordination will have improved, and you'll have found a "style" that feels natural to you.
If you're feeling stuck, try drawing a "Halloween mashup." What does a ghost-cat look like? Or a pumpkin with spider legs? Combining two simple shapes is the easiest way to create something "original" without needing advanced technical skills.
Next Steps for Aspiring Artists
- Set a timer: Give yourself 30 seconds to draw a bat. This forces you to focus on the essential shapes rather than getting bogged down in detail.
- Focus on line weight: Try making the "outside" lines of your drawing thicker than the "inside" lines. This makes the drawing "pop" off the page and gives it a finished look.
- Limit your palette: Use only black, orange, and maybe one "accent" color like purple or lime green. A limited color palette makes even simple drawings look like a cohesive collection.
Halloween art should be fun, not stressful. It’s the one time of year when "ugly" and "weird" are actually the goal. So grab a pen, embrace the wobbly lines, and start making some monsters.