15 Easy Red Drawing Ideas: Step-By-Step Doodle Tutorials

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Learn how to doodle 15 different red things, from a sleepy red panda to a classic red telephone box, using these easy step-by-step tutorials anyone can follow.

I’ve been doodling in my Bullet Journal since 2018, and red is such a bright and happy color to build a whole page around, since it’s bold, cheerful, and works for everything from Valentine’s spreads to Christmas ones.

New to doodling or hunting for fresh red drawing ideas for your next journal page? This list has something simple and cute for every skill level- no art degree required, just basic shapes and a little patience.

Here’s something I wish someone had told me a long time ago: doodling isn’t a talent you’re either born with or not — it’s a skill, and skills get built through repetition, plain and simple.

I started from absolute zero, with no drawing background, and I got better only by working through tutorials over and over until my hand just knew what to do.

That’s exactly what you’re getting in this post: clear, step-by-step tutorials broken down into shapes simple enough for a total beginner to follow. Work through a few, come back and practice them again, and you’ll be surprised how quickly “I can’t draw” turns into “I can doodle pretty much anything.”

If you want to go even deeper, I put together a completely FREE doodling course that walks you through all my go-to tricks for building this skill from scratch — the sign-up is waiting for you at the end of this post.

This post may contain affiliate links. They will be of no extra expense for you, but I receive a small credit. Please see my Disclosure for more details. Thank you for supporting Masha Plans!

Best Doodling Supplies

Before we look into the tutorials, let’s talk about some stationery I think will help you enjoy doodling more.

Here are my favorites that I’m sure you will love as well:

• Notebook. I always think it’s a good idea to keep a separate doodling notebook; that way, you have a journal for doodle ideas and can see your progress. You don’t need anything fancy for that; Lemome Dotted Bullet Notebook works just as well.
• Pencil and eraser. A pencil is your secret weapon when it comes to doodling. Start all your doodles with a pencil, and you’ll be able to avoid a lot of errors and make it look better before you use a pen. You need a pencil with a comfortable grip and an eraser that won’t leave any streaks. I recommend Pilot Dr. Grip pencil and Sakura Foam eraser.
• Fineliners. These are the best pens for doodling, and I definitely recommend using Sakura Pigma Micron – they come in a set with different nib sizes, so you get a variety of line thicknesses.
• Colorful markers. If you like color on your doodles as I do, you’ll want to get some markers. I always recommend Crayola Super Tips, because they come in a pack of 100 colors and are very affordable. There are so many different shades of red to choose from!

Ok, now you have all your supplies ready; let’s dive in and look at some things you can draw easily right away.

15 Easy Red Drawing Ideas: Step-By-Step Doodle Tutorials

This is a collection of doodles by color, and today we are drawing all things red. If you want us to explore some other color ideas, leave it in the comments.

I always find it fun to doodle with a theme, so let’s look at the doodles I rendered and edited in red.

Red Panda Drawing

Let’s kick things off with the cutest one on the list. Red pandas are basically made for doodling — round, sleepy, and forgiving if your proportions are a little off.

How to draw it:

1. Start with a rounded, dome-like blob shape for the head, a bit like a marshmallow
2. Add two pointed ears and a sleepy cat face inside — closed eyes, a small nose, and a few whisker dots
3. Layer on the red panda’s signature face markings around the eyes and cheeks
4. Extend the shape into a curled, sleeping body with two paws resting out front
5. Add a long, ringed tail curling around the body
6. Color it all in — rusty orange-red fur, cream face patches, and dark brown paws and tail stripes

Cherry Drawing

Cherries are one of those doodles that look fancy but are secretly just two circles and a squiggle. But you can absolutely make it a bit more fun and interesting id you’re adding faces to it and make the cherries little characters.

How to draw it:

1. Draw two circles side by side, slightly overlapping
2. Add two curved stems that meet at a point above the circles
3. Tuck a small leaf where the stems meet
4. Give each cherry a cute face — try a closed happy smile on one and a wink on the other
5. Color both cherries a bright, juicy red
6. Finish with a glossy highlight on each one and a little extra shading underneath for depth. If you’re looking for a recommendation on how to add that highlight on the red cherry, use Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

Cute Strawberry Drawing

I love how one strawberry shape can carry about five different personalities depending on the face you give it.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a rounded triangle shape, wide at the top and tapering to a point, for the strawberry body
2. Add a leafy green crown on top
3. Scatter small oval “seeds” across the body
4. Color the body red and the crown green
5. Add a simple face — eyes, a smile, and rosy cheeks
6. Finish with a glossy highlight near the top for shine

And don’t stop at one expression — swap in a wink, a wide-open giggle, or sleepy eyes to build a whole little strawberry family.

Cute Ladybug Drawing

This one has a few more steps than the others, but every single one is just a curved line, so don’t let the count scare you off.

How to draw it:

1. Start with a rounded, egg-like oval for the body
2. Add a curved line near the top to separate off the head
3. Draw a straight line down the center of the lower body to split the wing shells
4. Add two small round-tipped antennae
5. Add tiny legs along the sides
6. Scatter a few dot spots across the body
7. Color the head black and the body red, then fill in the black spots
8. Finish by adding shine with a white gel pen (I recommend Sakura Gely Roll)

Cute Mushroom Drawing

Toadstool mushrooms are one of my favorite doodles precisely because the red-and-white cap does most of the visual work for you.

But with mushrooms, you can easily play around with different cap shapes, which can create a completely different look.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a rounded dome shape for the mushroom cap
2. Add a rounded stem shape underneath
3. Add gill lines under the cap’s edge and a scalloped skirt line around the stem
4. Draw a few organic, irregular spot outlines across the cap
5. Add a couple of small extra dots between the bigger spots
6. Clean up and refine the spot shapes
7. Color the cap red with white spots, and shade the stem a soft cream
8. Add a little patch of grass at the base to finish the scene

Red Flower Drawing

A simple five-petal flower is one of those doodles you’ll end up using everywhere — page borders, dividers, you name it.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a small circle for the flower’s center
2. Add five rounded petals around it
3. Add a short line detail down the middle of each petal
4. Add a scatter of tiny dots inside the center circle
5. Color the petals red and the center a warm yellow
6. Finish with a simple stem and a couple of leaves at the base

Simple Heart Drawing

You already know what a heart looks like, so this is really about getting those top curves nice and even.

How to draw it:

1. Draw two connected curved humps, like a shallow double wave, for the top of the heart
2. Bring the curves down and inward until they meet in a point at the bottom
3. Close up the outline into a full heart shape
4. Fill it in with solid red
5. Add shading along the lower edge for a bit of depth
6. Finish with a glossy highlight streak near the top left

Bow Drawing

Once you’ve got this one down, you can slap a bow on literally any other doodle in this post, and it instantly looks like a gift.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a small rounded square for the center knot
2. Add two triangular “wing” shapes on either side of the knot
3. Add two ribbon tails hanging down behind the knot, each with a notched V-cut end
4. Add a few crease lines inside the wings for fabric texture
5. Color the whole bow a rich red
6. Finish with shading and a glossy highlight on the center knot

Lipstick Drawing

A classic red lipstick doodle is such an easy way to add a little glam to a beauty or self-care spread.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a rounded rectangle for the lipstick tube’s base
2. Add a smaller rectangle section on top for the swivel mechanism
3. Draw the angled, pointed tip of the lipstick bullet
4. Refine the tip shape and add a small label rectangle to the tube
5. Add a simple leaf or icon detail inside the label
6. Color the tube deep red with gold accents, and the bullet a bright, glossy red

Melting Candle Drawing

The dripping wax is what sells this doodle, so don’t be afraid to make those drip lines a little uneven and imperfect.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a simple cylinder for the candle body
2. Add a short wick line at the top
3. Add a teardrop flame above the wick
4. Draw drippy, melted wax lines along the top edge
5. Add a few more wax details, including one drip running down the side
6. Tie a ribbon around the middle with a small gift tag hanging off it
7. Add a heart detail to the tag
8. Color the candle red with a glowing orange-yellow flame and a warm-toned tie, plus use your white gel pen to add the glossy effect

Red Pen Doodle

A red pen doodle is such a fun one for a stationery or “back to planning” themed page.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a long, angled rounded rectangle for the pen body
2. Add a cap section near the top
3. Draw the clip detail running along the side
4. Add the pointed tip at the bottom end
5. Refine the tip and add a small band detail just above it
6. Color the pen bright red with lighter highlight streaks for a glossy, dimensional finish

Macaron Drawing

Macarons look intimidating to draw, but it’s really just two ovals and a wavy line for the filling.

How to draw it:

1. Draw an oval shape for the top shell
2. Add a matching oval stacked below it for the bottom shell
3. Add a ruffled, textured line between the two shells for the filling
4. Draw diagonal fold lines across the filling layer
5. Add small dot texture across the top shell
6. Refine the texture and filling details
7. Add a highlight shape on top of the shell
8. Color the shells red and the filling creamy white — and if you want to fill out the page, add a couple more macarons plus a broken one with crumbs

Jam Jar Drawing

This one turns a plain jar into something that belongs on a cottagecore or picnic-themed spread.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a rounded jar shape, slightly narrower at the top
2. Add a ring detail near the top for the lid rim
3. Drape a scalloped fabric topper over the lid
4. Tie a bow around the neck of the jar
5. Add a label in the center with a small strawberry icon
6. Color the jar a deep jam red, the topper in red gingham, and finish the ribbon with a matching strawberry tag

Rudolph Drawing

Yes, this one’s a little Christmas-coded, but that red nose earns its spot on this list.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a rounded, blob-like square for the head
2. Add two small rounded ears on the sides
3. Add branching antler shapes on top
4. Draw a simple sleepy-eyed face with an oval nose outline
5. Refine the nose into a small rounded shape
6. Color the nose bright red
7. Extend the drawing into a full head-and-shoulders reindeer with brown fur
8. Add shading and detail to the fur and antlers
9. Finish with a few small extra touches, like eyebrows or fur highlights

Telephone Booth Drawing

And here’s our grand finale — the most detailed doodle on the list, but also the most rewarding once it’s colored in.

How to draw it:

1. Draw a tall, rounded rectangle for the booth’s main body
2. Add a domed top and a base line
3. Add a “TELEPHONE” sign panel near the top
4. Draw a door shape with a round doorknob
5. Divide the door into window panels
6. Add a little glass shine detail to the windows with a white gel pen
7. Color the whole booth bright red
8. Add a cute smiling face inside the window panels

These are the 15 red doodle ideas i could come up with, be sure to leave n the comments any more ideas you’d like to see.

Free Doodling Course

As a beginner, you might be looking for some more direction when it comes to mastering this new skill of doodling.

I’ve been there! I couldn’t doodle anything myself until I started my Bullet Journal, and I had to go on a full-on journey to teach myself how to doodle.

I gathered all my best techniques, tips, and tricks to help you get there faster in my FREE course on doodling for beginners.

Simply sign up in the form below, and once you confirm your subscription, you’ll get all the details to start your doodling adventures right away.

More Resources

Looking for more doodle ideas and step-by-step tutorials? I have plenty of posts on this blog to help you learn how to doodle pretty much anything you want.

Check out these blog posts next:

• Easy Mushroom Doodle Ideas You’ll Want To Copy
• Easy Things To Draw: Step-By-Step Tutorials
• Easy Valentine’s Day Doodles

>>> What other doodles would you like to see? Share with us in the comments!

Hope this post was interesting. If you find it so, please share! If you enjoy my content and want to show your appreciation, please consider supporting me with a cup of coffee.

And remember: Keep Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob!

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