Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving!
As December approaches, I wanted to take a moment to blog about my Nutcracker series, because so many people have expressed their love for these themed drawings.
To be honest, when I came up with the idea for nutcracker drawings, I wondered if anyone would be interested in them…because I don’t know the general consensus on nutcrackers. Are they classic? Nostalgic? Creepy? However, the response I’ve had on the nutcrackers makes me so happy to have made this Christmas series, so I hope you’ll enjoy reading about them and seeing more process photos.
The Idea
My family has never really collected nutcrackers, but a few years ago my mom found the most amazing themed nutcrackers that we use every year. One is a Baker, one is a Winter King (think Jack Frost), and one is a Circus Master with a lion at this feet (that’s my personal favorite!)
Back in September when I was deciding what to do about Christmas card designs, I thought about the Circus Master and how cool it would be to create my own themed nutcrackers. (Eventually, I would love to have some of my designs produced in the form of a real nutcracker…but that’s another story!)
I came up with 5 different themes. After brainstorming the different elements of each, I decided that 2 of them might not lend themselves well to pen and ink as their “look” was more about the color of their accessories. The three themes I chose to complete were Woodland, Gingerbread, and Ghost of Christmas Present. Below is a page from my sketchbook where I was brainstorming different ideas.
My goal with each nutcracker was for each one to have 1) an amazing, over-the-top hat, and 2) a base that reflected the theme. (Really, I was most excited about the hats!)

A quick overview
Before I get into each nutcracker, here’s a little overview into how I created these nutcrackers from a process point of view:
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To get the “correct” proportions for the nutcrackers, I found images of nutcrackers that I liked and loaded them into Adobe Illustrator. Then, I increased the image size to how large I wanted the drawing to be and measured out the different sections of his body (e.g. the top of the head to the teeth might have been 3 inches, and the base height might have been 2 inches.) This allowed me to easily map out their proportions onto my own sketches…and I didn’t have to worry about how long his legs or his arms should be.
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I used the basic shape and style of the Woodland Nutcracker to create the other nutcrackers by tracing the drawing and then altering details in my sketches.
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The complete process from initial sketch to final drawing went something like: 1) sloppy sketch to get a feel for the nutcracker, 2) 2-4 more sketches to figure out all the details, 3) one final, “clean” sketch that I can use as a tracing guide for the final drawing, 4) trace the nutcracker onto a nice sheet of paper, 5) pen drawing. This is how most of my drawings go…and personally, my least favorite part of a drawing is getting to the “clean sketch” phase. It takes me a while to get to a clear picture of what I want.
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Also, you should know that I didn’t plan to have plants wrapping up the sides of each nutcracker. During my sketches, I felt like something else was needed to frame and fill out the compositions…hence the addition of the leaves.
The Woodland Nutcracker
I began with the Woodland Nutcracker, because it was the clearest theme in my mind and I had a good idea of what I wanted his details to be: a nest on his head with mountains and waterfalls; a skirt made of pine cones; mushrooms at his feet; fur-lined clothing; and a base with wilderness imagery. Below you can see the progression of my sketches, other progress photos, and the final drawing.
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The Gingerbread Nutcracker
Next up was the Gingerbread Nutcracker. My main ideas for this one included a decked out gingerbread house on his head, a tiered base featuring gumdrops and hard candies, and lots of icing!
I was conflicted about adding the leaves to this one, because plants don’t really have anything to do with gingerbread. However, when I tested out other ideas, such as tinsel, I felt that it made the drawing look sloppy. So, I opted for mistletoe leaves, because they have a whimsical shape, and I think mistletoe has “sweet” connotations, even if that sweetness has nothing to do with food.
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The Ghost of Christmas Present Nutcracker
The last nutcracker is based on the Ghost of Christmas Present from A Christmas Carol. Ya know, the big old jolly giant with the velvet robe who eats all the food? (Side note: A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite things…but the earlier movie adaptations are the best. The older actors play Scrooge much more like a true curmudgeon and it’s wonderful. Anywho…)
The nice thing about this last nutcracker is even if you didn’t know or like A Christmas Carol, an alternative name for this nutcracker could be something like the “Christmas Eve” or “Christmas Night” nutcracker, due to his specific characteristics: the burning fireplace stand with stockings ready for Santa, a Christmas feast on top of his head (complete with wine, grapes, and an entire ham), and the abounding holly that’s always a welcome sight in the middle of winter.
His hat went through many iterations. I couldn’t decide what the focus should be or how all the food should fit together. You can see me working it out in several places on my sketches.
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So, there you have it. Three nutcrackers for Christmas. I think my favorite is the Ghost of Christmas Present, but I love all three of them. Eventually, I’d like to hang all three together on my wall, even though they’re Christmas themed. They’re too much fun to only see once a year.
I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for reading! -Mackenzie