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How to Draw Fire (Easy Campfire Step-by-Step for Kids)

To draw fire, start with two crossed logs. Draw a big flame with wavy tips above them, then a smaller flame and a small center flame inside it. Finish with wood rings and a ring of stones.

Finished campfire with red, orange and yellow flames over brown logs with tan ends, in a ring of gray stones
The finished campfire
Steps
6 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Red, orange, yellow, brown, tan and gray crayons

Updated

Teaching this to a class?

Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.

How to draw a campfire step by step

  1. Two logs crossed in an X, each with a round end

    Step 1 of 6: Draw two logs crossed in an X shape, each with a round end.

  2. A big flame with a tall middle tip and wavy side tips rising from behind the logs

    Step 2 of 6: Add a big flame with a tall middle tip and wavy side tips, rising from behind the logs.

  3. A smaller flame with wavy tips inside the big flame

    Step 3 of 6: Draw a smaller flame with wavy tips inside the big one.

  4. A small center flame inside the smaller flame

    Step 4 of 6: Add a small center flame inside the smaller flame.

  5. The logs redrawn shorter with wood rings on all four ends and bark lines, and eight stones in front hiding the log bottoms

    Step 5 of 6: Erase the old log ends. Redraw shorter logs with wood rings, add 8 stones, and erase lines they hide.

  6. The campfire colored with a red outer flame, orange middle flame, yellow center flame, brown logs with tan ends and gray stones

    Step 6 of 6: Color the flames red, orange and yellow from outside in, logs brown, log ends tan and stones gray.

Tips for little artists

  • Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.

  • Tip: Make each flame the same shape as the one around it, just smaller.

  • Tip: Draw the flame tips as soft waves that point up, not sharp zigzags.

Make it yours

  • Marshmallow roast

    Draw a long stick over the fire with a marshmallow on the end.

  • Night campfire

    Color the paper around the fire dark blue and add a moon and stars.

  • Candle flame

    Draw only the three flames on top of a tall candle instead of logs.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • The flames look flat

    Make the middle tip of the big flame the tallest, with shorter tips on the sides.

  • The inner flames touch the outline

    Leave a band of space between each flame and the one around it.

  • The colors are mixed up

    Color red on the outside, orange in the middle and yellow in the center.

Fun facts about the campfire

  • Fire needs three things to burn: heat, fuel and oxygen. Together they make up the fire triangle. (Source: National Park Service)

  • At least 16 percent oxygen must be in the air for a fire to start. The air we breathe has 21 percent oxygen. (Source: National Park Service)

  • Dead trees, leaves and grasses have far less water in them than living ones. Dead plants usually burn sooner and hotter than live ones. (Source: National Park Service)

Questions grown-ups ask

How to make easy fire drawing?

Draw a big flame with wavy tips, then a smaller flame inside it and a small one in the center. Color them red, orange and yellow from the outside in.

How to draw a fire for kids?

Start with two crossed logs, then the three flames, then wood rings on the log ends and a ring of stones. Color everything last.

How to draw a perfect flame?

Give the flame one tall middle tip and shorter wavy tips on each side. Draw the inner flames with the same shape, just smaller.

If your flames came out extra wavy, that's fine. Your campfire looks warm and bright. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 6

Two logs crossed in an X, each with a round end
Draw two logs crossed in an X shape, each with a round end.