Easy Up House Drawing Step By Step [Detailed Tutorial How To Draw The Up House]

Alexia Young 02/09/2023

4 4 minutes read

Did you get emotional while watching the movie Up? I certainly did! It’s a beautiful story that has become a beloved classic since Pixar and Disney released it in 2009. Drawing the Up House with its iconic balloons has become a popular choice for both kids and adults alike. Today, I’ll show you an easy step-by-step tutorial on how to draw the Up House.

Table of Contents

Easy Up House Drawing Tutorial

To begin, gather some paper, a pencil or black marker for outlines, an eraser, and markers or paint for coloring. Here’s our reference image:

Reference image of the Up House

My Tools:

Derwent pastel pencils (12-color pack, which was more than enough)
Regular print paper
Pencil and eraser for sketching

Let’s dive into the step-by-step process of creating a simple and cute Up House drawing:

Step 1 – Draw the Outline of the Roof

Start by drawing two cones.
Then, draw a horizontal line to mark the roof.
Add frames to the “cones.”
Draw the whole roof shape without closing it under the big cone.
Next, draw the shape of the balcony. It resembles a skirt with a bottom part.
Sketch a square that will serve as the small balcony wall.
Add a small window to the wall. Note that the vertical frames at the bottom are slightly longer than a regular window.
Repeat the process and add a larger window to the other side of the balcony.
Don’t forget the chimney! Draw a long rectangle and a cap on top. Erase the roof line in the middle and add a few bricks to make the chimney look cuter.

Step 2 – Sketch the House

The shape of the house is a combination of a square and a rectangle.
If you’re drawing the house on the edge of the paper, leave some space at the bottom of the first floor for steps.
If you want to draw a flying Up house, make the shape more rectangular and slightly tilt the house to the right or left. But for now, let’s focus on a stationary house.
Mark the space for the steps and the foundation of the house.
Start drawing the porch on the left side. Add two columns and railings at the top and bottom.
Add details to the top of the porch. Also, include a window on that side.
On the other side, draw a large bay with windows. Draw two vertical lines from the big cone down to the foundation.
To divide the bay, add two more vertical lines.
Sketch the bay windows. The first window should be straight, while the other two should have a slight angle to create depth.
Adjust the foundation of the bay accordingly.

Step 3 – Adding Texture and Details to the Up House Sketch

The house is made of roof tiles and wooden planks. Let’s add some texture to make the drawing resemble the house from the cartoon.
Start by adding wooden planks around the walls of the house.
Give the balconies different textures to distinguish them.
The smaller balconies should have the same wooden plank texture as the walls.
For the roof, create a tile pattern in specific areas to avoid making it appear too heavy.
Make all the walls appear wooden.
Add details to the foundation of the bay.

Step 4 – Draw the Balloons

Start by drawing a few big balloons randomly, making sure to connect them to the chimney with lines.
Draw additional balloons, creating different levels.

Step 6* – Draw the Fence (Optional!)

Adding a fence around your house is an optional step, especially if you’re drawing a stationary house that hasn’t taken off yet!
You can skip this step if you prefer.
Feel free to get creative and add trees, Carl himself, or even clouds and birds if you’re drawing a flying Up house.

Step 7 – Coloring

Now comes the fun part – coloring! You can use any colors you like, whether it’s paint pens, acrylic paint, colored pencils, or crayons. Personally, I used Derwent pastel pencils, which offer several advantages:

Lightly pressing the pencil creates lighter colors.
Pressing harder produces denser and brighter colors.
You can smudge the colors with a piece of paper towel or your finger.
Layering white or darker pencils over the colored areas creates shades and highlights.

Here are the colors I used to match the original Up house with balloons from the movie:

House:

Light green
Yellow
Violet
Light orange
Beige
Brown
Light blue
Dark purple (roof)
Dark red (chimney)

Balloons:

Light blue
Blue
Yellow
Orange
Pink
Light green
Purple
Red
Emerald green (similar color)

Remember, you can be creative with your color choices. There are no hard and fast rules!

Colored Up House drawing

When working with pastel pencils, it’s best to start coloring from the top (in this case, from the balloons) to avoid smudging. If you’re starting from the bottom, place a piece of paper under your hand and arm to prevent any mess.

As you color, feel free to experiment with different techniques and tricks. For example, when coloring the door, I lightly colored it red and then pressed harder to create square shapes for a cooler effect. And to add depth to the windows, I created a vignette around them and smudged the center with my finger, rather than using flat black.

Once you’ve colored all the balloons, consider how the colors complement each other. For instance, orange and blue, or green and blue.

If you want to add a fence to your drawing, but lack a suitable grey-white color, try layering a white pencil over yellow ochre and brown. This creates a pleasant pastel hue.

You can add white to the windows as well to make them stand out.

And we’re done! Celebrate your masterpiece!

Final Up House drawing

To Sum Up

Drawing and coloring the Up House can be a fantastic activity for kids’ parties or a therapeutic art therapy session for adults. I hope you found these tips helpful in creating your own version of the Up House. I would be thrilled to see your drawings and paintings!

Share your artwork with your family and friends, and perhaps even host a small exhibition. For teachers, this can be a great idea for an art class too.

If you’re looking for more painting ideas, check out these articles: