How To Draw 5 Effortless Banners

I’ve made blog posts about what bible journaling is, why I do it, and hand lettering, so now I wanted to give a few tips on how to draw banners.

Banners are something I really like to add to my bible pages. They can really add dimension, interest, and fun to your artwork!

There are so many different ways you can draw a banner, but today I want to just go over a few that are pretty simple.

As you practice them, you can combine them to make bigger more complex banners or even make your own designs!

I have to be honest, when I first started learning to draw these, I had a really hard time!

I couldn’t figure out where to put the underside of the banner where it looked like it folded under. No matter how many tutorials I read, no matter how many times I drew and re-drew, I always seemed to put them in the wrong place.

The image above is an example of when I drew them wrong. It still looks nice, but you’ll notice the “back” part of the banner where it’s shaded goes two different directions. They should go the same direction for it to be an accurate drawing.

Here are some other examples of banners that I’ve drawn in my bible!

See how much it adds to the page?

In this blog post, I want to keep it simple and go over 5 different variations.  I have no idea if these are their technical names, but it’s what I’m callin’ ‘em.

Below are images of the banners we’re going to go over and a very brief explanation of each.

(Don’t panic! The descriptions will make more sense later.)

1. Straight Banner 

This banner is made up of one rectangle with the banner’s tails on each side.

2. Arched Banner

This banner is drawn almost exactly like the straight banner, except you will curve the main part of the banner instead of drawing a straight rectangle.

3. Wave Banner

This banner is made up of two wavy parallel lines that you will make into a rectangle by closing the ends, adding some curvy lines to make the folds, and finishing the ends on each side.

4. Double Wave Banner  

This banner is made up of two wavy rectangles like in the wave banner, but between them they are connected diagonally by the ‘folded’ part of the ribbon. The banner’s ends are made like the single wave banner we made before.

5. Triple Straight Banner

The last banner is made up of three straight rectangles like our first straight banner. Between each rectangle they are connected by diagonal lines to make the ‘folded’ part. The ends are made like we drew them in the first straight banner.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but sometimes following a how-to just by looking at pictures and words can be confusing (and I’m the worst at not reading the instructions all the way…oops!).

So instead of writing an in-depth tutorial with lots of images and words, I made a video of myself sketching some out for you, so you can see how I drew them.

Hopefully this will give you a great visual and help you follow along (this is where the descriptions I gave you above will make more sense. I wouldn’t leave you hanging like that!).

Please keep in mind that this video has been sped up for time purposes. You should definitely take your time and go a lot slower than this video shows!

To help you practice I made a worksheet for you to download print! You can get that here!

These are just a few of MANY different ways you can draw banners. The possibilities are endless! Keep practicing and try to come up with some variations of your own.

I hope that you found this video and the worksheet helpful. I’d love to see your progress! Tag me on Instagram @neelysphoto in your banner pictures!