Ireland looks like it should be easy — a soft green potato in the Atlantic — and it mostly is, right up until you meet the west coast. That edge is chewed to pieces by bays and peninsulas, and drawing it smooth is the classic tell.
The shape at a glance
Ireland is a rounded, slightly squashed oval, a bit taller than wide, standing alone in the Atlantic west of Britain. The east coast facing England is comparatively tame, while the west coast facing the open ocean is dramatically indented with bays like Galway and the Kerry peninsulas. The northeast corner has the notch of Northern Ireland, which is not part of the Republic.
Step by step
- Block out a soft vertical oval, slightly taller than wide, floating west of Britain.
- Keep the east coast fairly smooth — the tame side facing the Irish Sea.
- Rough up the entire west coast with deep bites: the big bays of the Atlantic edge.
- Push out the Kerry peninsulas in the southwest as two or three parallel fingers reaching into the ocean.
- Cut the northeast notch where Northern Ireland separates — an inward angle at the top-right.
- Round off the south coast from Cork to Waterford with gentle bumps.
Mistakes that cost you points
- Drawing Ireland as a smooth potato and losing the famously ragged Atlantic west coast.
- Including Northern Ireland, which belongs to the UK, in the Republic's outline.
- Forgetting the Kerry peninsulas, the southwest fingers that are Ireland's most recognizable feature.
- Placing it too close to Britain — the Irish Sea is a real gap, not a ditch.
Place it on the map
Ireland sits alone in the Atlantic directly west of Great Britain, separated by the Irish Sea. If Britain is placed, Ireland is the smaller island to its left, with nothing but ocean beyond.
Pro tip: Contrast is the trick: keep the east smooth and spend your wobble budget entirely on the west. That asymmetry — tame Irish Sea side, savage Atlantic side — is what makes a drawn Ireland read as Ireland, and the IoU rewards the honest bites.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you draw Ireland from memory?
- Start with the overall box — is Ireland wider than tall or the reverse — then place its signature feature first and build the rest of the outline around it. Finish with the coastline details, then compare against the real border in a free practice round to get a 0-100 score.
- How hard is it to draw Ireland?
- Ireland rates as medium difficulty. The overall blob is forgiving, but the wild, deeply indented west coast and the Northern Ireland notch keep it from being free points.