Getting Maleficent right is honestly harder than it looks. Most people see the horns and the green skin and think they've nailed it, but they usually end up with a generic cartoon witch that lacks that specific, cold elegance Disney’s legendary animator Marc Davis poured into her back in 1959. She isn't just a villain. She’s "the mistress of all evil," and if your lines are too soft or your proportions are too human, you lose the magic.
To really understand how to draw Maleficent, you have to look at the geometry of her design. It’s all about sharp angles and verticality. Davis famously drew inspiration from medieval religious art and the sleek, predatory look of a giant bat. If you aren't thinking about Gothic cathedrals while you're sketching her, you're probably doing it wrong.
The Bone Structure of Evil
Start with the head. It's not a circle.
If you start with a perfect circle, you're going to struggle to fit that legendary chin. Instead, think of an upside-down egg, but one that’s been slightly squashed on the sides. Her face is incredibly narrow. The cheekbones are the most important part of her structural anatomy—they need to be high, sharp, and almost skeletal. Think of Angelina Jolie’s prosthetic makeup in the live-action films, but even more exaggerated.
The eyes are slanted. They aren't round. They are almond-shaped and tilted upward toward the temples. This gives her that predatory, calculating look. When you're sketching the pupils, keep them small. Large pupils make a character look sympathetic or scared. Maleficent is neither. She’s in total control.
Nailing the Horns
The horns are her crown. They aren't just sitting on top of her head; they are an extension of her skull.
- Draw two flowing, "S" curved lines starting from the top corners of the forehead.
- The horns should curve outward first, then sweep back inward toward each other at the tips.
- Use horizontal ridges to show texture. These aren't smooth like a cow's horn. They have a leather-wrapped or ribbed feel to them.
Focus on the weight. If the horns look too light, she loses her presence. They should feel heavy, like they'd be hard for a mortal to carry. But she carries them with grace.
The Silhouette and the "Bat" Aesthetic
When you're learning how to draw Maleficent, the body is where most artists fail. They draw a standard dress. That's a mistake. Her outfit is a series of drapes designed to mimic the wings of a bat.
Marc Davis was obsessed with the way she moved. He didn't want her to walk; he wanted her to glide. This means her robes shouldn't have a lot of bunching at the feet. They should flow straight down like a column, flaring out slightly at the base. The sleeves are the real trick. They are massive and scalloped at the edges. When she raises her arms, she should look like a giant black bird of prey about to take flight.
The Collar of Power
That high, jagged collar is her most iconic feature besides the horns. It frames her face and cuts off the neck, making her head look like it's floating in a pool of darkness.
Keep the edges sharp. If they look floppy, she looks like she's wearing a cheap Halloween costume. These are starched, rigid points. Use long, confident strokes here. If your hand shakes, the collar will look weak.
Coloring the Darkness
Coloring Maleficent is a lesson in limited palettes. You really only have four main colors to work with: black, purple, lavender, and that eerie, sickly lime green.
The green is the most important part of the face. It isn't a healthy "forest" green. It’s a "dragon-fire" green. It should have a slightly yellowish undertone. In the 1959 Sleeping Beauty, the background artists used a lot of muted, desaturated tones so that Maleficent’s vibrant green skin and purple robes would pop against the dark castle walls.
Why the Staff Matters
Don't forget the staff. It’s her conduit for power.
The glowing orb at the top is usually a pale yellow or bright green. It's the only source of light in many of her scenes. When you're shading her, try to imagine the light coming from the staff. This creates dramatic "under-lighting" on her face, which makes the shadows in her eye sockets and under her cheekbones look even deeper. It’s a classic cinema trick called "monster lighting," and it works perfectly here.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Most beginners make her too "pretty" in a conventional sense.
Maleficent is beautiful, sure, but it’s a terrifying, cold beauty. Avoid round noses. Avoid thick, bushy eyebrows. Her eyebrows should be thin, high-arched lines that disappear into her headpiece.
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Another huge mistake is the posture. Maleficent never slouches. She is the embodiment of pride. Her spine is a steel rod. Even when she's leaning on her staff, her shoulders stay back and down. If you draw her with a curve in her upper back, you've turned the Mistress of Evil into a common hag. Don't do that.
The Dragon Transition
If you're feeling ambitious and want to draw her dragon form, remember that the dragon is Maleficent. It’s not a separate beast.
The dragon should keep the same color scheme—black scales with a purple underbelly. The eyes should remain that same haunting yellow-green. The most important thing is to keep the neck long and elegant, mirroring the long neck of her human form.
Technical Tips for Digital Artists
If you're working in Procreate or Photoshop, use a hard-edge brush for your line work. This isn't a character for soft, painterly blends—at least not in the line stage. You want those "cut-glass" edges.
Use a "Multiply" layer for the shadows in the folds of her robes. Since her clothes are mostly black, you can't just use "blacker" black for shadows. Use a deep, dark indigo or a very cold violet. This gives the black fabric depth and prevents it from looking like a flat blob on the screen.
- Sketch the basic "egg" shape for the head and the "S" curves for the horns.
- Map out the high cheekbones and the slanted almond eyes.
- Draw the heavy, sweeping sleeves of the robe, making sure they look like bat wings.
- Add the staff, ensuring the orb is the focal point of your light source.
- Apply the sickly green skin tone and deep purple accents.
Actionable Next Steps
To truly master how to draw Maleficent, you need to practice the "gliding" posture. Spend some time sketching just her silhouette. If you can't tell it's her just from a solid black shape, your proportions are off.
Focus on the "V" shapes. Her collar is a V. Her hairline is a V. Her chin is a V. Even the way her robes hang creates an inverted V. This repetition of sharp, downward-pointing angles is what creates that subconscious feeling of danger and "heaviness" in the viewer.
Once you have the silhouette down, move on to the eyes. Practice drawing just the eyes and eyebrows until you can convey "disdain" with just three or four lines. That look of bored superiority is Maleficent’s trademark. Master the expression, and the rest of the drawing will fall into place.
Study the original 1959 concept art by Marc Davis. You can find high-resolution scans in the Disney Archives or various "Art of" books. Seeing his original pencil tests will show you how much he relied on "squash and stretch" even for a character as rigid as Maleficent.
The final step is to experiment with her environment. Draw her surrounded by her goons or with her raven, Diablo, perched on her shoulder. The interaction between her sharp angles and the organic, chaotic shapes of the crow's feathers provides a great visual contrast. Keep your lines confident, your colors cold, and your angles sharp.