Drawing trees can be a daunting prospect, but with a few simple step-by-step techniques, it’s possible to bring your outdoor scenes to life. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist, anyone can learn how to draw trees with these easy methods. Step One: Start With the Basics Drawing a tree doesn’t need to be complicated. Start by sketching three simple circles on a piece of paper – one large circle, one medium-sized circle, and one small circle. The large circles will make up the trunk of your tree, the medium circle will be its crown or branches, and the smallest circle will become the leaves. Step Two: Add the Bark and Branches To give the tree some depth and texture, add a few branch lines from the trunk to the crown. Make sure your branch lines are connected to each other and aren’t too thin or too thick. Then, draw some bark texture onto the trunk of the tree, just enough to give it visual interest and you’re ready for the next step. Step Three: Shade the Crown To create the leaves of the tree, use a light pencil and begin shading around the medium-sized circle. Start by lightly drawing short curved lines within the circle, making sure to keep them short and uniform. Then, gradually darken the lines and create more of them to make the leaves look more realistic. If you want your leaves to appear fuller, draw the lines closer together, and less dense if you want a lighter, more sparse look. Step Four: Add a Few Details To finish off your tree, you can add a few simple details like twigs and knots in the bark. For the twigs, simply draw short straight lines coming out of the branches and connect them to the trunk. To add the knots, draw small circular shapes near the trunk and branches and draw a few curved lines within them to mimic the texture of bark. Step Five: Finishing Touches Once you’ve completed all the steps, your tree should be looking pretty good. To give it a more realistic feel, add a few more details such as shadows and highlights with a darker or lighter tone of pencil. Finally, erase any stray lines or overlapping shapes and your tree is ready for display.
Step One: Observe & Analyze Before you even begin to draw a tree, it’s important to observe details in the real life scene your drawing. Take notice of the size of the trunk and branches, the shape of the leaves, and the angle of the leaf clusters. Also look closely at the textures of the bark, the colors of the leaves, and the way they bend and droop. Once you’ve studied the real life scene, the next step is to take all that information and start sketching. Step Two: Start With the Skeleton Now that you have a better idea and visual of the tree you’re sketching, it’s time to start building the skeleton of your drawing. Create a basic shape from light pencil strokes and draw lines where you want the trunk and branches to be. Make sure to get the basic angle and size of the tree right before you move onto the more intricate details. Step Three: Create the Bark Once the skeleton for your tree is complete, draw the bark texture. Start by shading with a light pencil in the direction of the trunk, making sure to keep the strokes consistent. Make sure to deepen the shading where the trunk and branches connect, and don’t be afraid to get creative with the texture. Step Four: Draw the Leaves When it comes to drawing the leaves, use a light pencil and start by outlining them in groups. Make sure to keep them short, jagged and varied in size. Once the outlines are complete, fill in the gaps with short, curved lines so it appears realistic. Step Five: Finish With the Details To give the tree a more realistic and vibrant look, add some shadows, highlights and twigs. To create shadows, use a darker pencil and lightly draw some lines at the base of the trunk and around the leaves. To create highlights, use a lighter pencil and draw lines at the top of the trunk and around the leaves. To draw the twigs, simply draw a few long, thin lines connected to the trunk. Once you’ve added all your details, give your tree one last look over and you’re done!
Step One: Start With the Basics Before you begin to draw the leaves of your tree, you’ll need to complete the basic shape of the tree first. Start by sketching three simple circles in the shape of a tree, one large circle being the trunk, one medium-sized circle being the crown, and the smallest circle being the leaves. Make sure to draw the circles in proportion to each other so that the tree appears realistic. Step Two: Create the Branches and Bark Once the basic shape of the tree is complete, start adding texture and depth to the trunk and branches. Start by drawing a few branch lines from the trunk to the crown with a light pencil. Then, draw some bark texture onto the trunk, making sure to keep the bark lines consistent and in proportion with each other. Step Three: Shade the Crown To create the leaves, use a light pencil and begin shading around the medium-sized circle. Start by lightly drawing short curved lines within the circle, making sure to keep them short and uniform. Then, gradually darken the lines and create more of them to make the leaves look more realistic. If you want your leaves to appear fuller, draw the lines closer together, and less dense if you want a lighter, more sparse look. Step Four: Add a Few Details Once the bulk of the tree is complete, add a few simple details like twigs and knots in the bark to give the tree visual interest. To draw the twigs, simply draw short straight lines coming out of the branches and connect them to the trunk. To add the knots, draw small circular shapes near the trunk and branches and draw a few curved lines within them to mimic the texture of bark. Step Five: Finishing Touches Once you’ve added the details, it’s time to give your tree a more realistic look. Add a few shadows and highlights with a darker or lighter pencil and erase any stray lines or overlapping shapes. Finally, admire your work and your tree is ready for display!
Step One: Start With a Reference Before you begin to sketch your tree, it’s important to have a clear visual of what you’re drawing. Start by looking for photos online or flip through a few books to get an idea of what kind of tree you’d like to draw. Once you have an understanding of the tree you’ll be drawing, you can start sketching. Step Two: Sketch the Tree Once you have a visual of the tree you’d like to draw, it’s time to start sketching. Begin with a few simple circles to create the basic shape of the tree, one large circle being the trunk, one medium-sized circle being the crown, and the smallest circle being the leaves. Make sure to draw the circles in proportion to each other so that the tree appears realistic. Step Three: Create the Bark To give the tree some texture and depth, start by drawing the bark texture. Begin by shading with a light pencil in the direction of the trunk, making sure to keep the strokes consistent. Make sure to deepen the shading where the trunk and branches connect and don’t be afraid to get creative with the texture. Step Four: Draw the Leaves When it comes to drawing the leaves, use a light pencil and start by outlining them in groups. Make sure to keep them short, jagged and varied in size. Once the outlines are complete, fill in the gaps with short, curved lines so it appears realistic. Step Five: Add the Final Details To give the tree a more realistic and vibrant look, add some shadows, highlights and twigs. To create shadows, use a darker pencil and lightly draw some lines at the base of the trunk and around the leaves. To create highlights, use a lighter pencil and draw lines at the top of the trunk and around the leaves. To draw the twigs, simply draw a few long, thin lines connected to the trunk. Once you’ve added all your details, your tree is ready to show off!
Step One: Research & Observe Before you even begin to draw a tree, it’s important to observe details in the real life scene your drawing. Take notice of the size of the trunk and branches, the shape of the leaves, and the angle of the leaf clusters. Also look closely at the textures of the bark, the colors of the leaves, and the way they bend and droop. Once you’ve studied the real life scene, the next step is to take all that information and start sketching. Step Two: Create the Skeleton Now that you have a better idea and visual of the tree you’re sketching, it’s time to start building the skeleton of your drawing. Create a basic shape from light pencil strokes and draw lines where you want the trunk and branches to be. Make sure to get the basic angle and size of the tree right before you move onto the more intricate details. Step Three: Add the Bark Once the skeleton for your tree is complete, draw the bark texture. Start by shading with a light pencil in the direction of the trunk, making sure to keep the strokes consistent. Make sure to deepen the shading where the trunk and branches connect, and don’t be afraid to get creative with the texture. Step Four: Draw the Leaves To complete the leaves, use a light pencil and start by drawing each leaf as a single unit. Make sure to keep them short, jagged, and varied in size so that the leaves appear more realistic. Step Five: Final Touches To give your tree a more lively finish, add a few shadows and highlights with a darker or lighter pencil. Finally, erase any stray lines or overlapping shapes and your tree is ready to display!
