How to Draw a Jet Ski | a Step-by-Step Guide

This engaging tutorial will effectively teach you how to draw a jet ski using eight simplistic steps. The best part? You only need regular drawing materials and techniques to get the job done. Are you ready to get started?

Before we go any further, let’s take a look at what a jet ski is. The standard definition describes a jet ski as a small, high speed watercraft that skims across the surface of water.

Jet skis can comfortably fit up to three people at a time, making it a great recreational tool for families and friends to engage in some fun. Their purpose is rather versatile as they are often used by the Navy and even lifeguards for work-related pursuits, as well.

Learn how to draw this compact watercraft in as little as thirty minutes, and stick around for some bonus tips that will teach you how to enhance the state of your design with background elements and color!

What You Will Need

• A4 sheet of paper
• Pencils (HB, 2h and 3b)
• An eraser
• A ruler (optional)
• Coloring supplies
• 30 minutes

How to Draw a Jet Ski

The best way to ensure a smooth drawing experience is to first gather all of the required drawing materials and scan the outline provided below.

This will ultimately limit the amount of time spent taking breaks and provide you with an insight into what each step entails.

Step 1: Draw the Hull

First things first, launch your drawing process by flipping your paper in a landscape orientation. Angled this way, you will have more room to capture each and every detail on your jet ski.

Also known as the base, the hull is bottommost part of the jet ski that is mostly covered by water when out on the ocean. It’s a structural component that supports the rest of the watercraft, so it’s best to draw this part first.

Start by drawing a thin horizontal rectangle along the bottom half of your page, to represent the upper part of the hull. Add a semi-oval directly beneath the rectangle to resemble the bottom part of the hull.

• Flip your paper in a landscape orientation
• Draw a thin horizontal rectangle on the bottom part of your page
• Draw a semi-oval directly beneath the rectangle

Step 2: Draw the Top Deck

Next up is the top deck. Found directly above the hull, this is the most prominent part of the jet ski because it’s what is visible when the jet ski is on water.

To complete this step, simply draw a semi-oval attached to the top part of the hull. Just like you did in step one, be sure to stretch the oval across the entire length of the horizontal rectangle.

Additionally, make sure the deck’s semi-oval is shaped roundly as opposed to the hull’s semi-oval, which features a sharp curve on the left and a diagonal line on the right.

• Draw a semi-oval attached to the upper part of the hull
• Make sure the semi-oval covers the length of the rectangle
• Make sure the semi-oval is smoothly round

Step 3: Draw the Handlebars

It’s time to add some distinctive features to your watercraft that will improve its realism, starting with the handlebars. Assisting in the steering of the jet ski, handlebars are found at the front of the watercraft.

To complete this step, start by drawing a long diagonal line extending to the right from the upper-left corner of the top deck. Be sure to end the line once it is aligned with the center of the deck.

Then, draw a shorter diagonal line that starts a small distance from the left corner and extends upward and to the right just as the first one does.

Once the second line nearly touches the bottom of the first line, connect the two together by drawing a small vertical line, and voila, you should now have something that looks like this!

• Draw a long diagonal line starting from the upper-left deck corner
• Draw a diagonal line that starts a small distance away from the left corner
• Connect the two diagonal lines with a short vertical line

Step 4: Draw the Handles

Now that the handlebars are complete, let’s add the handles. This step is quite short and easy. All you need to do is draw a small diagonal rectangle that extends from the side of the handlebar, and top it off with a small circle.

The rectangle will represent a base for the handle, and the circle will represent the handle itself. Since the drawing is being done from a side angle, there is not much need for an intricate design. A simple rectangle and circle will do perfectly!

• Draw a small diagonal rectangle extending from the handlebar
• Draw a small circle on the side of the rectangle
• Follow the image below for a guide

Step 5: Draw the Seat

Your drawing is now coming together beautifully, although it still needs a few extra details, wouldn’t you agree? A jet ski would look rather strange without a driver’s seat, so let’s add one on right now.

First, draw a large horizontal rectangle starting at the middle of the top deck and ending close to the rear of the deck. Then, use your eraser to remove the top part of the rectangle and replace it with a curved line instead.

• Draw a horizontal rectangle for the outline of the seat
• Erase the top part of the rectangle
• Replace the top with a curved line instead

Step 6: Draw the Impeller

A boat has a propeller that turns to propel the boat forward. A jet ski, on the other hand, has an impeller. Also referred to as an impellor, the impeller is a rotor that is used to increase pressure in the flow of a fluid.

To complete this step, start by drawing a small vertical rectangle against the bottom-right side of the jet ski. Then, draw a tiny square against the side of the rectangle, and cap it off with a vertical line to represent the impeller.

• Draw a small vertical rectangle against the side of the jet ski
• Draw a tiny square against the side of the rectangle
• Draw a vertical line against the side of the square

Congratulations! Your Jet Ski Drawing is Complete

If you followed along with each step, you should now have a black-and-white jet ski illustration. If, for whatever reason, your drawing does not immediately resemble a jet ski, that is okay.

Use the image below, plus your eraser and pencil to correct and refine any details you’d like. Once you are happy with the end result, be sure to check out the rest of the tutorial to elevate your design.

Taking your Jet Ski Drawing To The Next Level

You may be tempted to take a step back and leave your drawing as it is now, but before you do, consider this: why leave the drawing as it is when you can improve it?

The following additions are easy to execute, however they add a great amount of depth to drawings. Incorporating the use of background elements and color are a guaranteed way to boost the liveliness of your sketch, so why not give it a go?

Step 7: Adding a Background

The best way to make your jet ski drawing stand out is by adding water beneath it. This will add an element of movement to the design, plus a touch of realism, as jet skis are often seen out on water.

Simply draw a large wavy shape beneath the jet ski to resemble a body of water, then add some detailed curves and lines along the bottom sides of the jet ski to resemble crashing waves.

If you want to take things a step further, you can add a whole new perspective to your sketch by including other vessels surrounding your jet ski. Picture a cruise ship, a yacht, or a speedboat off in the distance. That will surely give off the appearance of recreational fun, don’t you agree?

If you’re going for a more serious undertone, you could add a battleship, a pirate ship or the periscope of a submarine peeking out the water surrounding your jet ski. That might give off the impression that your jet ski is on a work adventure.

Step 8: adding color

Set aside your sketching pencils, and grab your coloring kit! It’s time for the fun part of the drawing process, which is adding color to your design.

There is no standard combination of colors that will make your jet ski look more realistic, as jet skis often come in a variety of colors, so you are more than welcome to select your favorite colors for this part.

The only rule of thumb to follow here is to ensure that you use different colors on different components so that each part is highlighted and that it compliments each other quite nicely.

Bonus Tips

You could always incorporate the use of shading alongside the hull to add texture to your jet ski.

Write your name and the date somewhere on your page to create a timestamp and date your progress.

Watch YouTube videos to better understand the perspectives and techniques used when drawing watercrafts.

Conclusion

Drawing a jet ski is not as complicated as most people think. To draw our jet ski, we started by adding the hull, which is the base of the jet ski followed by the top deck, handlebars, seat, and impeller.

We wanted our drawing to stand out so we added a wave beneath our jet ski to show that our jet ski was on the water. We then used our coloring supplies to add color to our image.

At first, you may not get the best results. Do not be frustrated. You only need practice and you will be an impressive artist in no time. We hope you apply what you have learned today as you explore other drawing tutorials! See you next time.

Thanks for reading & feel free to check out more of our articles!