How to Draw a Leaf Step by Step
This tutorial shows how to draw a simple leaf in four easy steps. It provides detailed examples and quick instructions.
The example is of a fairly generic green leaf that is drawn in four main stages starting with it’s largest parts and going down to the small details.
It’s recommended that you begin the drawing in pencil and make light and easy to erase line just in case you happen to make a mistake. You can darken them after you’ve finished adding all of the leaf’s details.
For drawing a maple leaf see:
How to Draw a Maple Leaf Step by Step
Step 1 – Draw the Blade of the Leaf
Begin by outlining the the largest part of the leaf, the blade. Make it wider as it goes out from the base and then again narrower towards it’s pointy tip.
With the main part of the leaf outlined it will be much easier to add the smaller ones.
Step 2 – Draw the Large Veins
Onto the blade add the petiole (the part that attaches the leaf to the branch). Give the petiole a slightly larger bit at it’s base and make it narrower as it goes towards the blade. It should then transition into the the midrib, the largest vein that runs through the middle of the leaf. Draw the midrib with smaller veins coming out from each of it’s sides and curing up towards the leaf’s sides.
Make each of the vein wider at it’s base and narrower towards the end.
Step 3 – Draw the Small Veins
Coming out of the larger veins from the previous step ads some really tiny ones. You can define each of these with just a single curved line. When combined the veins should look a bit like the branches of a tree.
Once you have all details of the leaf drawn out you can darken your lines with the pencil or a thin black marker. Just be sure to look over your drawing prior to doing so to make sure that you are happy with how things look.
Step 4 – Color the Leaf
For the last stage of the drawing you can color the leaf green and the veins a light green. An easy way to color the veins is with a green colored pencil. Simply press on it lightly to created the light green.
You can use any medium you like for the green of the blade. However for a brighter green like the one in the example a marker can be a good option. You can also create it with opaque paints or by pressing fairly hard on a green pencil.
If you would like to draw a leaf in the fall you can change the color of the veins a light yellow and the blade yellow, red or brown.
For an easy way to draw an entire tree see:
How to Draw a Tree (Simple 6 Step Guide)
Conclusion
This tutorial shows how to create a simple but fairly detailed drawing of a leaf. It also teaches a fairly good approach of drawing objects from their largest parts and going down to the smaller details.
For more similar guides with helpful drawing tips for beginners also see the following:
