This tutorial shows how to draw a lit match in just five steps. It gives a simple breakdown of each part along with an explanation for drawing them.

Match drawing step by step
Match drawing step by step

In this example it will be a fairly traditional looking match with a wooden shaft. You can see a preview of the illustrations included with the steps in the image above. Overall this is a very simple tutorial that can be easy enough even for complete beginners.

It's recommended that you start the drawing in pencil and make light lines that are easy to erase in case you make a mistake. You can darken them once you have all parts of the match outlined.

Step 1 – Draw the Shaft of the Match

Match stick drawing
Match stick drawing

First draw the shaft. You will want to make this long and thin (as match shafts generally are). Define it with two straight parallel lines that are joined at the bottom with a light curve. Leave the top open for the match head that will be added in the next step.

If you have trouble drawing long straight lines you can use a ruler to help you.

Step 2 – Draw the Head

Match outline drawing
Match outline drawing

At the top of the shaft draw the match head. Make it a little wider as it goes up and give it a rounded tip on the end. You can define the split between it and the shaft with a short jagged line.

Step 3 – Draw the Flame Outline

Match flame drawing
Match flame drawing

Surrounding the match head draw an outline of the flame. It's shape is somewhat irregular so you can look at the provided example for reference. Make it wider at the bottom and narrower as it goes up with a little split at the very top.

Step 4 – Draw the Inner Part of the Flame

Match line drawing
Match line drawing

Inside the outline of the flame from the previous step draw it's inner part. Give it a similar shape but without the split at the top. Also try and keep it's outline as light as you can so that it's just barely visible.

Once done with the flame  you can darken your lines by tracing over them with a black pen or marker. If you don't have one around you can simply do it with the pencil. However, do not darken the lines around the inner part of the flame (shown in blue).

Step 5 – Color the Match

Match drawing
Match drawing

Once you've gone over your drawing with darker lines you can color it. An easy way to do this is with markers and/or colored pencils.

Simply go with the following:

  • Light yellow/brown for the shaft
  • Dark brown for the head of the match
  • Red/orange for the outer part of the flame
  • Yellow for the inner part of the flame

As you can see from the example you don't need an outline between the red and yellow parts of the flame as not having one there will make it appear lighter and more like actual fire. If you've defined the split between the two with a very light pencil line (as was suggested) it should pretty much blend into the color.

Conclusion

Because the match has a fairly simple shape this is a very easy tutorial. Hopefully you haven't had any trouble following along.

As was already suggested if you find making long straight lines difficult you can use a ruler to help you. However, if you want to improve your drawing ability it's better to try without one.

For more simple guides like this one also see these other tutorials:

  • How to Draw a Beanie Hat Step by Step
  • How to Draw a Battery Step by Step
  • How to Draw an Ice Cube Step by Step