How to Draw a Cape

In this drawing tutorial, we’ll show you how to draw a cape – an essential element of the comic book superheroes and many other characters.

A cape is actually a long rectangular piece of fabric that is worn behind the back and held around the neck. Ancient Greek sculptors often added capes to their statues to make them even more epic. For example, you could see the famous Apollo Belvedere in such a cape.

But of course, capes are now known much more due to the fact that superheroes such as Superman or Batman are wearing them.

How to Draw a Cape

Step 1 – Sketch out the Outlines of the Cape

Use very light, almost transparent lines to sketch out the outlines of the cape. Here we need to correctly position the future drawing of the cape on paper and find its edges.

Step 2 – Sketch out the Top of the Cape

At the top, sketch out the outlines of the part of the cape that wraps around the neck and holds the cape. The lines should be very smooth.

Step 3 – Draw the Folds on the Shoulders

Now sketch out the back part that is not visible from the front if the cape is worn on a person. Further, in the same step, draw folds on the shoulders.

Step 4 – Draw the Side Edges

Use two long and smooth lines to draw the side edges of the cape. The appearance of these lines may differ from what we drew in our example.

Step 5 – Draw the Bottom Edge

Now use a long and slightly wavy line to draw the bottom edge of the cape. If you want to draw Batman’s cape, then this line should be in the form of an inverted wave.

Step 6 – Add Finishing Touches

Draw the bottom side edges using a couple of smooth lines. Further, using long vertical lines draw folds on the inside of the cape.

Step 7 – Color Your Cape Drawing

To make the cape drawing stop looking like a sketch, and acquire a more complete look, erase all auxiliary lines and paint it. We decided to use red as it is the most popular color for capes among superheroes.

As you can see, we have added some shadows to our drawn cape. This gives the entire image a more voluminous and beautiful look.

Try to draw some superhero and draw a cape on it using this drawing lesson. You can also try to draw capes of different famous superheroes from the universes of Marvel and DC, for example, Vision or Moon Knight.