Caroline
Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world, and it attracts millions upon millions of viewers worldwide every year.
Many people also love to grab their own basketball and play a game with their friends, but it can be easy to take the humble basketball for granted.
Even though it looks simple, learning how to draw a cartoon basketball can provide some challenges!
If you’re a basketball fan that would like to know how it’s done, then this is the guide for you! We will show you everything you need to know about portraying this iconic ball throughout this guide.
We shall now begin this awesome step-by-step guide on how to draw a cartoon basketball in just 6 easy steps and show you how it’s done!
How to Draw A Cartoon Basketball – Let’s Get Started!
Step 1
When drawing simple shapes, it can become clear very quickly that they can be harder to draw than expected. Luckily, there are tools that you can use to make it much easier on yourself.
For this first step of your cartoon basketball drawing, you will need to begin with a simple circle. You might think that should be easy as pie, but drawing a perfect circle by hand is next to impossible.
Your best friend in this scenario is a drawing compass. These tools are cheap and easy to find, and they make drawing a perfect circle easy to do.
If you aren’t able to find a drawing compass, you could also trace around a flat, round object to create the circle.
However you do it, once it’s done you can move on to the next step!
Step 2 – Now, draw a vertical, curved line along the ball
The lines that we will be drawing in the following steps will be rather simple, but they can require a steady hand.
In this first step, we will be drawing a simple curved vertical line near the left-hand side of the ball. The reference image will show you how this should be positioned.
When drawing it, try your best to make it as smooth as possible!
The best way to do this is by drawing nice and slowly, but you can also draw with a pencil first and then go over with a pen once you’re happy with how it looks.
Step 3 – Next, draw a horizontal curved line
Continuing with this guide on how to draw a cartoon basketball, we will now be adding another curved line to the composition.
This one will look very similar to the previous one, but this time it will go horizontally along the ball.
Once again, this can prove to be trickier than one may expect, but it’s no race, so take you time with it!
The reference image will show you how to position it so it intersects with the vertical line, and then it’s on to step 4.
Step 4 – Now, draw another curvy line
The line that we will be adding to your cartoon basketball drawing in this step will be a little more complex than the previous ones were.
This one will also be horizontal, but it will curve much more sharply near the center than the previous ones did.
Once again, the reference image will show you how this next line should look. This line will go in the upper half of the ball, and will curve towards the center line of the ball pattern.
Once this line is drawn, we will just have a few final lines and details to add in the next step!
Step 5 – Add the final details to your cartoon basketball drawing
You’re ready for the final details of this drawing, and then it will be time for the final step of this guide on how to draw a cartoon basketball.
This last line we will be adding will be a mirror image of the previous one, so that means drawing a curved line in the lower portion of the ball.
Then, your cartoon basketball is complete! Before you move on, you could also add any additional details of your own, however.
For example, you could draw the logo of your favorite basketball company onto the ball. Another idea would be to draw a background.
If you have a favorite basketball court you like to play or watch in, then you could maybe use it as inspiration for a background! How will you finish off this amazing image?
Step 6 – Finish off your drawing with color
For this final step, we will be finishing off your amazing drawing with some color. Most basketballs come in a traditional orange coloring, and that is what we have gone for in this example image.
We used various shades of light and dark oranges to give the ball some texture and dimension.
When coloring your own one, you could go for similar colors to our choices, but you could also go for unique choices!
You also don’t need to stick to oranges, as you could make this cartoon basketball any color scheme you like.
When coloring, you can also decide on the art tools and mediums that would best suit this drawing. What colors and art tools will you use to complete your artwork?
Do this to take your cartoon basketball drawing to the next level
Get your head in the game as we make your cartoon basketball sketch even better!
This drawing of a cartoon basketball has no brand markings on it, but many real ones will have some kind of logo on them.
You could add that kind of detail to make this basketball seem more realistic!
The logo could be a real one or you could create your very own logo design. It’s up to you, and there are many other markings you could also go with.
What kind of logo would you pick for the cartoon basketball you have created in this guide?
When playing basketball, you will need more than just a ball if you’re going to get the most out of the game. You could draw some of the other things you will need in order to make this more complete!
For example, you could draw some sneakers or maybe a basketball uniform lying beside the cartoon basketball. These are just a few things you could add!
This would be your chance to show off what your own ideal basketball kit would include.
Next, you could take things even further by not just adding more basketball equipment but also a human character. There are a few people you could add to this cartoon basketball drawing!
One option would be to choose your favorite pro basketball player, or you could even add yourself or someone you know! It’s up to you to choose which person and art style you would use for this tip.
Finally, you could finish off your cartoon basketball sketch with a cool background. The obvious choice would be to add a basketball court for the background, but that is just one of the settings you could choose.
It could be an outdoor court or a big indoor one, for a few more suggestions. Or, you may want to show a scene of someone playing basketball in their backyard.
What kind of background setting would you like to portray?
Your Cartoon Basketball Drawing is Complete!
We mentioned at the start of this guide on how to draw a cartoon basketball that drawing such a presumably simple object can be harder than expected.
In this guide, we aimed to show you that it can be fun and easy to do when you know the right steps, so we hope we achieved this goal for you!
Remember that you can add lots of your own details and personal touches to finish it off. Drawing a background or some extra details can be great ways to do this, but what else can you think of?
If you’re wondering where to find your next drawing challenge, our website is the place to be!
We have tons of great drawing guides and other activities free for you to enjoy, and more are coming to the site soon.
We would love to see how your cartoon basketball drawing turned out, so please share your artwork on our Facebook and Pinterest pages for us to see!
