Houseboat drawing, step by step

What a Kerala houseboat looks like, for drawing

Before you draw, look at the shape. The hull is long and narrow, curving up at the front and back like a slice of melon. The roof sits on top and is rounded, made of bamboo and palm leaf mats woven together, so it has a criss cross texture. At the front is an open deck with a few chairs. Windows run along the side under the roof. Behind, there are coconut palms and calm water.

If you want a real reference, see the side view on our houseboat pictures page.

How to draw a houseboat, step by step

1. Draw the water line. Lightly draw a straight horizontal line across the lower third of the page.
2. Draw the hull. Above that line, draw a long, shallow curve that rises at both ends, like a wide smile. Close it at the top with a straighter line. Make it about four times as long as it is tall.
3. Add the deck. On the top edge of the hull, draw a thin flat strip running along its length.
4. Draw the roof. Over the back two thirds of the hull, draw a long half oval. Leave the front third open for the deck.
5. Add the windows. Under the roof, draw four or five small rectangles in a row.
6. Add the woven pattern. Inside the roof, draw diagonal lines one way, then the other, to make small diamonds.
7. Add hull planks. Draw two or three long curved lines along the hull to show the wooden planks.
8. Add the front deck. Draw a simple railing and one or two chairs.
9. Add the background. Sketch a low bank behind with two or three coconut palms.
10. Finish the water. Draw short wavy lines and a soft reflection under the boat. Erase guide lines and darken the final outline with a 2B pencil.

Houseboat drawing easy version for kids

For children in class 1 to 4, keep it to big, simple shapes:

1. Draw a long banana shape for the boat.
2. Draw a big upside down U on top of it for the roof.
3. Draw three square windows under the roof.
4. Draw wavy lines under the boat for water.
5. Draw one tall palm tree beside it: a line for the trunk and a few long leaves at the top.
6. Draw a round sun in the sky.

Colouring and houseboat painting tips

For a houseboat painting in watercolour, paint the sky and water first in light washes, let them dry, then paint the boat and palms on top.

Drawing a Kashmir houseboat instead

A Kashmir houseboat is shaped differently. Draw a long, flat rectangle for the hull, a flat or gently sloping roof, and a carved veranda at the front with a lattice railing. Add a small shikara in front, with a canopy and a heart shaped paddle, and mountains in the background. The Srinagar page describes these boats if you want more detail.

Making a model of a houseboat from cardboard

1. Cut a long boat shape from thick cardboard for the base and two curved strips for the sides.
2. Glue the sides to the base and paint them brown.
3. Bend a strip of thin card into a half tube for the roof.
4. Cover the roof with strips of jute, raffia or brown paper woven in a criss cross.
5. Cut small windows in the sides and add a toothpick railing at the front.
6. Stand the boat on a blue painted board with paper palm trees around it.

Label the parts (hull, roof, deck, windows) for a school project, and add one line explaining that real Kerala houseboats came from old rice barges called kettuvallam. The kettuvallam page has more on that history.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Need words to go with your picture? Try 10 lines on houseboat or what is a houseboat.