Drawing Trees: How To Draw A Tree Step By Step
Drawing Trees
Drawing trees are easy and a good practice to do for either a landscape drawing or just for the sake of drawing a tree, I for one take photos of trees because I like the many ways trees look different and individual to each other.
Here I will go through a very simple process to draw a tree and most certainly not to be stressed over as everyone draws things in their own way. Drawing a tree is about looking at it from different angles and seeing how it looks in different lights, I suppose I am a tree geek and that's why I often take photos of trees, so that I can later draw all of the interesting bark details at my own leisure.
So if you've ever wondered how to draw a tree, then look no further and see how I approach it below after a tree photo of course!
One thing to note, this is not how to draw a realistic tree or anything, as you'll see below, it's about taking what you see and making your tree drawings work for you in your own style, because an original tree drawing can be better than a copied version of an existing tree captured in all of it's realism.
Be sure to check out Drawing Supplies on Amazon for some budget Art equipment and materials to get you started.
Tree Reference Photo
Tree Starting Sketch
Tree Drawing: The Beginning Stages
In our first drawing step, we need to provide the base for our tree to stand, so we need to establish the trunk and roots, a picture of reference is very useful for the inexperienced artist and you can learn a lot from real life tree photos.
Draw two lines that are parralel to each other and let the curved lines slope off to the bottom like in the sketch below...
Branch Drawing For Your Tree
Drawing The Branches
The next step is to draw in some random branches and these I liken to lightning in the sky, just try to think of branches as highly detailed fork lightning, it is just up to you how thick you wish the branches to be, drawing the branches will quickly bring your tree drawing to life.
And so you are now ready to add some leaves to your tree or you could just leave it bare for an autumn tree by finishing off the branches by sketching them smaller and smaller to the tips, whichever you decide, try to give your tree a sense of form and spread them branches out.
Adding Leaf And Details On Your Tree Drawing
Drawing In Leaves
As you have drawn the branches in a way were they have no ends like in the above picture, you can the start to add leaves or clump shapes of leaves, draw rough outlines of the leaf shapes as a whole instead of individual leaves, as an artist it's not so much sometimes about the detail, it's about the overall drawing as a whole, so long as your drawing looks and resembles a tree, it will be interpreted by others as a tree.
Also I've added a few tree bark lines in, to mark out the wonderful linework of the trees skin, I will ink this later.
A Complete Tree Drawing
Finishing Off Your Tree Drawing
In the last step you can add some shading to your tree to define the textures or add some colour to add more realistic textures and tone, particularly on the leaves and the bark of the tree.
All in all, tree drawing is rather a simple process and one of many living subjects that can be learnt to draw very easily as something that will stick in your head forever.
Drawing can be as simple and as difficult as you make it, so just keep sketching and learning on your artistic journey.
How To Draw A Tree
How To Draw Trees Books That Teach You More In Depth
How To Draw Tree Bark
Drawing tree bark in detail is a short video of me drawing the bark of a tree branch. There is so much more to the texture and look of a tree, but this will do for now!
Drawing Tree Bark Detail
Drawing Tree Branches
Draw Tree Branches
Tree branches are very simple to draw, even the very suggestion of the branches with quick sketch gestures look great. Just have a go at drawing every aspect of a Tree. Draw from observation and every angle until you can draw them in your sleep.
Drawing A Tree, How Do You Do It?
This was really.... I don’t know, but let’s say it’s really, really, REALLY dumb.
will try
Can you draw a tree with just branches it must be simple so it can help me with my project please
please help drawing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tooo hard 4 me! haha thx
so beautifull
- AUTHOR
LOL...who said I was talking to kids?
You seem like a weirdo talking to young kids about drawing bush...you should be investigated. Cheers!
I use to draw trees when I was bored at work! I think I will get started at this again great Hub!!
- AUTHOR
Stupid is as stooped does!
this is so stooped
I just love the way you drew and designed that tree I thing I will try to make one like that for my next flash cartoon. Thanks for adding.
CL?CKSNADS I AGREE WITH YOU
Who made this tree? I love it!!!
Make more,MORE!!!!
U ROCK IT TOATALY HELPED!!!
OMG!!! thanx so much...I mean tis really helped me......
it is useful
beautiful its hard for me i hate all of u fu
this tree looks so hard but is very
this is wick :)
what is it again ;)
It looks hard but it sooooooooooooooooooooooooo easy!!!!!!!!
its very useful
I love it
Great tip now i can use it for art thank you!!!!
IM 11 I FOUND IT EASY I DREW IT IN 5 MINUTES ONLY (OF COURCE FREESTYLING SOME BITS) THIS WAS GREAT HELP THANX ^_^ :*
this is a very tree
This is so cool (:
I have to get back into drawing soon!
im only 10 and i drew that (in my opinion) really well!!!!! :)
how do you draw a tree it is so hard
this is so helping me
- AUTHOR
Sure I'll draw some bush lol!
Could you show how to draw bush
this is great
Hey, Good job. I would love to turn out to be a great artist like you. I made a really great tree. The tree is supposedly for my Birthday Board for my schoolmates. Since im one of the student councils. And i thought of an idea for september for an autumn tree. with gathered up some leaves. Great Job. I know everyone would love it. ;)
its good but difficult.......
This is great! This def helps me w/ my trees. To make them look more life like. Thanks.
this is so stupid.i dont get y ppl come here.
hello, i just popped on this site to check it out! :P ausome work (:
keep it up!.x.o
cool
hello ther i like cheese
could you reate a hub about cheese and how to draw it.
I have about 16 mice at home so it's hard not to have pictures of cheese.
wow this is so good
Wow I am doing an art project and this helped m eout so much thank you so very very very muchhh!!!!!!
i could draw before, but trees were not my forte. now i can draw them with ease! thanks!
i loved drawing this it was very simple and turned out amazing for my project
- AUTHOR
Cheers Debby!
This is the first I've hopped over to the drawing section on Hubpages. Looking forward to seeing more of your drawings. Nice feeling to the pencil. Lovely.
- AUTHOR
Drawing horses is quite fun.....I might just do a drawing article about that!
Cheers now!
i love drawing horses, but the problem is i live in nyc and never see any horses except for the ones that are on the streets but ive drawn so many of those!
- AUTHOR
Best thing to do is to take a photo of your dog and then draw it, it's so much easier!!
Cheers now!
your really good at drawing, i draw my dog sometimes, but it is hard because she is a dalmatian and they go 100 mph all the time.
thanks now i know how to draw trees better now (:
- AUTHOR
Cheers there Msann!, yes they are different ways to draw trees and when I was at school I drew trees in lots of different ways, from v shaped green leaves to hanging droopy branches....
Thanks for the notes. I have been drawing trees for sometime now. But I don't do them that way. I started out one night when I was working in dispatch where I work. I start with a line and the next thing I know I have a tree. Over the years I have got better. But, I do like to check out how other people draw them. The old saying practice makes perfect is true. I have a scanner, but haven't figured out how it works, I could send you a copy and see what you think. Again, thanks
- AUTHOR
Thanks Anamika I do have more drawing lessons planned in my unpublished hubs, it's just scanning the art into my computer to do it and my scanner has been playing up for awhile!
Awesome! I look forward for more lessons.
cant draw a stupid tree how dumb an i i need it 4 a project
- AUTHOR
Cheers! trees are good to draw!
I love this and I like the way you use the picture.
you do make it look easy but as i artist i must say it hard for me to teach someone how to draw
- AUTHOR
I remember when I was at school there was certain ways you could start to draw trees in different ways, I'll have to do another hubpage on the subject, because that would help even more...thanks for giving me the idea and your comment cheers DF!
trees are hard to draw; great hub for beginners and novices. trees are often neglected in practice
- AUTHOR
Jolly Good show, trees are the best to draw!
Wow, now I can draw a tree that looks like a tree! I have no gift for the visual arts but I'm sure, with your hub, I will start drawing. Yes, just a tree first.
- AUTHOR
Practice makes perfect!
i think the tree is very hard to draw
- AUTHOR
It is quite easy to draw trees, but a lot of practice along the way helps a lot!
you do make it look easy
- AUTHOR
Your welcome! trees are great to draw!
this helped sooo much! thank you! im horrible at drawing and this really helped me a lot thank you!
wow this has helped me a lot now i know how to draw trees! well done
- AUTHOR
Yay draw some trees!!!
thanks!I can draw now.
- AUTHOR
Thanks Kev!
I may add some stuff to this at a later date!
Good tutorial Wayne.
- AUTHOR
Thanks again Nancy!
You are just amazing!
- AUTHOR
Thanks Franciaonline for your comment!
Yeah I like that how to draw a car hubpage, it was super useful to learn to draw cars! I have something similar planned but with helicopters and tanks...that sort of thing!
- AUTHOR
Cheers Quicksand!
I already have all 30 mapped out, it's just writing them up together with some of the keyword research I did last week.
Wow, now I can draw a tree that looks like a tree! I have no gift for the visual arts but I'm sure, with your hub, I will start drawing. Yes, just a tree first. Maybe a car next, because around here is a hub on how to draw a car. Thanks for sharing your talent!
Good luck to you in the hub challenge. I see you have used the Hub-Challenge icon. :)
- AUTHOR
I like happy trees...and I may just add a tree drawing video here too....something for the future of tree drawers...cheers oscillationatend!
This needs a Happy Trees video. ;P
Thanks man..if I had any type of motor skillz, I'd totally do this. I'll ask my niece.
- AUTHOR
Heeeeyyy! a long time since you logged in here.
Yes I have been living here for a long time, tis true am now participating in the hubchallenge where we have to do 30 hubpages in 30 days and it started today!!
Gonna try it??!
You make it look so easy.
85