How to Draw Severus Snape

Last Updated: October 21, 2021

Seemingly Harry's nemesis throughout most of the Harry Potter series, this complex and nuanced character has captured the imagination of every Harry Potter reader. Ultimately, it is revealed that he is a re-doubled agent for the Order of the Phoenix against Voldemort and from J. K. Rowling's perspective, Severus Snape was one of the pivotal characters of the series from the very start.

Compared to the task of building up Severus Snape's complex character in the context of the novels, drawing him should be a bit easier and this tutorial will help you out.

Steps

1
Begin by drawing one big oval. This forms the guideline for Snape's face.
2
Draw two guidelines as shown. The one shown around his face is for guiding the addition of Snape's hair while the other one will help you to position his nose and other facial features.

Advertisement
3
Draw two guidelines to mark the positioning of the eyes about a third of the way down from the top of the oval. Pencil in a guideline for the mouth position. Finish up this step by drawing the collar and shoulder lines.
4
Following the guidelines provided, draw in the eyes and nose lines. Include the eyebrows.
5
Start adding more features. Refine the shapes of the eyes, nose and eyebrows drawn in the previous step. In addition, begin shaping the hair, face shape as a whole, earlobe and some facial indentations as shown.
6
Outline the features which you're retaining and as you do so, bring out the features that define Snape. Follow the guidance of the drawing provided here. Once the permanent outlining is in place, use an eraser to remove all unwanted guidelines.
- In this step, start shading the face to bring out features more clearly.
7
Color the drawing. Unless you're leaving Snape as a black and white outline drawing from the previous step, you might like to add colors. Do this using black crayon or paint and flesh tones. To keep the overall impression of ambiguous darkness, keep his eyes and lips dark. This isn't a drawing that needs much color or the effect will be spoiled.

Community Q&A

Question

How am I supposed to learn how to draw him without getting confused with all of these lines? How can I make this easier?

Community Answer

Find a reference picture. Draw what you see. As irritating as it may sound, the skill will come with time. You must first understand what you see, and then mimic it. Learn how to draw before expecting to be able to draw.
Question

How do I decide on which features to bring out?

Lillian Kullen

Community Answer

Use the reference image you chose. Bring out the most attractive ones, but keep it realistic.
Question

Do I have to draw the lines on Snape's face?

Undertale4141

Top Answerer

You don't have to. They help you figure out where to put his features, such as his nose and eyes, but get erased in the end.