Caroline
Plague doctors are one of the most curious lost professions of a bygone era.
In times of plague, these doctors would wear their distinctive uniform and mask to treat the many people sick with the dreaded diseases of the time.
They may not exist anymore, but they continue to capture imaginations on account of their curious attire and profession. For this reason, it has become popular for people to want to learn how to draw a plague doctor.
If you would like to recreate this strange doctor, then you’re in the right place.
Our step-by-step guide on how to draw a plague doctor will show you how to recreate one in no time.
How to Draw A Plague Doctor – Let’s Get Started!
Step 1
We will be starting with the distinctive hat and mask in this first step of our guide on how to draw a plague doctor.
These doctors wore flat-rimmed hats so that people would know who they were, and they wore bird masks with various protective herbs in the beak.
Start by using some curved lines for this beak. Then you can add some circles to the top of it for the eyes of his goggles.
Use some more curved lines for the scarf that he is wearing, and then you can draw a small talisman on a necklace below that.
Finally, finish off by using some more rounded lines for his round hat on top of his head.
Step 2 – Next, draw his arms and chest
This step of your plague doctor drawing will be focused on drawing his arms and chest. First, we will be drawing the cloak that goes over his shoulders and chest.
For the arm on the left, we will be using lots of curved lines to create the wrinkles of his sleeve and glove. That hand will also be holding a scalpel.
To finish off this step, you can then draw the bottom of the top he is wearing coming out from under his cloak.
Then you can finish off by drawing his other arm. Be sure to leave a space on his hand there, as he will be holding something later.
Step 3 – Draw his staff and the bottom of his outfit next
These doctors would usually be seen carrying a wooden staff, and these were used so that they could inspect patients without getting too close.
This is what we will start with in this step of our guide on how to draw a plague doctor. You can use a ruler to draw some straight lines for this staff that he is holding.
Then you can draw a belt for him that has some objects hanging from it, and finally use some curved lines for the bottom of his outfit.
Step 4 – Now, draw the rest of his outfit
We will be moving on to some final details very soon, but first we need to finish off the outfit for your plague doctor drawing.
To do this, simply draw some curved lines coming down at an angle for the creases at the bottom of the skirt for his outfit.
Try to add a lot of these curved lines, and also try to angle them so that it looks like the wind is blowing it.
Then it will be on to the final details and touches in the next step!
Step 5 – Finish off your plague doctor drawing
In this step of our guide on how to draw a plague doctor, we will be finishing off the final touches and elements to have you ready for some coloring.
The last thing that we need to add is his boots below the rim of his tunic, so you can add them with some curved lines. Once those boots are there, you’re finished and ready for the final step!
Before you proceed to the sixth and final step, you can first add some details of your own to this image.
One great idea would be to add a background, as this would show the kind of environment this plague doctor has to work in.
You could also draw some more characters to go with him, but these are just a few ideas! This is your chance to get creative and show off what kind of cool scene you can create for this image.
Step 6 – Finish off your plague doctor drawing with some color
For the final part of your plague doctor drawing, we will finish off with some colors. We kept the colors a bit more dark and muted, using some darker browns, blues and beige colors.
This is your drawing, and you don’t necessarily need to go with our color choices. You could change up the color shades or use brand new ones if you prefer, it’s up to you!
These doctors were usually around during pretty dark periods of history, so it would probably be more thematic to keep the colors a bit darker and more muted.
You could complement this theme with some more somber mediums like watercolors, colored pencils or crayons.
If you would prefer to incorporate some brighter colors or mediums that would also look good in their own way, so this is your chance to take over and show off your creativity!
5 Tips To Make Your Plague Doctor Drawing Even Better!
These tips we have for making your plague doctor sketch are the cure for boredom!
For this plague doctor drawing, we stuck to the iconic mask that they would wear. Once you have finished this mask, you could draw some more of the plague doctor outfit!
For this tip, you can find many pictures online of various plague doctor outfit designs. These can help you when you draw, but you could also come up with your own plague doctor outfit design!
Another way you can put a different spin on this drawing of a plague doctor is by drawing it in a different style. We went for a fairly detailed design here, but you could simplify it and make it much more cartoony.
That’s one example of how you could give it a new spin, but it’s up to you to choose the kind of style you would like!
Next, you could also add some accessories and objects for the plague doctor to interact with. One of the more obvious ones would be a staff, as plague doctors are often depicted with these.
You could also give him some weapons or tools that would make him look cool! This would go especially well with our suggestion to draw more of his body.
Plague doctors would wear dark-colored outfits, and that’s what we depicted in this guide. Even if you stick to this look, you can make the colors look interesting by playing with shades and art tools.
You can even mix various art tools and mediums to make the colors look more interesting and varied! Making the colors bright would also make the picture stand out more even if it’s less realistic.
When you have finished making this plague doctor sketch exactly as you want it, you could also turn it into a cool poster!
By adding some text and background elements you could maybe even turn it into a fun birthday or greeting card.
What are some other uses you could have for this plague doctor?
Your Plague Doctor Drawing is Complete!
These doctors were some of the most unique physicians in history, and we hope that this guide on how to draw a plague doctor made it fun and easy for you to recreate one.
This was quite a detailed drawing to take on, and when details are involved it can make things a lot trickier!
That’s why in this guide we tried to break it down into smaller steps so that you wouldn’t get lost in the detailing!
Now that you have completed this picture, be sure to add any additional elements, details or additions that you may like for it.
You can also play around with your favorite colors and art mediums, so let your creativity flow as you put your spin on it!
This guide you completed is one of many that we have for you on our website. Be sure to check it out, and visit often as we upload new guides frequently!
We would be very keen to see your awesome plague doctor drawing, so please remember to share it on our Facebook and Pinterest pages!
