There's something fun about drawing a flying saucer hovering in the sky, lights blinking around its middle, looking like it just zoomed in from another galaxy. The classic UFO shape is really just a dome stacked on top of a wide disc, which makes it a surprisingly easy subject once you break it down piece by piece. No spaceship-engineering knowledge needed — just a few curved lines and some patience for the little details. Let's get drawing!
Near the upper-middle of your paper, draw a wide, low dome shape — like a half-circle that's been gently flattened, with a flat bottom edge and a smooth curve on top. This dome will sit right on top of the saucer's body, so keep it a comfortable size rather than too tall or narrow.
Just beneath the dome, draw a thin curved band stretching slightly wider than the dome itself on both sides. This band acts like a collar connecting the dome to the rest of the ship, and it's also where you'll add a row of little lights later on.
Below the neck band, draw a long, wide curve that sweeps outward and comes to a gentle point on each side — much wider than the dome above it. This forms the top surface of the saucer's main body, the part that gives the UFO its classic flying-disc silhouette.
Right beneath the curve you just drew, add a second, slightly lower curve running the same width, meeting the upper rim at the same two side points. Having both lines close together gives the saucer's outer edge a sense of thickness, rather than looking like a flat, paper-thin disc.
Beneath the main disc, draw one more curve — shorter and shallower than the rim lines, sitting roughly under the center of the saucer rather than stretching all the way to the pointed tips. This becomes the underside, or "belly," of the ship, tucked just beneath the outer rim.
Along the underside you just drew, add three small half-circle bumps spaced evenly across the bottom. These little bumps read as glowing landing lights (or tiny support legs, depending on how you color them), and they're a small detail that makes the underside feel a lot less plain.
On the top surface of the saucer, between the neck band and the outer rim, draw several straight lines radiating outward like spokes on a wheel. These divide the saucer's surface into individual panels, giving it that mechanical, paneled-hull look you see on classic cartoon UFOs.
Along the neck band, draw a row of small circles to create a string of lights wrapped around the collar. Add one more small circle in the center of each panel on the saucer's top surface for the larger hull lights. Finally, add a couple of short curved lines on the dome to suggest a glassy shine catching the light.
Now for the part that really makes it glow!
Once the colors go on, your UFO suddenly looks like it's lit up and ready to hover off the page. 🛸
What makes a UFO such a satisfying thing to draw is how a handful of simple curves stack up into something instantly recognizable — there's no perspective trickery involved, just a dome, a disc, and a row of evenly spaced lights doing all the visual work. The panel lines and lights are also a great low-stakes place to practice keeping shapes evenly spaced, since a little unevenness here barely matters and still looks charming.
Once you've got the basic shape down, try experimenting with the color scheme. A classic chrome-silver saucer with red lights feels more retro sci-fi, while a glowing purple-and-pink version leans more playful and cartoonish — both work just as well with the same set of shapes.
Few things look as instantly cheerful on paper as a donut dripping with icing and scattered with colorful sprinkles. It's one of those drawings that feels like a treat in itself — round, glossy, a little messy in the best way.
Ears have a bit of a reputation for being one of the trickier facial features to draw. Learn how to draw a realistic ear with this easy, step-by-step tutorial!
A fish is one of those drawings that feels like it belongs to the ocean the moment you start it. That plump, lemon-shaped body, the big round eye, and the fanned-out fins all come together to make one of the friendliest little sea creatures you can put on paper.
Hands have a reputation for being one of the trickier things to draw, but broken down piece by piece it's actually a very manageable drawing — you're really just repeating one basic shape five times. This easy step-by-step tutorial walks you through the whole process, from the palm outline to the finished, colored artwork.
