Joy is the lively and cheerful emotion from Pixar’s beloved film Inside Out. Known for her vibrant personality, she radiates positivity and excitement in every scene. With her signature bright yellow dress, sparkling blue hair, and infectious smile, Joy spreads happiness wherever she goes.
Whether you’re just starting your artistic journey or looking to recreate your favorite character, learn how to draw joy from inside out in simple steps. Let’s start by bringing this delightful character to life.
Art Materials & Equipment
- Drawing Paper
- Colors of Your Choices
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Sharpener
- Marker
- Pen (Optional)
- Ruler (Optional)
Steps to Draw Joy From Inside Out
Here’s a quick preview of today’s tutorial. Joy from Inside Out can be used on different cheerful greeting cards or fun artwork for kids. So, we’ve created this easy guide for you, making it a fun and simple drawing activity for children too.
Step 1: Draw the Head Shape
Start with a half-circle for the head and leave a small gap on the left side. This will be where her hair will be created.
Step 2: Add the Hair Outline
Draw spiky hair coming out from the top of her head from the left, where we left a certain shape earlier. Make it playful, a zigzag-like shape, and natural.
Step 3: Design the Shape of Hair
This step will help us complete the shape of the character’s hair. Start by drawing a line that curves upward and to the left—this will form the foundation for her flowing, spiky hair. Now, draw two curved lines going down from the head to represent her neck
Step 4: Finish Sketching the Hair
Using the line you drew on the left as a guide, complete the hair by adding a zigzag pattern on the right side to capture Joy’s spiky look. Then, connect this zigzag line back toward the right side of her hairline to complete the full hair shape.
Step 5: Draw the Arms
From the shape of the neck, sketch the outline of the arms bent at the elbows, with her classic pose.
Step 6: Design the Arms
Following the arm outlines you’ve drawn, shape them with smooth, natural curves to give them a lifelike appearance. Then, carefully add lines at the ends of each arm to define the hands and fingers, keeping them simple yet expressive to match Joy’s playful personality.
Step 7: Sketch the Dress
Draw a simple line dress that begins just below her arms. Make sure the dress gently flares out toward the bottom. Connect it to her hands to match her confident, hands-on pose.
Step 8: Add Details to the Dress
Draw a curved line at the waist to separate the top and skirt. Then, add a simple neckline design, like a rounded collar or trim. Keep it clean to make the design visible.
Step 9: Draw the Left Leg
Sketch two parallel lines downward from the dress – keep them straight but with a slight curve to show a natural posture. Keep the lines pointed at the bottom to form a soft point for Joy’s foot.
Step 10: Sketch the Right Leg
Following the same step above, draw the right leg straight but move outward to the right side to give a natural flow.
Step 11: Add Facial Details
Add her big, expressive eyes, small nose, and joyful smile. Sketch two large oval shapes for the eyes. Darken the lower half of each oval with your pencil or marker, leaving a white highlight at the top to make them sparkle with joy. Just below the eyes, add a small upward-curving line for her cute nose. Draw a wide, cheerful smile slightly to the side.
Step 12: Add Flowers to the Dress
Add 3-4 small flowers to Joy’s skirt. Draw simple circles first, then add 5-6 curved petals around each circle. Space them randomly on the dress.
Step 13: Complete with Details on the Dress
Following the same step above, sketch the small flowers on the top side of the dress. Sketch two or three flowers placed randomly. If you are ever confused about the guide, you can simply follow the picture we have provided to make your drawing easy and fun.
This will finally complete our drawing process. If you have completed it, look at the reference image and compare. Erase any extra lines to make it clean to move on to the coloring process. We have also added a coloring process to fully enjoy drawing Joy.
Coloring Joy From Inside Out
We have used basic colors for the joy; if you are interested, you can add the color of your own choice. You can start by coloring the hair with a bright blue color. We have used yellow color to paint her dress. For the skin, we have used a light cream color to give her a natural look. These cheerful colors capture her joyful personality perfectly.
Color Details:
- Blue
- Yellow
- Cream
Finally, after coloring, we have our Joy ready. Pencil colors have been used for the coloring process; you can use watercolor or Carron to make it more playful. But we recommend you use pencil color for clear sketching. If you want to give the character a bold look, sketch the outline with the black marker and give it a dynamic look.
Your Artwork Is All Ready
Great Job! We hope you have a blast sketching a bright smile and even more fun coloring Joy from the inside out. This cheerful tutorial is perfect for kids, and both parents and teachers can guide them through each fun step.
Share this tutorial with friends and family. Comment below if you enjoyed this tutorial or if you have any questions about drawing Joy. Happy drawing!
