How to Draw a Tree (Simple 6 Step Guide)
This tutorial shows how to draw a tree in a simple style with easy to follow step by step illustrated examples.
The tree in this guide is drawn similar to something you can find in a cartoon or a video game. The examples show how you can stylize it’s shape yet still keep it easily recognizable. The tutorial also explains how to make the drawing appear less flat (more three dimensional) and suggest several different color variations to show the tree in different seasons.
It’s recommended that you start the drawing in pencil and make light and easy to erase lines. Trace over them with a black marker (or darker pencil lines) once you have the entire tree outlined.
Step 1 – Draw the Tree’s Crown
Start the drawing with an outline of the tree’s crown (the combined shape of the leaves). As this is a slightly stylized/simplified tree you can can make it quite bush. Outline the crown to look somewhat like a big clumps of fluff. Define it with a wobbly/wavy outline as shown above. Make the shape slightly narrower near the top and wider near the bottom.
Step 2 – Draw the Trunk & Branches
Below the crown draw the trunk and branches. Make the trunk wider at the base and narrow as it goes up. Next, draw a pair of branches. Place them near the top of the trunk with one per side (as shown in the example).
Step 3 – Draw a Hint of the Roots
At the bottom of the tree draw the roots. Create a hint of these simply by adding a pair of little curves in between the two sides of the trunk. Leave the bottom ends of their outlines open. This will make it look like the roots are going into the ground.
Step 4 – Draw the Foliage (Clusters of Leaves)
Simply having an outline of the tree’s crown can result in a somewhat plain and flat looking drawing. To fix this add hints of various groups of leaves (the foliage) that make it’s comprised of.
Again, this is a stylized drawing and the goal is to give the leaves a somewhat “bushy look”. To accomplish this draw a series of wobbly curves that look like they radiate outwards from the lower middle of the crown’s. Add fewer near the center and more near the the edges of the outline. Adding hint’s of various leaf clusters will make the drawing look less plain and spacing them as describe will help show the curvature of the crown and give it a more three dimensional look.
For drawing an individual leaf see:
How to Draw a Leaf Step by Step
Step 5 – Color the Tree
To color the tree as shown in this example simply make the leaves green and the trunk/branches brown. As the colors are so simple almost any media you have available can work well (paints, markers, colored pencils, etc…). However, before you start coloring you may also wish to consider what kind of a tree you wish to have. If you want to show a tree in the fall you can make the leaves a different color such as yellow, orange or red. If you want to show a blooming tree in the spring color the crown pink to make it look like flower blossoms instead of leaves.
For drawing a fall maple leaf see:
How to Draw a Maple Leaf Step by Step
Step 6 – Draw a Shadow the Bottom of the Leaves
Finally, to again make the drawing look a bit more three dimensional add a shadow along the lower part of the crown. You can create the shadows by lightly going over top of the colors with a regular pencil (or a darker green). Define it’s shape with a wobbly outline just like the one used for the crown’s main outline.
The reason for drawing the shadow in this way is because light generally comes from above and the shadows are cast in the opposite direction. In such a setup the crown will casts a shadow downwards on itself.
Conclusion
This guide shows how to draw a simple tree with a style somewhat similar to cartons or video games. It provides a few simple tricks to help make the drawing stand out as well as a few suggestion on how you can show the tree in different season by simply making the leaves a different color.
