Hockey is a fast-paced, exciting sport that is fun to watch and even more thrilling. Capturing the action and energy of hockey in an illustration starts with creating an authentic-looking hockey field to set the scene. This drawing tutorial will guide you through simple steps to sketch your hockey field backdrop for hockey-themed art. Whether you want to practice foundational drawing skills or visualize an imaginary hockey match, knowing how to draw a hockey rink is an engaging exercise for budding illustrators and hockey fans.
|Draw the field
|Draw the shooting circle
|Draw 25-yard lines
|Draw the half-way lines
|Draw the goalpost
|Draw the penalty shot
What you will need
- Ruler (optional)
How to draw a hockey field
With these few simple items, you’ll be ready to start this fun hockey field drawing tutorial!
Step 1: Draw the field
To start the hockey rink illustration, lightly sketch two long rectangle shapes near the middle of your paper. Make them wide enough to fill most of the width of the page while leaving some space on the sides. Make the rectangles long enough to represent a professional-sized hockey playing field. They should be about twice as long as wide or longer if you have enough vertical room.
Use a ruler to help draw straight lines if needed. The rectangles together will form the main ice surface that makes up most of a hockey field. Draw the shapes lightly if you need to erase and adjust the sizing. Make sure the two rectangles align properly to form one coherent unit. You will build the rest of the hockey field elements on this foundation.
- Sketch two aligned long rectangle shapes for the main field
- Make it wide enough to fill the page, twice as long as wide
- Keep lines straight using a ruler if desired
Step 2: Draw the shooting circle
Sketch a large semi-circle evenly connecting both sides on the short ends of the two field rectangle shapes. The rounded part of the circles should curve back towards the middle of the field. Make them wide enough to overlap the width of the field rectangles fully. These circular spaces at each end of the hockey rink represent the shooting circles – the curved zone right before each goal.
Hockey players attempt to shoot goals from inside this area, so leave enough clear space for players and pucks by making the circles nice and big. Erase and tweak the shapes if needed so the width and curvature look right. Draw over the field lines if the overlap doesn’t align cleanly. Outline the semi-circles clearly since this is an essential detail for a hockey rink.
- Draw semi-circles on field ends for shooting circles
- Make it wide enough to overlap the field width fully
- Outline shapes clearly and erase/redraw if needed
Step 3: Draw 25-yard lines
With the main field sketched out, lightly divide each of the two rectangles into thirds lengthwise by drawing two vertical lines on each one. Make sure the lines extend top to bottom to segment the field properly. Try using a ruler to keep the lines straight. Space the two lines evenly so you end up with three equal sections.
These lines represent the 25-yard lines on a hockey playing field, like a football field. They can assist the referee and players with positioning. The middle section created on each rectangle represents the neutral zone. Don’t make these dividing lines too dark or prominent yet in case adjustments are needed later when adding other details.
- Lightly sketch vertical lines dividing the field in thirds
- Create 25-yard line segments and neutral zone
- Use a ruler to keep lines straight
Step 4: Draw the half-way line
Sketch one more straight vertical line down the center of the two field rectangles to divide the hockey surface further. Line it up evenly with the space between the existing 25-yard lines you already drew. Ensure it extends fully from the top to the bottom of the fields.
This center line divides the ice in half lengthwise, indicating the halfway point between goals. It is used to determine the offside position and faceoff locations. Don’t make this line too bold yet, either, until the rest of the field is mapped out. Erase and adjust if needed to bisect the whole playing area properly.
- Add a vertical center line dividing the entire field in half
- Line up evenly between existing 25-yard lines
- Extend the line entirely from top to bottom
Step 5: Draw the goalpost
At each end of the hockey rink rectangles, lightly sketch two small equidistant rectangle shapes right up against the end line. Position them so they are partly overlapping the field. Make them tall enough to peek over the top and bottom lines of the main rink. These forms will represent the goal structures that hold up the nets.
Goalposts in hockey typically consist of vertical posts topped with a horizontal crossbar. Make sure to draw matching structures for the opposing goals on both ends. Keep the shapes simple and small in scale compared to the playing surface so they don’t distract from the overall rink. Adjust the sizing, angles, or positions so the goalposts appear natural.
- Sketch small, equal rectangle shapes at both field ends for goals
- Overlap rink lines slightly and make them tall enough to extend over the surface
- Keep shapes simple and small-scale compared to the main field
Step 6: Draw the penalty shot
On the offensive half of the rink, right in front of each goalpost structure, sketch a small circle marking the penalty shot location. Align them evenly with the gap between the goalposts. Make the diameter of the circles large enough to fit a hockey puck inside.
These penalty shot target areas should have the tops tangent to the inner edge of the shooting circles you drew behind them. They indicate the positions from which penalty shots on goal are taken. Contrasting the circle shapes against the straight field lines helps them stand out.
- Add small circles in front of goals for penalty shot spots
- Align evenly with the goalpost gap and top edge of the shooting circle
- Make it big enough to enclose a puck
Step 7: Congratulations! Your hockey field Is Ready.
Congratulations! You’ve completed your illustration of a dynamic hockey field. Take a moment to admire your creation—it’s a testament to your creativity and dedication. If you’d like, you can take your drawing to the next level with some additional steps.
Taking the hockey field to the Next Level
We are done sketching; what’s left is coloring and adding a background to take our drawing to the next level.
Adding a Background
Once the main elements of the hockey rink are sketched out, you can start enhancing your drawing by adding some simple background details. For example, lightly sketch a few curved lines around the edges of the central field to represent the outer skating zone that typically surrounds a hockey-playing surface.
Please don’t make the outer area too busy so it competes with the main rink. You could also add vertical lines and shapes in the background for the boards and walls that usually border a hockey arena. Keep any added elements clean, primary, and secondary to the central field since that is the focus.
A few blurry circles or stick-figure sketches of hockey players can also provide a sense of context. Don’t overcrowd the background, or it will detract from the clarity of your central hockey rink drawing. Frame it effectively to emphasize the main subject.
Applying color to your hockey rink drawing helps it look more lively and finished. Keep the shading basic, using 2-3 tones of blue or grey to portray the ice surface realistically. White can indicate glare from arena lighting. Add some color variation, too, so the playing area doesn’t look flat.
Use reds, blacks, and whites like natural hockey fields for elements like goals and markings. Choose colors that stand out clearly against the muted ice shades. Use an ice blue, slate grey, or vanilla for any background expanse, like walls or audience areas. Don’t over-blend colored pencils or the tones will get muddy. Outline essential contours for definition.
Consider adding details to take your essential hockey arena up a notch. Things like textures such as wood grain on the goals or boards, spotlight glare patterns on the ice, logos in the neutral zones, or pennant flags on the walls will make your drawing more realistic. Just don’t go overboard on embellishments.
To add visual dynamics, you can also depict the rink at an exciting angle rather than the standard straight-on view to sketch some imaginary players wearing team uniforms for added narrative context. Use your creativity to develop the introductory scene into a storytelling piece!
As you can see, illustrating a hockey arena is achievable when you break it down gradually. Starting with the field outline and building up the key markings and features, you can systematically construct an accurate rink depiction. This is a good drawing exercise for proportion, scale, and perspective, and it results in a fun picture with lots of room for creativity.
The finishing touches of coloring, shading, and engaging background elements bring your artwork to life. With a bit of practice, you can use these techniques to immerse viewers right into the action and excitement of hockey!
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