Drawing texture is hard. Drawing a thousand thin, plastic ribbons that catch the light while simultaneously bunching together in a chaotic sphere is a nightmare for most beginners. If you’ve ever tried a cheer pom pom drawing, you probably realized pretty quickly that just scribbling a bunch of lines doesn't actually work. It ends up looking like a tumbleweed or a bad wig.
The trick is understanding that you aren't actually drawing ribbons. You're drawing the illusion of volume.
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I've seen so many artists get frustrated because they try to trace every single strand. Stop that. You’ll go crazy. Whether you are sketching a mascot for a school flyer or just practicing your still-life skills, pom poms require a specific approach to light and shadow that most people get totally wrong. Honestly, it’s more about the negative space than the lines themselves.
Why Your Pom Pom Sketches Look Flat
The biggest mistake is symmetry. Real pom poms are messy. Even the high-end professional ones used by NFL squads aren't perfect circles. They have "baton" handles or "hidden" handles, and the strands—usually made of plastic (PVC) or metallic mylar—react to gravity and static electricity.
If you draw a perfect circle and fill it with straight lines, it looks fake.
Think about the material. Metallic poms reflect sharp, specular highlights. Plastic poms have a duller, more diffused glow. If you don't vary your line weight, the whole thing just collapses into a flat blob. You need those "lost and found" edges where some strands disappear into the shadow of the core while others pop out in the foreground.
The Secret Core of a Cheer Pom Pom Drawing
Most people start from the outside in. That is backwards.
Start with the handle. Even if it's hidden, you need to know where the strands are anchored. In the world of professional cheerleading equipment, companies like Varsity or Chassé usually design these with a center-weighted handle. Imagine a point of origin. Every single line you draw should technically be able to be traced back to that center point, even if the strand is bent or curled.
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Mapping the Volume
Before you even think about "texture," sketch a rough, light pentagon or a messy hexagon. This is your boundary.
Don't use a circle. Circles are too stiff.
Once you have that loose shape, divide it into "clumps." If you look at high-resolution photos of spirit leaders, the pom poms aren't a uniform mass. They split into sections based on how the cheerleader is gripping them. Some strands hang down; some are pushed upward by the wind or motion.
- Foreground strands: These should be thick, bold, and have the most detail.
- Midground strands: Use thinner lines here. This creates depth.
- Background strands: Don't draw individual lines. Just use a light shade or a "scumble" technique to imply there's more mass back there.
Mastering the Metallic Mylar Look
If you’re going for that shiny, Friday-night-lights aesthetic, you need contrast. This is where most people fail. They use gray. Don't just use gray.
Metallic surfaces have "hard" highlights. This means the jump from the darkest shadow to the brightest white happens almost instantly. When working on a cheer pom pom drawing in a metallic style, leave chunks of the paper completely white. Pure white. That represents the stadium lights hitting the reflective surface of the mylar.
Then, right next to that white space, put your darkest black. That "snap" in value is what makes the eye believe the material is reflective.
The "S" Curve Technique
Plastic strands aren't straight. They've been crushed in gear bags, waved around in routines, and stepped on. Use "S" curves and "Z" shapes. A few stray strands flying off away from the main body of the pom pom adds a level of realism that a "perfect" drawing lacks. It makes the object feel like it’s actually in a 3D space.
Step-by-Step Breakdown for Realism
- The Anchor: Draw a small cylinder or a simple grip. This is your handle.
- The "Explosion" Lines: Lightly flick your wrist from the handle outward. Don't overthink it. Just get the direction of growth down.
- The Shadow Core: Darken the area closest to the handle. This is where the strands are most dense, so very little light reaches the center.
- The Texture Layers: Add your "S" curves. Layer them. Some should overlap others.
- The Highlight Pop: If using digital tools, use a "Glow" or "Add" layer. If using paper, use a white gel pen or a sharp eraser to pull out the highlights at the very end.
Choosing Your Medium
Honestly, the medium changes everything.
Colored Pencils: These are great for poms because you can layer colors. A "navy blue" pom pom isn't just blue. It’s got black in the shadows and maybe a bit of light purple or silver on the edges. Layering gives it that plastic sheen.
Ink and Pen: This is the hardest. You have to rely entirely on line density (hatching) to show volume. Use very fine liners—like a 005 or 01 Pigma Micron—for the outer strands and a thicker 05 or 08 for the areas of deep shadow near the handle.
Digital Art: Use a "ribbon" brush if you can find one, but honestly, a standard hard round brush with pressure sensitivity for opacity is better. It allows you to taper the ends of the strands, making them look like real 3/4-inch wide plastic strips.
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Common Misconceptions About Spirit Gear
People think pom poms are light. Visually, they should feel heavy. When a cheerleader holds them down by her sides, the strands should "drape" slightly toward the floor. If you draw them as a stiff ball while the character's hands are down, it looks like they’re holding two colorful rocks.
Another thing: the "crinkle."
Real poms aren't smooth ribbons. They are often "pre-fluffed." This means the plastic has been intentionally crinkled to create more volume. Your lines shouldn't be perfectly smooth; add a little jitter to your hand. That micro-texture is the difference between a professional-looking cheer pom pom drawing and a generic clip-art version.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Sketch
To really nail this, you should try drawing from a "macro" perspective first. Don't try to draw the whole pom. Just draw five strands. See how they overlap. See how the light hits the curve of the plastic.
Once you understand how five strands work, scale it up to fifty. Then five hundred.
- Vary your line thickness: Thick lines come forward; thin lines recede.
- Ignore the handle (sometimes): If you're drawing a "show" pom, the handle is often completely buried. Focus on the "spherical" mass instead.
- Use a reference photo: Don't guess. Look at a real photo of a "wet look" pom pom versus a "holographic" one. The light patterns are completely different.
- Avoid the "Sun" drawing: Don't just draw lines radiating out in a perfect circle like a child's drawing of the sun. It’s a 3D object. Some strands should be pointing directly at the viewer (these look like small dots or short stubs).
To get the best results, start with a light 4H pencil for the initial "cloud" shape. This allows you to erase easily as you refine the strands. Move to a 2B for the mid-tones and save a 6B or a dark ink for the deep crevices near the grip. If you're working digitally, create a custom brush that produces three or four parallel lines at once—this can save you hours of tedious work when filling in the bulk of the pom pom's body.
Focus on the silhouette first. If the outline of your drawing doesn't look like a pom pom, no amount of internal detail will save it. Get that "shaggy" irregular edge right, and the rest will fall into place much more naturally.