How To Draw A Flower Tree

How to Draw Trees

Updated: 24 Feb 2022

In this guide, I will demonstrate how I simplify the drawing procedure, and I promise that by the end of it you volition exist able to draw your favorite tree.

In order to describe realistic trees with pen and ink, it is of import to pay attention to accuracy of the course (structure), and to learn how to create the illusion of brightness values and transitions with pens.

Bamboo

When looking at Whatever tree, examine its basic shapes.

It is a skilful exercise to draw its simple shapes first:

Once you understand these uncomplicated shapes, yous tin can utilize your creative license and your cognition to recreate it.

At that place is no point drawing every single leafage as yous run across it (when using a reference image every bit a guide).

Bamboo trees pen drawing Bamboo

Banana Tree

For copse with big leaves, like a banana tree, first draw a study of the leaves from different angles.

For a realistic result, make sure there is no symmetry, and that each leaf is unique.

You lot can utilize markers; they work well with pens.

Banana leaves, drawing and painting with markers

Olive Tree Trunk

Look at some reference images, or actual copse, before drawing the tree trunk.

First, draw outlines to create the form (structure).

Call up:

Draw thin and gentle outlines, so they are not bold.

Next, add some guidelines and basic details.

Adding some details to olive tree trunks

Terminal pace is texture cartoon.

Focus mainly on brightness values, while cartoon marks with shape and direction like the reference image.

Olive tree trunks pen drawing Olive tree trunks

Go along in mind:

Each olive tree trunk has its own "personality", just all olive trees share common basic shapes.

How to Draw Leaves

Drawing leaves can be challenging. Understanding their structure, and breaking the drawing process into steps, will produce a satisfying and realistic consequence.

Each tree foliage is in unlike direction, has a dissimilar caste of foreshortening, and is overlapping other leaves.

But put, the form and texture of leaves is abstruse and messy.

To draw that, yous need to exist sketchy and loose with your marks, and to avoid any pattern!

Adjacent step is to pay attending to brightness values. That is how y'all create the illusion of volume. Meaning, three-dimensional and non apartment.

To create that illusion, scribble more lines for darker values, and fewer lines for brighter values:

How to add depth and volume to leaves when drawing

In addition, pay attention to leaves size, depending on the tree blazon, and how distant it is from the observer.

For big leaves, sketch big marks, and vice versa:

Different pen marks size for different leaves size

While the treetop is messy, at its edges you tin add some indication of leaves type and size.

A drawing of an olive tree with pen and ink Olive tree

Later agreement the characteristics of a specific tree (olive tree in this case), it is quite easy to describe information technology from imagination.

If some terms like foreshortening and overlapping are new to you, read my guide on how to draw with a sense of depth. It covers 15 methods to add depth to your cartoon or painting.

Expert to know:

Generally, I apply a pen with neb size 0.1. It is small plenty to create fine details.

Photos & Contrast

When I am taking photos of a tree, I practise it from several angles.

If possible, I circle the tree to get a photo from every angle.

I select a photograph that has high contrast as my reference paradigm.

Contrast between highlights and shadows is crucial for a cartoon to stand out, and to have presence.

Not plenty contrast leads to a apartment drawing with no depth. Too much contrast looks cartoonish.

Realistic olive tree pen drawing Olive tree

Pine Trees

Important:

Before diving into circuitous texturing and rendering, if yous are a beginner, you might desire to practise the next step.

Draw whatsoever random tree shape, sketch some random marks to fill it up, and and then describe more than sketchy marks in one side and at the bottom of the tree (to create a darker value for the shadow surface area).

This should not have more than than v minutes! The advanced texture you will run into later this example is just a matter of many hours of practice to refine the texture marks.

Pine trees are relatively piece of cake to draw from imagination.

They have very pocket-size, needle-similar leaves.

I like to start by gently drawing the form, and then fill up it with small, random marks, that are NOT in whatever specific direction or with reoccurring shape.

Concluding step is to draw more than marks for darker areas, depending on the direction of light yous choose.

How to draw pine trees from imagination with pen

Pino trees come in many types and shapes.

Looking at a reference image can assist at the beginning, just every bit a guide to draw the form, and to pay attention to dark and lite areas.

Other than that, try to exist loose and sketchy with your marks.

When drawing a close-up view, you can betoken the needle-like leaves at the edges of the tree.

Realistic pine tree pen drawing Pine tree

Snowy Pine Tree

A pen has only 1 brightness value. Therefore, you have to employ different techniques to create the illusion of transitions in brightness values.

Ane technique (or mode) is to utilize hatching. Hatching means drawing parallel lines.

By drawing lines with different degree of spacing betwixt them (or with different line width), you can create an illusion of different brightness values.

Another method is to use cantankerous-hatching.

Cross-hatching means drawing sets of parallel lines in different management. Past adding more than sets of cross-hatching, y'all can create the illusion of darker values.

You can use ANY pen for cartoon. I prefer creative person-grade technical pens (also fineliners). They create lines with stock-still width, and their ink is made of pigments, which is very durable and lightfast.

Drawing with ballpoint pen and with a technical pen

For the snow office, you can get out it empty ("white"), or you tin utilise hatching in some areas.

In this example, I used some hatching, and some marks with very light gray marker.

Pen drawing of a snowy pine tree Snowy Pino tree

If you want to know more than about markers, visit my markers review for artists.

Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree is only another pino tree, but with decorations.

To add some baubles, outset draw their shape, and and so endeavor different types of hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling.

Stippling is a drawing technique that uses dots. The more dots y'all add in one area, the darker information technology looks.

You lot can add other decorations to your Christmas tree.

Information technology is best to offset sketch some test drawings on a different paper, to run into what works, earlier calculation them to your drawing.

To add boxes in perspective, you should be familiar with linear perspective drawing, and acquire to describe from imagination.

Pen drawing of boxes and other decorations for tree

Tip:

If you find it difficult to draw a tree with a pen, yous tin can ever starting time with a pencil.

When you reach a satisfying result, you tin go over it with a pen, and gently erase the pencil marks.

Pen drawing of a realistic Christmas tree with decorations Christmas tree

Drawing with White Pens

When cartoon with white pens, pay attention to the same cartoon fundamentals.

While with black pens you draw more lines for darker areas, with white pens you should draw more lines for calorie-free/bright areas.

Tree drawing with white pen on black paper

These pens are most effective on black (or night) newspaper, and for highlights.

Keep in mind:

White pens are designed for covering.

Drawing with a blackness pen (which has ink) over white areas (made by a white pen), may ruin the pen'southward nib, considering information technology will be covered with the white substance (therefore its ink will not period smoothly).

Aspen & Birch Trees

Aspen & birch tree trunks are easy to depict when doing information technology in steps.

Draw the form first:

Then, add some basic details:

Finally, draw some brightness values, and texture:

Birch trees and aspen trees pen drawing Birch & aspen tree trunks

Y'all can utilise (light) grayness markers for coloring:

Overlapping

Overlapping means an object that partially covers some other object.

When you lot see an object that overlaps another object, you lot assume that this object is in front end of the object information technology covers.

Overlapping is 1 of the most powerful ways to create the illusion of depth on a flat paper.

Two overlapping trees pen drawing Overlapping trees

Because you lot cannot erase pen marks, it is best to draw foreground objects first!

If you want to draw a house in front of a tree, depict the house outset:

Exercise the aforementioned for tree branches.

Start, draw the branch that overlaps a tree, then the tree body.

For copse that have a complex structure, with many branches, y'all tin can utilise a pencil to describe the basic shapes.

When yous are happy with the consequence, yous tin can draw over it with a pen, and gently erase the pencil marks.

A realistic drawing of birch trees with pen Birch copse

Transitions

Transitions are office of drawing (and painting) fundamentals. They exist everywhere!

For example, different areas of a flat plane take dissimilar relationships with whatever light source, reflections, and shadows.

Therefore, always wait for transitions (in brightness values) for your drawing to look realistic and natural.

Different types of values transitions in leaves

Outset, wait for light and nighttime areas.

And then, look for transitions within each surface area. Transitions from nighttime to low-cal, from light to lighter, and from dark to darker.

Oak tree, realistic pen drawing Oak tree

By drawing with NO transitions (and using hard edges), you can create something that looks unnatural, as opposed to something realistic with transitions.

Drawing of an unnatural leaves box vs natural leaves

The same fashion a gardener trims bushes and trees, you can use your artistic license to create something that looks bogus or man-made:

Artistic license means to apply your knowledge and experience.

In one case you empathize how to draw leaves, you tin can draw annihilation with leaves texture. Objects, figures, vehicles, or even a fridge:

Pen drawing of a refrigerator with leaves texture

Good to know:

Transitions are not express to brightness values. Transitions exist in colors, texture, edges, and temperature (transition from warm colors to cool colors).

If you are struggling with realistic drawing, you lot might want to read my realistic pencil-drawing guide. It covers the iv important fundamentals (accuracy of the form, effulgence values, edges, and transitions).

Weeping Willow

A weeping willow tree is a scrap tricky to describe.

Its leaves are easy to depict at an upward-close look. As you get farther away, you can see long clusters of leaves with no single leaf shape.

You can start past drawing an outline for the tree structure. Exercise it gently.

Drawing the outline for the form of a weeping willow

Then, 1 way is to depict the treetop (crown), section past section.

Alternatively, like in this example, you tin can describe the dark values first.

Drawing the dark values for weeping willow tree

Something to consider:

As mentioned above, a pen has one brightness value (normally blackness, though other colors be, more on that later).

By drawing gently and swiftly, with a sharp angle, y'all can produce lines that are less defined, and therefore with a lighter value.

The last stride is to add together the light values.

Pay attention to brightness values, transitions, and texture. Be abstract with your marks, yet with a sense of direction.

Weeping willow, realistic pen drawing Weeping Willow

How to Depict Huge Trees

For some large copse, like Ficus, I similar to employ a large paper sheet (A3 in this case).

If the tree is too circuitous to depict, yous tin describe a grid (softly with a pencil), to carve up the paper into smaller sections (and use the same grid for your reference image).

Keep in mind:

Drawing on a big paper with a pen (or a pencil) is time-consuming. For a tree similar this, information technology can easily have more than 20 hours to consummate.

Realistic ficus tree drawing with pen and ink Ficus tree

Sometimes, huge drawings may not look then big on a pocket-sized screen.

Yous tin requite it context by calculation background trees (from imagination in this case).

Pen drawing of a ficus tree and background Background drawing

Something to consider:

Y'all should apply the rules of atmospheric perspective when drawing backgrounds (landscape).

When objects are far away, there are more atmosphere particles (that besprinkle lite) between them and the observer.

For far away objects, utilize less contrast and fewer details. In addition, background layers get lighter, and have soft edges.

Adding Background

Trees are beautiful on their own. Sometimes though, y'all may want to add a background.

Drawing grass is a simple and easy solution for groundwork.

Starting time by cartoon some short lines. The lines in the forepart should be a bit bolder and longer.

Add more lines; some tin exist longer (more often than not in the foreground).

Avoid any pattern, and try to be abstruse with your marks.

With a tree (eucalyptus in this case), grass (as background) adds depth.

There is no actual depth in a drawing, your newspaper canvass is flat. The college y'all draw on your newspaper (until the horizon), the farther away it looks.

By drawing cast shadow past the tree, y'all can add a sense of space to your drawing.

To describe cast shadow, add together more marks (lines) for that area, to create the illusion of dark value.

Calculation Plants

Some other choice is to add some plants. For example, cattail found (Typha).

Remember:

Natural plants and copse take an abstract shape. Brand sure you do not draw them too round and compatible.

When drawing long leaves, pay attention to cast shadows:

After test-drawing the establish'due south parts, draw some loose outlines.

For realistic results, draw each flower or foliage with different size, shape, and management (just, keep in listen the tree or plant characteristics).

Additionally, pay attending to overlapping.

Then, add some effulgence values and cast shadows.

Cattail (Typha) realistic pen drawing Cattail

Now y'all tin can combine grass and plants to depict a landscape.

Landscape with trees, pen drawing Landscape pen drawing

And, paint it with markers.

Painting a landscape drawing with markers Coloring with markers

Size & Context

The way to define the size of objects is by placing them near other familiar objects.

Although a worm is unremarkably quite small, by drawing it large compared to known objects similar copse, information technology is possible to create a behemothic monstrous worm.

Giant monstrous worm pen drawing Giant worm

On the other hand, you might desire to draw a small-scale tree, like a bonsai tree.

In this case, you need context.

Drawing a tree in a establish pot tin can aid, but sometimes even large trees are sold inside pots.

Cartoon familiar surroundings, like a room, can assist a lot in defining the bonsai's size.

Pen drawing of a bonsai tree in a room Bonsai tree

Colored Pens

While the chief color for technical pens is black, many brands offering other color options.

Pens with colors Colored technical pens

I prefer black ink, only occasionally I like to mix it up with colors.

Pen drawing of an Acacia tree Acacia tree

Log

To draw logs, timber, or tree trunks, start by drawing the outlines gently.

Pay attention to foreshortening, and add some bones details.

Lastly, decide where to place the calorie-free source, and draw a gradual transition in brightness values with sketchy marks.

Transitions:

A cylindrical object has a transition in brightness values, from night to low-cal.

When using a blackness pen, describe more lines for darker areas.

Another option is to draw less defined lines (swiftly at an angle), and add together more lines for darker values.

Transitions in brightness values using a black pen

Colored pens:

Unlike black pens, colored pens come in unlike levels of opacity.

When drawing more than in the same area, the pen creates a darkness value. Sometimes you can let the pen ink dry, and and so draw over information technology again.

Transitions in brightness values using colored pens

Edges:

Bandage shadows usually have soft edges (see below how the cast shadow from the rope has a soft edge).

When you scribble the wood texture, you want to accept some dents and holes in some areas.

Draw these dents with a hard edge on their darker part, and a soft edge when the transition ends (the light side of the paring, or hole).

For a more realistic rendering, with more than details, draw big.

Realistic pen drawing of a tree log with a rope

Summary

While there are no lines in nature, pens tin can only create lines!

Drawing is creating an illusion. The globe is three-dimensional, but your newspaper-canvas is two-dimensional.

To create this illusion, pay attention to brightness values, edges, and transitions (among other things).

A pen has merely one effulgence value, so, unlike other drawing mediums (graphite, charcoal, pastel...), you have to create the illusion of different effulgence values and transitions (in brightness values).

When drawing copse, focus on accuracy of the class, and on brightness values.

Make sure y'all have enough contrast between highlights and shadows, for the drawing to be noticeable.

After you main drawing the form and effulgence values, details (texture) make all the divergence.

If you liked this commodity, you might similar my flower pen-drawing guide too.

For my recommended pens that I used in this guide, visit my review for fineliners and technical pens for drawing.