Lana Del Rey has a face that launched a thousand Pinterest boards. Seriously. If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the "art" side of Instagram or TikTok, you have seen a drawing of Lana Del Rey. Usually, it’s a charcoal piece or a soft graphite sketch capturing her in that specific Born to Die era—flower crown, pouty lips, and those heavy, heavy eyelids. But here is the thing: capturing Lana isn’t just about drawing a pretty girl. It is about capturing a vibe that is notoriously difficult to pin down on paper.
Art is hard. Drawing famous people is harder.
Most people fail when they try to sketch her because they focus on the wrong things. They get bogged down in the hair or the vintage jewelry. Honestly? That’s the easy stuff. The real challenge lies in the geometry of her face, which is a weirdly perfect mix of Old Hollywood glamour and modern precision. You’re trying to draw a mood, not just a person. If you miss the "melancholy" in the eyes, you haven’t really drawn Lana; you’ve just drawn a generic model with a 1960s blowout.
The Architecture of a Lana Del Rey Sketch
Why is she the ultimate muse for the "Coquette" aesthetic? It’s the eyes. Lana’s eyes are famously "down-turned." In makeup terms, people call it a "bedroom eyes" look. When you are working on a drawing of Lana Del Rey, your pencil needs to understand that slight droop. It’s what gives her that sleepy, bored-but-glamorous look that has defined her career since 2011.
You can't just draw two ovals. You have to look at the "hooding" of the lids.
If you make the eyes too wide or too "alert," the likeness vanishes instantly. It’s a game of millimeters. Most artists suggest starting with the heavy lash line. Lana is almost never seen without her signature winged eyeliner. That thick, black flick serves as a structural anchor for the rest of her face. It’s the scaffolding. Once you have that angle right, the rest of the face starts to make sense.
The Lips and the "Pout" Factor
Then there are the lips. Oh boy, the lips. Back in the early 2010s, there was so much discourse about her lips—whether they were real, whether they were "bee-stung," whatever. For an artist, none of that matters. What matters is the cupid’s bow. Lana’s upper lip has a very distinct, sharp peak.
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In many fan art pieces, you see people over-shading the bottom lip. Big mistake. To get it right, you actually need to focus on the corners. There’s a slight "upturn" at the very edges of her mouth, even when she’s not smiling. It’s that "Mona Lisa" ambiguity. Is she happy? Is she about to cry? That’s the "Lana-ness" you’re chasing.
Common Mistakes When Drawing Celebrity Portraits
I’ve seen a lot of sketches. Some are incredible. Some... well, some look like a character from The Sims had a rough night.
One of the biggest pitfalls is the nose. Lana has a very delicate, slightly upturned nose. It’s a "button" nose, but it’s refined. If you draw the bridge too wide, you lose the delicacy. Beginners often use too much heavy shading around the nostrils, making the nose look "dirty" or disconnected from the face. Instead, use soft, blended tones. Think about how a 35mm film camera captures light—it’s never harsh. It’s soft, grainy, and ethereal.
Another thing? The hair.
Lana Del Rey's hair is a character in its own right. From the massive "beehive" hair of the National Anthem video to the long, dark, straight locks of Ultraviolence, the hair defines the era. You can’t just draw "hair." You have to draw the volume. If the hair lacks that 60s "lift" at the roots, the drawing feels flat. It lacks the theatricality that her brand is built on.
Why Artists Are Still Obsessed With Her in 2026
Even now, years after she first hit the scene, the "Lana Del Rey drawing" is a rite of passage for portrait artists. Why? Because her face is a masterclass in lighting.
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Take a look at the cover of Honeymoon. The way the sunlight hits her face while she sits in that Starline Tours bus—it’s a dream for anyone who likes drawing "rim lighting." Or the Norman Fucking Rockwell! cover, where she’s reaching out to the viewer. These aren't just photos; they are compositions. They use classic art principles like the Golden Ratio and high-contrast "chiaroscuro."
- Chiaroscuro: Using strong contrasts between light and dark to give a sense of three-dimensional volume.
- Atmospheric Perspective: Making the background slightly blurred to push the subject forward.
- The Gaze: Lana rarely looks directly into the camera in a "mugshot" style; it’s usually an angled, "over-the-shoulder" look.
When you’re staring at a blank piece of paper, Lana offers a lot of "hooks" for an artist to grab onto. You’ve got the vintage accessories—the heart-shaped sunglasses, the gold chains, the roses. You’ve got the textures—the lace of a dress, the matte finish of her skin, the gloss on her lips. It's a playground for pencil work.
Tools of the Trade: What Actually Works?
You don't need a $200 set of pencils. But you do need the right kind of pencils.
If you’re going for a realistic drawing of Lana Del Rey, grab a 2B for the initial sketch. It’s light enough to erase but dark enough to see. For the deep, dark shadows in her hair or that eyeliner, you’ll want a 6B or even an 8B. If you’re a digital artist using Procreate, use the "Technical Pencil" for the outlines and a "Soft Airbrush" for the skin.
Pro-tip: Don't use a blending stump for her skin. It often makes the drawing look muddy. Use a clean tissue or even a cotton swab for a smoother, more "vintage film" texture.
A Note on References
Never use just one photo. If you want a drawing that feels "alive," look at three or four photos of her from the same era. Look at her from the side. Look at her from the front. This helps you understand the structure of her skull. It sounds morbid, but you’re drawing a 3D object on a 2D surface. You need to know where the cheekbones sit in relation to the ears.
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Lana has high, prominent cheekbones. If you don't define that area with a bit of "highlight" (using a kneaded eraser), her face will look too round.
The Cultural Impact of Lana Fan Art
It’s weirdly wholesome, in a moody way. The Lana Del Rey fanbase—the "Lanatics"—treat fan art like a holy relic. There are entire Tumblr archives dedicated to nothing but charcoal drawings of her. It’s a way for fans to connect with her "Americana" mythology.
When you draw her, you aren't just drawing Elizabeth Grant (her real name). You are drawing a persona. You are drawing "the girl who lives in a trailer park but wears diamonds." You’re drawing the "sad girl at the garden party." The art becomes part of the music's narrative.
Actionable Steps for Your First (or Next) Portrait
If you’re sitting there with a pencil in your hand, don’t just dive into the eyes. Follow a logical path to avoid the "weird face" syndrome.
- The Loomis Method: Start with a circle. Divide it. Find the brow line. Lana’s face is slightly oval-shaped, so don't make the jaw too square.
- Mapping the Features: Use light lines to mark where the bottom of the nose and the middle of the lips will go. Remember the "one-eye width" rule: there should be exactly one eye’s width between her two eyes.
- The "Lana" Tilt: She almost always tilts her head slightly down or to the side. This is her "signature" pose. It creates a more dramatic shadow under the chin.
- Value over Detail: Stop worrying about individual eyelashes. Look at the big shapes of shadow. If you get the shadows right, the brain will fill in the details for you.
- The Finish: Use a white gel pen for the "pop" in the eyes and the "glint" on the lip gloss. This is the secret weapon of every professional portrait artist.
Getting a drawing of Lana Del Rey to actually look like her is a journey. You will probably mess up the first three times. Her face is subtle. It’s about the spaces between the features as much as the features themselves. But once you hit that "sweet spot"—that specific blend of 1960s glam and modern-day heartbreak—it’s incredibly satisfying.
Keep your lines soft. Keep your shadows deep. And honestly, listen to Born to Die while you do it. It helps with the vibes.
Your Expert Checklist for Drawing Success
- Avoid the "Flat Face": Use a kneaded eraser to lift graphite from the bridge of the nose and the top of the cheekbones for a 3D effect.
- The Hair is Not One Block: Draw the hair in "clumps" or sections, following the direction of growth, rather than drawing thousands of tiny individual lines.
- Check Your Proportions: Turn your drawing upside down. It’s an old trick, but it works. If something is "off" (like one eye being higher than the other), it will jump out at you immediately when the image is flipped.
- Paper Choice: Use a paper with a slight "tooth" (texture). If the paper is too smooth (like printer paper), the graphite will just smudge and won't layer properly. Look for Bristol Board or a dedicated sketchpad.
The goal isn't perfection; it's capturing the "Lana" essence. If someone looks at your sketch and immediately hears a melancholic cello riff in their head, you’ve succeeded.