Sherlock Holmes has to be the most famous literary detective of all time. His hugely enjoyable adventures are read by millions around the world. To draw an easily recognizable doodle of him it helps to think about all the elements we know and associate with him. Most obvious is the deerstalker hat, the pipe, the Inverness cape, and perhaps a magnifying glass.

It’s fascinating how a popular image emerges for those who live only in our imagination. “A gentleman who never lived and will never die” as Orson Welles once put it. “There are only a few of them, these permanent profiles, ever lasting silhouettes on the edge of the world.” Sherlock Holmes’ image has changed over the years since he first appeared in print in 1887. It’s credit to his own longevity that new interpretations are still appearing, each adding to his status as the greatest detective.   Still, there are many features that have become fixed in our imaginings though. Today we are picking up a few of those for our own easy drawing of Sherlock Holmes.

Your Free ‘How to Draw a Sherlock Holmes’ Printable Worksheet

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Printable Doodle Worksheet for this tutorial

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Print it out at home, then grab a pen and get doodling on this fun worksheet with its step by step instructions and foundation sheet.

FREE SHERLOCK DOODLE WORKSHEET

Let’s get drawing Sherlock Holmes step by step…

Draw some foundation shapes

We’re going to draw Sherlock Holmes as a head and shoulders view. So first we will draw a few simple guide shapes that will help you get his likeness as you proceed. Draw these lightly as they are for your guidance rather than part of the finished drawing.

Step 1 (above): Getting started

Start off by drawing a simple circle.

Step 2: Sherlock’s ‘Thin, eager face’

We know from the original Sherlock Holmes stories that he had a “thin, eager face”, and he has often been portrayed that way. Add a triangle guide shape below the circle (see the way I have done this below). It will help you draw the outline of Holmes’ face later. You don’t need to draw the size markers, these are here to help you think about the proportion of the head to the face and chin.

Step 3: Finish the foundation drawing

We now draw a sloping curved line across the circle. Imagine it to be a line drawn around a ball. It starts on the left at about half the total height and curves upwards slightly around the head to the right. Next drop a vertical line down from this line to be our guide for the nose. This should be roughly a quarter of the overall height long. Finally draw a horizontal line to mark the position of the mouth.

Draw in Sherlock Holmes’ facial features

Step 4: Sherlock Holmes’ nose

Sherlock Holmes is often portrayed with a fairly long nose. In the stories, it is described as being ‘thin’ and ‘hawk-like’. Use the guide line you’ve already drawn to position and draw the nose. The curving guide line through the circle is very helpful for then positioning eyes and brows. Think about showing a thoughtful expression with the brow. Perhaps take time to look in a mirror at how your own brows move to take this expression. That curving guide line is also useful for drawing in the cheekbones and also the ear. Put Sherlock’s ear just behind the place where the jaw guide line meets the circle. Finish with the mouth.

Step 5: A long thin face

We want to give the impression of his long thin face, so draw in the chin which does most to emphasize this. Use the guide line you have already drawn to help you get the position right. In our drawing Holmes’s forehead is hidden under a hat. Define this boundary by drawing two sweeping curving lines to create a brim at the front just above his eyes. He is described as having black hair — “His head was sunk upon his breast, and he looked from my point of view like a strange, lank bird, with dull grey plumage and a black top-knot.” Draw in some hair where it shows behind his ear and below his hat.

Drawing the famous deerstalker hat, pipe and cape

Step 6: Draw a deerstalker hat

We all know that Sherlock Holmes wore a deerstalker hat, it’s his most famous trade-mark attire! But actually, throughout the entire stories it is only ever described once, and then as an “ear-flapped travelling-cap”. Draw in the deerstalker hat, along with its ear flaps which tie up in a bow at the top. Note that the height of the hat extends up above the guide line circle of his head, as it would when you or I wear a hat.  With that hat, he’s really beginning to look like Sherlock now.

Step 7: Sherlock’s pipe

Next comes the pipe. Sherlock Holmes is noted for smoking a pipe, and he appears to have several throughout the stories. He even favors different ones depending on his mood. Oddly he isn’t described smoking a curvy calabash pipe — but that is how he is most often portrayed. So, let’s keep him instantly recognizable and at least draw in a curvaceous shaped pipe for him. Perhaps add a trail of smoke to give your drawing a sense of animation.

Step 8: A cape and collar

We’ll finish him by adding some clothing. Another common portrayal for Sherlock Holmes is the cape. We often think of it as an ‘Inverness’ cape, but more accurately it was an ‘Ulster’. We only need to draw a simple representation of this, so add a high collar, shoulders, and maybe a button.

Step 9: Here’s Sherlock

Well done! You have now drawn a fine doodle of Sherlock Holmes.

Step 10: Add some decoration and color

It’s looking great. Keep that enthusiasm going! Why not add a decorative frame and a Victorian-style name banner? Finally, get your pens and paints out to add a nice wash of color to really finish it off.

Introducing the ‘Read + Doodle’ book with Sherlock Holmes Story

Read Sherlock Holmes and get doodling in

The new ‘Read + Doodle’ Paperback Book

The classic Sherlock Holmes story ‘A Case of Identity’ is one of four inspiring short stories included in our handsome new paperback book. Our ‘Read + Doodle Book 1’ contains 20 days of classic short reads and fun daily drawing & coloring ideas. You can order copies direct from Amazon now, with next day delivery in many locations.
See our book page for more details.

Available at Amazon

Inspired by an iconic Virginia Woolf portrait

Our inspiration for this new artwork comes from the iconic portrait of Virginia Woolf photographed by G.C.Beresford in 1902. Virginia Stephens as she was then, was only 20 years old and not yet married to Leonard Woolf. She was accompanied at the sitting by both her father Sir Leslie Stephens and her sister Vanessa. They both also had their portraits taken by Beresford, who had recently set up his studio in Knightsbridge, London.

What’s most striking about these beautiful early photographs is Virginia’s familiar aquiline profile and deep thoughtful eyes. The platinotype method employed by Beresford creates a photographic print which has an atmosphere all of its own. These prints are warm and romantic, with soft reddish-brown tones. In our Virginia Woolf portrait print we have endeavored to keep that sense of romance, combining soft loose marks with sharper sepia-brown lines.

Virginia Woolf — portrait reluctant

Later in life Virginia Woolf was actually not a keen portrait-sitter at all. But in a world so connected into artistic circles it was inevitable she would become the subject anyway. Many later portraits exist both as photographs and paintings.  Virginia’s sister the artist Vanessa Bell painted perhaps the most at-ease images of her. Many photographers, including the famous Man Ray, made portraits throughout her life — sometimes to her own irritation. In a letter of 1939, Virginia complained angrily about photographs by Gisèle Freund being exhibited.

“I am in a rage. That devil woman Gisele Freund calmly tells me she’s showing those d—d photographs—and I made it a condition she shouldn’t. Don’t you think it damnable?—considering how they filched and pilfered and gate crashed—the treacherous vermin. Do give her a piece of your mind if you see her. I loathe being hoisted about on top of a stick for any one to stare at.” – From a letter to Vita Sackville-West, August, 1939

How to get and use your free Virginia Woolf printable art print

You can download our high-resolution Virginia Woolf Portrait Print in an easily printable PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format from the page linked at the end this article. We have two versions included, one for standard Letter Size paper (8.5inch by 11inch) and one for A4 Size (210mm by 297mm).

You can print out this lovely artwork straight away using any good inkjet or laser printer, then simply frame it and treasure it! If you are intending to display the portrait we would suggest choosing photo-quality matte paper and printing using your printer’s highest quality setting. An alternative is to take it to your local print shop and have it printed out for you there. You can open and print the files from your computer using Adobe Acrobat ® Reader. If you don’t already have it, Acrobat Reader is available to download free from here.

Introducing Doodle Read’s Virginia Woolf Edition

Read the Virginia Woolf episodes and get doodling in
The new ‘Read + Doodle’ Paperback Book

Virginia Woolf’s intriguing short story ‘The Mark On The Wall’ is one of four inspiring short stories included in our handsome new paperback book. Our ‘Read + Doodle Book 1’ contains 20 days of classic short reads and fun daily drawing & coloring ideas. You can order copies direct from Amazon now, with next day delivery in many locations.

Now available on Amazon Or see the book page for more details.

Get your FREE Virginia Woolf Portrait Print

Click either button below to download this free Virginia Woolf printable.
Choose your printer’s paper size for best results.

FREE VIRGINIA WOOLF PRINTABLE (Letter Size)
 
FREE VIRGINIA WOOLF PRINTABLE (A4 Size)

Reading, Drawing and Mindfulness

Increasingly people are beginning to connect the idea of ‘mindfulness’ to their own personal well being. We see mindfulness as a process of appreciating the very moment you are in now. It’s an ability to ‘take in’ your thoughts, your physical sensations, your surrounding environment.  To practice mindfulness, you need some inner space. When seeking space in our day-to-day lives, what simpler way is there than by turning to some daily drawing and reading for well being?

Reading has health benefits

It feels intuitive that reading and mindfulness, and reading and well being are interlinked.

Stress is at the root of more than 60% of all illness and disease, so say the American Medical Association. Psychologists at the University of Sussex discovered that reading can reduce human stress levels by as much as 68%. Even a quiet read of around 6 minutes was demonstrably enough to slow the heart rate and relax muscles. And it works not only as a distraction, printed words engage the imagination; creating an altered state of consciousness, and that stimulates creativity.

And drawing has health benefits too

So what of drawing for well being? Creative activity makes us feel contented and fulfilled. It feels intuitive for us to create, as it did to our oldest ancestors back in prehistoric times making their mark on shadowy walls of caves and rock. Creative expression is a deep-rooted part of what makes us human. The physical act of drawing, its combination of movement, tangibility, and focus, helps create a state of calm in a similar way to reading. Art psychotherapist Karin Angstrom believes that as little as 10 minutes a day is enough for positive effects. A little bit of drawing and mindfulness can go a long way!

Whatever our creative passion, we’ve all known that feeling of getting swept along with what we are doing. It’s a common response to creating anything, and we instinctively know it feels good. That’s the key thing about drawing and mindfulness. We can develop our brain’s capacity for creative thinking by regular drawing, as much as an athlete can by regular physical training. In turn, we improve our ability to communicate, and this ability equips us to better cope with the world around us. Drawing for well being can really change the way we feel about our lives.

Doodling triggers pleasure – no skill required

Great, so take up reading and drawing for well being — but what about those of us who don’t feel we are artistic? Can we benefit too?

A study at Drexel University in Philadelphia found that doodling causes a blood flow increase in your prefrontal cortex. This is also where we find the brain’s reward center, and it is here that our brains release feelings of pleasure. The study found similar effects for coloring and free-drawing. Researchers also reveal that this effect is not connected to how good or bad you might think you are at drawing — everyone can benefit.

It’s brilliant news — drawing for well being is not a reward reserved for the already talented artist!

Overcoming the blank page syndrome

If all this is so true, if reading and drawing for well being is offering us so many benefits, then why is it sometimes so difficult to get started? This brings us back to our first point, hectic lifestyles. It’s as if we live our lives in shorter blocks now. It seems our ability to slow down and focus is reduced, and yet that’s something we probably still crave naturally. Perhaps it’s a skill that many of us want to re-learn?

When we first came up with the concept here for Doodle Reads our aim was to carve out a little daily space for mindful focus and creative thinking. Make reading and drawing for well being part of a routine. We all find so many reasons why we can’t take up a pencil to draw, or open the book we bought during our last holiday to read.

The key to this problem is to build some regular time for drawing, reading and mindfulness into your daily routine. Pick a moment that will give your the breathing space you need. It might be your morning coffee breaks, your lunchtime, or during your train journey home. You’ll need something good to read and a notebook, journal, or sketch book in which to get doodling. Read a short burst and make some doodles. Use the inspiration from your book to stimulate your own bursts of creativity. If that’s too complicated simply doodle in the margins of your book, why not!?

Our ‘Read + Doodle Book’ puts it all in one place

Our Read + Doodle Book helps you to overcome any of these hurdles quickly and effortlessly. Its short story format (in punchy daily episodes) means that you need only take a short break out from your busy day. Six or seven inspiring minutes of reading then leads to 8 or 9 minutes of creative expression through easy doodling. And there is no blank page syndrome here. The daily doodling page is pre-filled with colorful artwork and ideas just waiting for you to add your creativity. It all adds up to 15 rewarding minutes each day. Regular reading, drawing and mindfulness — the benefits are clear!

Find out more about our book “Read + Doodle Book 1” here.
Available now in paperback from Amazon.