The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous buildings in Paris, France. While the Eiffel Tower may seem difficult to draw at first glance, you can do it with a lot of practice. Drawing the Eiffel Tower is easiest to do if it's directly facing the front, but you can also make it look more stunning by giving it a 3D touch. With patience and practice, you will be able to draw this tower yourself!
Step
Method 1 of 2: Draw a Simple Eiffel Tower
Step 1. Draw a straight guide line in the center of the paper
Spread the paper vertically so that you can draw the entire tower snugly on the paper. Use a pencil and ruler to create straight vertical guides in the center of the page. Since the Eiffel Tower is symmetrical, the view on the left of the line must be a reflection of the view on the right. Make sure there is some space between the top and bottom of the page so that there is room to draw the top and foot of the tower.
- Draw a thin line so that you can erase mistakes easily.
- You can draw on paper horizontally, but the tower will be shorter than drawn vertically.
Step 2. Dab a square with a triangle on the line
The top of the Eiffel Tower has an observation deck and antennae that are square and triangular when viewed from the front. Draw a small square the size of your thumb nail at the top, with a guide line through the center of the square. If you have, put a triangle with a pointed peak on top of the square as an antenna.
Squares and triangles should not be too big so you can draw the rest of the tower in the right proportions
Step 3. Draw 2 horizontal rectangles perpendicular to the line to create the observation deck
Find the center point of the guide and create a thin horizontal rectangle that is twice the width of the square. Then, find the midpoint between the thin rectangle and the bottom of the guide; a second rectangle will be drawn at this point. Make the length of this second rectangle twice the length of the first rectangle.
Step 4. Draw a curved line from the corner of the square to the upper corner of the lower rectangle
Place the tip of the pencil over one of the bottom corners of the top square. Then, draw a downward curve so that it passes through the top corner of the top rectangle, and ends at the top corner of the bottom rectangle. Repeat the process from the other corner of the square to create the other side of the tower.
Don't continue the curved line all the way to the bottom of the page because the legs at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower are straighter
Step 5. Draw a curved line that is parallel to the first curved line and coming from the middle
Start at the top 1/3 of your tower's vertical guideline. Draw a curved line from that point to one side of the guideline that follows/parallel to the first curved line (the outer side of the tower), to the top of the bottom rectangle, exactly at the point 1/3 from the end of the rectangle. Then, draw another curved line on the other side of the guide, which is parallel to the outer curved line on that side.
Don't worry if the lines aren't perfectly parallel to each other because the Eiffel Tower is starting to widen near its base
Step 6. Draw a line with a 45 degree slope descending from the bottom rectangle
Start at one of the bottom corners of the bottom rectangle, and draw a line downhill away from the center line. Continue to draw this slash until it aligns with the lower end of the center guideline. Draw the next slash from the bottom point of the bottom rectangle, continuing until it is parallel to the bottom end of the center line. If so, connect them with a straight horizontal line. Repeat on the other side of the tower.
Remember that the Eiffel Tower is symmetrical so the right side must reflect the right side
Step 7. Draw an upward curved line connecting the legs of the tower
The Eiffel Tower has supports between its legs to keep it strong. Start at the top of the inner slash, and draw a curved line up towards the center of the bottom rectangle. Make sure this curved line is symmetrical to the center line to connect the legs of the tower.
The top of the curved line must not touch the bottom side of the bottom rectangle
Step 8. Draw parallel horizontal lines between the curved lines to make girders
Start at the top of the tower and work your way down to the base of the tower to separate it into equal-sized rectangles. As you get closer to the base, allow some space between the horizontal lines to separate them a bit further. If so, the legs of the tower should have 3-4 rectangles, the area between the observation decks should have 3-4 rectangles, and the area between the upper deck and the tip of the tower should have 15-16 small rectangles.
Tip:
Make sure the horizontal lines are at the same point on each side of the tower to make it appear symmetrical.
Step 9. Draw an X inside each rounded rectangle
Place an X between each of the previous horizontal lines to draw cross supports between the towers. Make sure the center point of the X is at the center of each rectangle so that the tower looks like the original. When you've finished filling all the boxes, your Eiffel Tower is ready!
You can also add a small "X" along the observation deck and above the bottom curve if you want to make it more detailed
Step 10. Done
Method 2 of 2: Drawing the Eiffel Tower from Perspective
Step 1. Draw a straight vertical line in the center of the paper
You can position the paper vertically or horizontally before starting to draw the Eiffel Tower. Pull the pencil lightly to create a thin guide line in the center of the paper. Make sure you leave some space between the top and bottom edges of the paper so there's room to add details later.
Step 2. Draw descending curved lines on both sides of the center line
Start a curved line from the right side of the guide you drew earlier. Leave some distance between the tip of the guideline and the end of the curved line. When drawing a line towards the bottom of the paper, make it farther away from the center line. Draw another curved line across the guideline that is symmetrical to the first line. Your image should look like a curved sided triangle.
The perspective of this image is as if you were standing near the base of the Eiffel Tower and looking up at the top
Step 3. Create a horizontal rectangle to divide the center line into 3 parts
Find a point 1/3 from the top end of the guideline, and draw a small horizontal rectangle at this point that slightly crosses the curved line on each side. Then, determine the next 1/3 point from the bottom end of the center guide to determine the location of the next rectangle. Make this second rectangle twice as long and thick as the first so that it looks closer to you.
This rectangle is the bottom of the Eiffel Tower observation deck
Step 4. Draw 2 curved lines that go up under the bottom rectangle as the legs of the tower
This curved line will be between the two legs of the tower. Start at the center guide, just below the bottom rectangle and curve until it's parallel to the bottom end of the outer curved line. Repeat making curved lines to the other side of the tower and keep the result symmetrical. Draw another curved line below the first so that it looks like a bridge.
Step 5. Draw a triangle with curved sides whose vertices pass through the top rectangle
Start at the point 1/3 from the top edge of the bottom rectangle. Then, draw a curved line that is parallel to the outer curve of the tower so that it goes through the top rectangle. End the curved line at the midpoint between the top rectangle and the top end of the guide. Create a similar curved side on the other side that is symmetrical to the previous curved line.
You can draw a line through the rectangle first. Just make sure to delete them later so they don't show up in the finished result
Step 6. Draw straight horizontal lines between the curved lines as loops
Once the base of the tower structure has been drawn, start adding the trusses. Start at the top of the tower and draw straight horizontal lines between the curved lines that create small squares. Make the line shorter towards the top and longer at the bottom as it gets closer to you.
When finished, there will be 15-16 lines from the top of the observation deck, 3-4 lines between the observation decks, and 3-4 lines on each leg
Step 7. Make an X in each square between the loops
Place an X between each newly drawn horizontal line to create cross supports. Make sure the ends of the X reach the corners of the box so that they appear to connect the towers.
Tip:
It's a good idea to draw the X lightly when you're near the top, and darker when you're near the bottom. This technique gives the illusion that the top of the tower appears further away from the base.
Step 8. Draw a line inside the curved "bridge" for added support
The direction you draw the line depends on where it is on the curved line because you are drawing from perspective. Start by drawing a straight vertical line between the 2 curved lines so that they are along the center guideline. As you add stripes along the arch, tilt them towards the center. The lines near the lower arc will be almost horizontal. When you're done, you'll have 6 equidistant lines on each side of the guide.
If you want to add depth to the image, create small rectangles instead of single lines. Thus, the tower supports will appear more three-dimensional
Step 9. Dab a blunt rectangle on top of the tower to make a peak
At the top of the tower, create an obtuse square that expands at the bottom. Don't overlap all the lines with the already drawn part of the tower so it doesn't look messy. When the spire is made, your drawing is done!
Step 10. Done
Tips
- Look for a photo of the Eiffel Tower to use as a reference when drawing.
- If you're not confident that you can draw the Eiffel Tower with your free hand, try tracing the image first so you're familiar with the shapes and lines you're going to draw.
