Okay so yesterday I randomly thought, hey why not try drawing a fancy king crown? Y’know, those sparkly ones with pointy bits and fake jewels? Grabbed my sketchbook and a regular pencil first, thinking it’d be simple. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
The Awkward Start
Tried sketching just the basic shape freehand. Made this oval for the headband part, then added triangles for spikes on top. Looked like a toddler drew a saw blade. Total garbage. Erased the whole mess.
So I switched tactics. Grabbed a ruler and light pencil to mark center points – top, bottom, sides. Made a baseline curve for the headband shape, then divided where the main spikes would go. Measured equal spaces like I was cutting cake slices. Still felt wobbly.
Adding the Bling Drama
Started fleshing out the spikes. Drew thicker bases like real crowns have, with those curved sides meeting at sharp peaks. Between spikes, sketched oval spaces for jewels. This part took ages ’cause symmetry sucks. My hand kept drifting sideways.
- Step 1: Lightly outlined five main center spikes, tallest in middle.
- Step 2: Added shorter filler spikes left and right to feel “royal”.
- Step 3: Scrunched up my face trying to draw tiny patterns on the headband band. Swore at crosshatching.
When Pencils Fight Back
Now for the “realistic” nightmare. Wanted metal shine? Yeah right. Scribbled shading under each spike base for depth. Pressed stupid hard with 2B pencil on the “shadow” side of every spike – looked muddy, not metallic. Almost quit.
Remembered an old trick: leave white space for light reflections. Used a kneaded eraser to dab highlights on the spike edges and jewel tops. Slowly started looking less flat. Added random scratches on the gold parts like it’s ancient.
Jewelry Store on Paper
Rubies and emeralds my ass. Just circles with dark outlines. Shaded the bottoms dark, left a bright spot on top. Purple “gem” in the center? Yeah, scribbled violet pencil then smudged it with my finger – classy. Highlight dots saved it.
Final Meltdown Phase
Stepped back. Saw one spike leaning left like the Tower of Pisa. Fixed it. Darkened shadows under the crown where it touches the head. Added dusty smudges because why would a king’s crown be clean? Signature scribble in corner. Done.
Looked at my sketch. Does it look like a crown? Sure. Realistic? Eh, good enough for my fridge. Pro tip: beer helps. But hey, learned you can’t rush the damn sparkles. Next time? Maybe a plastic tiara.
