In our post today, we’re sharing with you a simple way on how to draw trees that will look realistic. If this is what you are looking for, then you are in for a treat!
Trees are wonderful subjects to draw. At first glance, they look rather friendly and easy to put into the paper, but in closer inspections, trees can be quite intimidating to sketch especially those with complicated shapes and innumerable leaves and branches. If you are a beginner like me, you wouldn’t know where to start and just end up making a cartoon version of a tree.
The secret to making a drawing realistic is understanding how the light hits the subject and working on the shading. This can take a while to perfect but there’s no better time to start than now.
Here’s how to draw trees realistically, and it’s fairly simple that even a beginner like me can do it.
Materials You Need:
- A Blank Piece of Paper or Sketchbook
- Pencil
- Pen
- Eraser
How To Draw Trees – realistically
Draw the shape of the tree
The first step is to draw the shape of your tree lightly using a pencil. Make a mushroom like head and finish it off with its trunk and roots.
Break it down into organic shapes
For the leaves of your tree, break it down into multiple irregular shapes. Imagine a cluster of leaves that are separated by branches.
Define the shadowed areas
After you have your irregular but organic shapes, it’s time to define the shadowed areas. Have a fixed light source and imagine how to hits your object. As for me, I placed the source of light at the top right. Using a pen, I inked the areas that would be shadowed like so:
Start Shading
When you’ve already defined the shadowed areas of your tree, it’s time to shade them. Here’s how it would look like.
Also shade the trunk and branches for more definition.
Add more details
Here’s the fun part – adding the details. To make your tree look more defined, it’s time to add more details and more shadows. Using your pen, scribble and doodle your tree’s leaves and take into consideration the light source and how it hits on your subject. Here’s a time-lapse I took when I added the details on my tree:
When you are done, your tree should look like this or maybe even better!
As I always say in this website, you shouldn’t worry about perfection. Art is messy and the more mistakes you make, the more you learn and improve. So don’t be afraid to mess up because you can always start again and learn from your mistakes.
Credits to this Youtube Video I followed to sketch this realistic tree.
Learning how to draw is simple, all you need to do is to actually start.
I hope this tutorial on how to draw trees has been helpful in your art journey. Here’s a blog about effective drawing practice tips and simple flower drawings to do to inspire you to pick up your pencil.
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