How to Draw a Shield A Step-by-Step Manual
War in the past was very different from what it looks like today. But just because the tools were a little less advanced back then, that didn’t mean they were any less deadly! History is full of devastating weapons used; often, a good shield could make the difference between life and death. They also came in many different shapes and sizes depending on the era and nation that used them and learning how to draw a shield is a great way to imagine what your own would look like. This is your guide if you are a fan of ancient shields and weapons—our step-by-step guide on how to draw a shield will show you how to design your awesome shield.
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How to Draw a Shield let’s get Initiated!
Step 1
The piece we will draw in this guide on how to draw a shield looks like a Viking shield. These shields used to be small and round, so that’s what we’ll draw for the outline in this first step. Using a tool like a drawing compass would make creating the outer circle much easier. Leave a little space at the top right of the shield for reasons you’ll discover in a moment! Then, finish by drawing two more circles in the shield’s centre. Then continue with step 2!
Step 2
Now, we’ll start laying the groundwork for the final details of drawing your shield. First, draw another loop near the inner border of the shield outline. You’ll then see why we left that gap in the outline, as you can use some jagged lines for a hole in the shield, presumably where a sword struck it. Next, we’ll draw a kind of grid pattern using straight lines inside the outline of the shield. Finally, you can draw a shape inside the circular centre of the shield to show how light shines on it. You can copy the shape directly from the reference image to help you out!
Step 3
The third part of our how to draw a shield guide will see you adding more detail. First, draw some slightly jagged lines in the centre circle of the shield for some small indentations from past battles. This shield has certainly seen some good use! Finally, draw some small black shapes along the perimeter of the centre circle between it and the surrounding circle. These will serve as bolts that hold the shield together.
Step 4
This shield drawing of yours already looks great! We’ll make it look even better in the next few steps with more details. We’ll add some more bolts that you drew in the last part. These will go near and around the outer perimeter of the shield. Next, we’ll add some shading details inside the centre circle of the shield. These details will comprise a thin line at the top and a thicker line at the bottom. Finally, we’ll add more lines to the grid shape we started in a previous step to make it look even more dynamic. We’ll then wrap up the final details in the next step, so let’s proceed!
Step 5
Before adding colour to your image, we’ll first add some final details and elements in this step of how to draw a shield guide. You can do it by adding some small wavy lines on the part of the shield that will be made of wood. This will help make it look even more wooden! You can add dashed lines for even more chips and notches in this area. Once these details are added, you can add some extra elements to finish it off. A fun idea would be to find Viking swords or axes and draw one with this shield. You can also create a background or draw someone holding the shield and ready for battle! These are just a few ideas you can try, but be sure to get creative as you take this drawing even further!
Step 6
This is the final part of your shield drawing, and you can finish it with some great colours.
In our reference image, we opted for various shades of grey for the metal parts of the shield. Using various shades, you can make the metal look more realistic! Similarly, we use more than one shade of brown for the woodsy look. Remember to colour the little studs and nails too! Once you’ve chosen all the colours you’d like to use, it’s just a matter of choosing your art medium. You could go for some painterly acrylics and watercolours. Or some markers and coloured pencils. What would look good in this drawing?
How to Draw a Shield A Step-by-Step Manual
