Drawing a tomato is easy and fun. You don’t need to be a professional artist or an art student to create a beautiful tomato – anyone can do it! Start with a few simple steps and before you know it, you’ll have a vibrant masterpiece that looks like you snapped it off the vine. Here’s how it’s done:
Gather Your Supplies
First, you’ll need to assemble your supplies. The basic supplies you’ll need include a pencil, a sharpener, eraser, paper, and a tomato (if you’re feeling adventurous). You may also find it helpful to have a pencil bag or tray, which will allow you more freedom of movement as you draw. Once you have all your supplies in one location, you’re ready to draw!
Start with a Light Sketch
Now that you have all your supplies on hand, it’s time to start sketching. You’ll want to begin with light, sweeping motions to create the basic outline of the tomato. Try to draw all the basic contours of the tomato, including its roundness and any bumps. What you pull off the page with this sketch is not representative of the finished product; rather, it’s a foundational building block for the more intricate details that come later. Don’t worry about making mistakes with this stage – you can always go back and make corrections when you’re done!
Detail the Outline
Once you have your basic outline, you’re ready to move onto the details. Start with the tomato’s sides, drawing in any lines that indicate where the tomato curves. You may also choose to add lines to indicate the bumps on a typical tomato. If you’re feeling creative, try adding some shadows and highlights as well. Even the slightest changes can help your tomato stand out!
Add Color and Texture
Now is when your tomato will really spring to life. Using your pencil, draw in any details that make your tomato unique, such as lines or splotches. Then, with colored pencils or paints, patiently add layers of color until the tomato looks vibrant and juicy. Pay particular attention to adding highlights and shadows, as this will make your tomato look more realistic. Finally, add some texture to make the tomato look like it just picked off the vine–perhaps some lines to represent wrinkles or dapples. With this step, you’re almost finished!
Finish the Piece
The final step is to give your tomato some life. Using your colored pencils or paints, add in some highlights and shadows to make your tomato look 3D. Highlight the top and sides, and use a deeper color to create some shadows underneath the tomato. To make your tomato look extra luscious, try adding some drips of paint to resemble droplets of juice. Your tomato should now look convincingly lifelike–so much so that you should be able to eat it!
Add Shadows and Highlights
The finishing touch is adding shadows and highlights. Start by darkening the bottom and sides of the tomato. Then use a lighter color to add highlights, such as in its folds and around its edges. Add a few more fantastic details like seeds or veins, and you’re all done! Now you have a dimensional, photorealistic tomato!
Incorporate Perspective
If you really want to take your tomato drawing to the next level, try incorporating a bit of perspective. Start by adding more details to the tomato’s shape. Then add more highlights and shadows along the inner contours of the tomato. Finally, draw a few lines to indicate how far away the tomato is from the viewer. With these few steps, your tomato suddenly looks much more realistic.
Practice Makes Perfect
Learning how to draw a tomato is not an overnight task. With practice, you’ll soon be able to create stunningly realistic tomatoes. For starters, try sketching a few different varieties and shapes of tomatoes. Invest in some high-quality drawing paper and pencils, and practice drawing the same tomato from different angles. You’ll be amazed by the difference in your sketches!
