Easy How to Draw the US Capitol Tutorial and US Capitol Coloring Page

The US Capitol building drawing is quite a study of symmetry. This tutorial has some simplification to help older students see all those lovely details.

Capitol Building Drawing

The Capital Building is one of the most iconic pieces of architecture in American history. It has housed the meeting chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate for two centuries. I've made a tutorial that includes graph paper to help students align all of its beautiful features.

Fully opened in 1800, the Capital Building also houses some art reflecting great moments in early American history. The rotunda within the building hosts many paintings and sculptures. The top of the dome itself has a beautiful mural with George Washington himself looking down upon visitors.

Use the Button below to download a PDF Tutorial

Capitol Building Coloring Page

Materials for Capitol Building Drawing

  • Pencil. The Ticonderoga brand are the most reliable, make nice dark lines when you need them, and are the easiest to erase. Buying the pre-sharpened ones will save busy teachers a lot of time.
  • Eraser. Large ones you can hold in your hand do a much better job than just the pencil tip erasers, especially when erasing leftover pencil lines after tracing.
  • Black Sharpie Marker. These fine point permanent marker pens make nice black outlines, have a good tip for coloring, and never bleed when they get wet. Use them with good ventilation and add extra paper underneath to protect your tables.
  • Prang Crayons. These are a bit softer than other crayons so they sometimes look like oil pastels. They also have a some nice brown shades that Crayola does not have unless you buy their larger boxes.
  • Crayola Crayons. The reliable brand that always works well. The 24 pack has some of my favorite golden orange and yellow colors that seem a bit richer and warmer than the ones Prang has.

Directions for Capitol Building Drawing Step by Step

Time needed:1 hour.

How to Draw the US Capitol

  1. Print grid paper and find center lines. Draw center steps.

  2. Add side arched walls.

  3. Add layer of pillars and columns.

  4. Draw outermost wings of building.

  5. Add center triangle and lower roof.

  6. Draw the upper roof and rotunda.

  7. Add middle layer of rotunda.

  8. Finish top rotunda. Add landscaping.

  9. Trace with a marker and color.