This article was co-authored by Kelly Medford. Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
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Here are steps on how to draw a simple tree, a subject popular with artists as they depict the beauty of nature. Once you get the basics down, you can expand and create different designs.
Steps
Basic Tree
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1Draw a basic tree base. straight lines with a wider point at the top and bottom.
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2Draw the branches at the top, connected to the wider points at the top of the tree.
- Each tree has its own way of branching, so if you want to draw a particular kind of tree, pay attention at the overall mass and at the way the branches are growing.
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3Now get your green pen out and start coloring the branches!!
- We don't see individual leaves from afar, so think of them as of masses.
- If you are drawing a more realistic tree, look at a real tree to see how the light and shadows gradate from top to bottom and from one side to another.
- As you get towards the trunk, the leaves look darker.
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4Add swirls to make the tree look wooden and made out of natural bark.
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5Color the base in brown.
Cartoon Tree
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1Draw two vertical lines parallel to one another, and curved at the base. This will be the trunk of the tree.
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2Draw figures that resembles branches growing from the sides of the trunk. The branches need to be thinner than the trunk.
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3Draw the leaves collectively which grow from the branches. Add details like the cuts and curves of the leaves.
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4Draw rings and curves to the trunk to resemble woody texture to the trunk.
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5Trace with a pen and erase unnecessary sketches.
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6Color to your liking!
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I draw a fall tree?
Community AnswerFirst, follow one of the ways above up to the coloring stage. Then, draw uneven circles in the leaves to symbolize the missing ones. Color the rest of the leaves red, orange, and yellow. -
QuestionHow do I draw a cherry blossom?Community AnswerAdd small pink flowers to your tree, and instead of drawing clusters of leaves, draw a few leaves separately.
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QuestionHow do I draw a tree in the moonlight?
Community AnswerYou can use the light of the sun to put shadows on an already dark tree, then color the background a dark blue or gray.
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Green, brown and black colored pencils or pens. The color black is needed to trace
About This Article
To draw a simple tree, start with 2 vertical lines that curve inward a little to form the tree trunk. Then, draw a few short branches at the top of the trunk, and surround them with a cloud-shaped mass of green to represent the leaves. Finally, add lines and swirls to the trunk to make it look more realistic, and color it in with brown. Keep reading to learn how to draw a cartoon tree!
