Love the outdoors but can’t find the time to explore? With forest drawing, you can discover a miniature version of the natural world from the comfort of your home. Creating a drawing of a lush forest full of color, texture, and life may seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools and techniques, it’s surprisingly easy.
First, you’ll need to gather the right materials. When sketching a forest, the more vibrant the colors you use, the more realistic the finished product will look. Grab a set of crayons, markers, or colored pencils; some pencils; an eraser; a sheet of paper; and a ruler.
Next, map out your plan. Start by sketching a simple grid with vertical and horizontal pencil lines. You’ll next delineate the separation between the individual trees, plants, and shrubs that make up the forest and the space they occupy. The tree trunks will provide a frame to the entire drawing and will be easier to see if they are done in bolder colored pencil strokes.
Now it’s time to add depth and dimension. Make sure you keep your outlines as neat as possible and use different shades and hues of the same color. Nature’s many shapely trees and plants can be drawn with curvy and wavy lines, and you can use hatching and crosshatching to add shadows and depth. Let your creativity soar by making some fun and unique gumnuts, trunks, and ferns!
For the final touches, add a background to your artwork. Start with an expansive sky, and to create a more realistic effect, use light colored pencils of differing shades to add clouds, stars, and a celestial moon or sun. As you go further down the drawing, you may use darker and bolder colors, such as dark blues, greens and browns to draw hills, valleys, and fields.
With that, your forest drawing is complete! To finish it off, add some textures, such as fallen leaves and petals, to make your masterpiece look even more realistic. You might also try adding your own imaginative creatures such as sprites, birds, or other small animals; and with some creativity and imagination, your forest drawing will come to life.
When learning the art of forest drawing, practice makes perfect. Try to draw the same scene multiple times, using different elements and techniques each time. Don’t be afraid to dream up something unique and outrageous; it’s your forest and you can choose the type of foliage, the time of day, the type of creatures and plants that live in it; and you can even make up a whole new set of imaginary elements. Before long, you’ll be crafting forest scenes with the same ease that you brew a morning cup of tea!
To really bring your forest scene to life, you’ll need to know how to draw the various details in nature. Experiment with different ideas and techniques like crosshatching, stippling and hatching. If you need further inspiration, take a look at pictures of forests for ideas on how to capture their unique beauty through drawing. You’ll soon discover that there are countless possibilities when it comes to forest drawing; and the best part is that you get to choose how to go about creating your own masterpiece.
Finally, take the time to appreciate your creation. Relaxing and admiring your drawing can be just as therapeutic as a walk in the woods. Sit back, listen to nature’s sounds, and slowly take in the beauty of your colorful little forest—you’ve earned it!
