A collection of moving graduation illustrations that will bring tears to your eyes. Memorable ideas.
Graduation ceremonies are special moments where feelings of gratitude, farewell, and a new beginning all intersect, aren’t they? Many people are surely looking for moving illustrations that can add color to such important scenes.
Hand-drawn graduation illustrations, with a warm touch that can bring tears to your eyes, come in a variety of expressive styles.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of illustration ideas that deepen the emotion of graduation.
You’re sure to find ideas that help convey your feelings in graduation albums, group messages, message cards, and more!
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A tear-jerkingly moving collection of graduation illustrations. Unforgettable ideas (1–10)
classmate
Don’t you think graduation illustrations that let you relive your school life when you look back later are wonderful? What I recommend is a graduation illustration featuring your classmates.
Since there are many people, make sure to plan carefully who goes where before you start drawing.
Also, instead of simply drawing realistic portraits, stylizing them in an anime style or chibi (two-heads-tall) style will give it a cute feel.
And as a way to make memories, it could be fun for everyone to draw portraits of their friends.
A snapshot from a school trip
A graduation anthology is a very special work that brings together hopes for the future and memories up to now.
The cover, which is the face of the anthology, is an important page that creates the first impression when you hold it in your hands.
By featuring the most memorable scene from your student life on the cover, memories of those days will come rushing back the moment you see it, and words of gratitude will naturally well up.
If you want to create a soft atmosphere, we recommend using watercolors.
Try drawing while keeping the balance between the cover text and the illustrations in mind.
smartphone
Many families spend time looking through videos and photos they’ve taken with their children.
It’s no exaggeration to say that smartphones are invaluable for recording growth and memories.
Some families even share their child’s big moments on social media.
How about drawing illustrations styled to look like social media posts—like Instagram or TikTok? Your graduating friends will surely get excited seeing the illustrations.
Smartphone-themed illustrations might make the fun times you spent with your friends look even more wonderful.
A collection of moving graduation illustrations that bring tears to your eyes. Unforgettable ideas (11–20)
hakama
If you wear a hakama—something you don’t often get to put on—at your graduation ceremony, it might instantly put you in a more focused, disciplined mood.
Although hakama have been worn for ages, the current retro trend makes them especially great as motifs for graduation illustrations.
Women in hakama have a dignified yet cute charm, and for men they add a cool vibe—perfect for incorporating into artwork.
Women can also express individuality through their kimono patterns.
The back view is beautiful as well, so why not use it as a reference for your composition?
view from behind
If you want to create a stylish atmosphere, depicting a figure from behind is also recommended.
Try drawing the back view of a student holding a bag or diploma.
That silhouette alone conveys the feeling of leaving school behind.
If you draw them glancing back slightly, you can express a sense of lingering attachment.
You can also add variations, such as pairing it with falling cherry petals or making it look like they’re waving.
It’s lovely when a simple illustration inspires the viewer to imagine the story in the background.
smile
Graduation means heading to a new place.
It also means saying goodbye to the classmates, teachers, and clubmates you’ve spent your days with.
Thinking about how you won’t be able to spend your fun days in the same way anymore might make many people feel sad and bring them to tears.
But it would be a shame to end the graduation ceremony with sadness and tearful faces, wouldn’t it? At times like that, catching sight of an illustration with a bursting, radiant smile can lift your spirits.
It will be an illustration that helps everyone recover their smiles.
cherry blossom
In Japan, graduation ceremonies are generally held in March, when there’s still a chill in the air.
Around that time, cherry blossoms are the first to herald the arrival of spring.
Whether they’re just starting to bloom, in full bloom, or beginning to fall, cherry blossoms are a uniquely picturesque flower.
Around the graduation season, you can probably see the blossoms just starting to open.
Cherry blossoms at the beginning of their bloom evoke a future full of possibilities.
Plus, there are many graduation songs that feature sakura, making them the perfect flower to grace a graduation ceremony!