Beginning Your Colorful Journey
Taking on the task of drawing a rainbow can seem daunting, but it’s actually quite simple to bring a gorgeous display of color to life with your own hand. To get started, you’ll need a drawing pad, pencil, eraser, and a few select drawing tools such as colored pencils, markers, or paint.
All rainbows will have the same basic components, but with the power of artistry you can make each one unique. Mountains, trees, and even animals can be incorporated into the landscape of your rainbow, or kept abstract. Every artist has their own flair.
To start, sketch out where you want the rainbow to be. It’s important to know where each color will go beforehand so you don’t get too overwhelmed or be limited by the space you’ve given yourself. Drawing guides or templates can provide some great outlines for a perfect structure.
Using a ruler, draw in angled lines to form the rainbows’ arcs. Skip around the canvas and lightly sketch out your peak and tail on the far left of the canvas, then the peak and tail on the far right of the canvas. With these two spots established you have the framework you need to fill in the middle.
For a classic rainbow, you can divide the arcs into 6 strips, each in the ROYGBIV sequence. This can also offer a creative take on a rainbow too, as you can shade in any unique way that you’d like.
Now the fun begins. Time to fill in the spaces with color.
Adding Color and Finishing Touches
Choose your favorite medias and layer them in one by one. Rich, vibrant color will bring your rainbow to life, so don’t be afraid to be bold. Whether you use thick or thin lines and blend soft or stark transitions, every artist has their own style.
To really make your rainbow pop, add a few finishing touches. Refined lines and small details can really draw your viewers in and show off your craftsmanship. You can incorporate a sky, add playful birds, incorporate clouds, rain drops or even a sun! The options are limitless.
When you feel like your masterpiece is complete it’s important to take a step back, breathe and take a moment to appreciate your artwork. This also gives you a chance to reevaluate and see if you feel like anything might need more attention or if more details need to be added.
With careful observation, you can do a few final adjustments, and walk away proud of your beautiful rainbow.
Reflection and Expansion
Adding creative reflections can change the feel of your artwork and make it even more eye-catching. Reflections make rainbows appear larger and brighter giving it an unique 3D look.
You can play with different shades and values to make reflections look more realistic. Using a series of overlapping, thin lines this will represent the movement of the reflecting surface.
To add a splash of realism, you can use the method of “reducing and enlarging”. Ensemble groups of thin lines close together to form a thicker line, then move away from each other to become thin again. This will help create effects of movement towards and away from the friction of the surface.
Adding Twinkle and Sparkle
Who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle here and there? Utilizing the same method of reducing and enlarging, you can create small arcs of thin and thick lines to suggest reflections. Thin lines extending from the ellipse will give the effect of dancing water-like reflections.
To make it even more realistic, you can adjust the shade and value of the lines to create confetti-like glitters. The color of the glitters can either match the tone of the line or can be a contrasting color to give the rainbow an extra exquisite effect.
Shading and Blending
To make your rainbow as realistic as possible, a great technique to use is blending. With the points of your chosen media you can draw each color in overlapping layers to create a more natural transition between shades.
This method can also be used to connect different shapes. It’s a subtle way to make your pieces more cohesive by controlling the texture of the transition. To make it even gentler, hold your pencil more loosely and don’t press to the paper.
Showing Your Talent
If you’re looking for creative ways to show off your skills and to bring life to your rainbow, there are endless options. From adding animals, to framing your work, to transforming it into an animation, the sky is the limit!
No matter what you chose to do, a little practice goes a long way when it comes to drawing rainbows. Play with different shapes and sizes, and don’t forget to browse the internet for inspiration. Many splendors await.
So grab your pencils and let the coloring begin! Your vibrant and beautiful rainbow awaits you.
Taking on the task of drawing a rainbow can seem daunting, but it’s actually quite simple to bring a gorgeous display of color to life with your own hand. To get started, you’ll need a drawing pad, pencil, eraser, and a few select drawing tools such as colored pencils, markers, or paint.
All rainbows will have the same basic components, but with the power of artistry you can make each one unique. Mountains, trees, and even animals can be incorporated into the landscape of your rainbow, or kept abstract. Every artist has their own flair.
To start, sketch out where you want the rainbow to be. It’s important to know where each color will go beforehand so you don’t get too overwhelmed or be limited by the space you’ve given yourself. Drawing guides or templates can provide some great outlines for a perfect structure.
Using a ruler, draw in angled lines to form the rainbows’ arcs. Skip around the canvas and lightly sketch out your peak and tail on the far left of the canvas, then the peak and tail on the far right of the canvas. With these two spots established you have the framework you need to fill in the middle.
For a classic rainbow, you can divide the arcs into 6 strips, each in the ROYGBIV sequence. This can also offer a creative take on a rainbow too, as you can shade in any unique way that you’d like.
Now the fun begins. Time to fill in the spaces with color.
Adding Color and Finishing Touches
Choose your favorite medias and layer them in one by one. Rich, vibrant color will bring your rainbow to life, so don’t be afraid to be bold. Whether you use thick or thin lines and blend soft or stark transitions, every artist has their own style.
To really make your rainbow pop, add a few finishing touches. Refined lines and small details can really draw your viewers in and show off your craftsmanship. You can incorporate a sky, add playful birds, incorporate clouds, rain drops or even a sun! The options are limitless.
When you feel like your masterpiece is complete it’s important to take a step back, breathe and take a moment to appreciate your artwork. This also gives you a chance to reevaluate and see if you feel like anything might need more attention or if more details need to be added.
With careful observation, you can do a few final adjustments, and walk away proud of your beautiful rainbow.
Reflection and Expansion
Adding creative reflections can change the feel of your artwork and make it even more eye-catching. Reflections make rainbows appear larger and brighter giving it an unique 3D look.
You can play with different shades and values to make reflections look more realistic. Using a series of overlapping, thin lines this will represent the movement of the reflecting surface.
To add a splash of realism, you can use the method of “reducing and enlarging”. Ensemble groups of thin lines close together to form a thicker line, then move away from each other to become thin again. This will help create effects of movement towards and away from the friction of the surface.
Adding Twinkle and Sparkle
Who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle here and there? Utilizing the same method of reducing and enlarging, you can create small arcs of thin and thick lines to suggest reflections. Thin lines extending from the ellipse will give the effect of dancing water-like reflections.
To make it even more realistic, you can adjust the shade and value of the lines to create confetti-like glitters. The color of the glitters can either match the tone of the line or can be a contrasting color to give the rainbow an extra exquisite effect.
Shading and Blending
To make your rainbow as realistic as possible, a great technique to use is blending. With the points of your chosen media you can draw each color in overlapping layers to create a more natural transition between shades.
This method can also be used to connect different shapes. It’s a subtle way to make your pieces more cohesive by controlling the texture of the transition. To make it even gentler, hold your pencil more loosely and don’t press to the paper.
Showing Your Talent
If you’re looking for creative ways to show off your skills and to bring life to your rainbow, there are endless options. From adding animals, to framing your work, to transforming it into an animation, the sky is the limit!
No matter what you chose to do, a little practice goes a long way when it comes to drawing rainbows. Play with different shapes and sizes, and don’t forget to browse the internet for inspiration. Many splendors await.
So grab your pencils and let the coloring begin! Your vibrant and beautiful rainbow awaits you.
