Drawing barrels is a great way to unleash your creative side and get a bit of stress-relieving zen. You don’t need to be Picasso or Salvador Dali to capture the perfect barrel, with a few simple tips and tricks your sketchbook page can become alive with the smooth curves of a classic barrel! Fire up your imagination and let’s get sketching.
Always start ‘barrel’ drawing with the outline. Like the frame of the barrel or its support stand, the outline is pretty much the backbone of the piece. Put pencil to paper and start with a curve for the metal bands, no details just the smooth outline of the barrel itself. Starting in the center, draw a curved line horizontally, followed by one that’s slightly below the horizon line. Pull the lines up and make them meet in the center, like a barrel’s top. Let your creative flair guide you and bring your masterpiece to life with smooth flowing lines.
Once you have the basic shape of the barrel in place, add a little life to the metal. To make the bands look 3D, simply draw rings in different sizes around the outline of the barrel. To make the metal bands stand out, you can get creative and add shadows and highlights. Use light and dark shading to add depth, for an authentic look. To create motion within the metal, add in curves and subtle lines that spiral around the entire barrel.
There’s nothing quite like the look of a wooden barrel! To capture a realistic, timber-look barrel, stroke lines all around for the texture of the wood. Always work within the outline when clearly defining the texture of the barrel. Once you’ve got the texture just right, you can shade in the edges, to make the wooden barrel look worn and classic. To create depth, just use simply shade the edges a little darker and add gentle highlights to those edges too.
After completing the woodwork, you can take things one step further and add the detailing. If you’re creating a dynamic image, add in props, such as a crowbar, to give it an authentic and unique feel. Draw little circles and sketches of tools to make the image look worn and realistic. Alternatively, draw in handles and buckles to give the barrel an antique feel. Whether you’re going for a rustic or modern wallpaper look, these little things will bring your barrel to life.
Now it’s time to go wild and add a bit of color to that barrel! Strutt your art-game and use contrasting colors to bring it to life. To get the steel look, pick a dark color and use gentle strokes all around the metal bands to make them stand out. For the classic evergreen look, a combination of light and dark green should do the trick. Or, if you want to splash a different look, you can use multicolored paints for a bright, fiery look. Whether you’re going for a rusty or metallic style, add splashes of color to give it an awesome effect.
With a little practice and a lot of creativity, you can get your barrel looking perfect! Don’t be scared to go crazy and be creative when drawing barrels. Use drawing aides, such as templates and stencils, to keep the size consistent and give you the ability to draw perfectly round shapes. Before trying to master the perfect barrel, simply get a random shape down on paper and put your creative spin to it!
