To draw trees properly, the artist has to understand a little about trees. Trees come in two types. Deciduous trees have leaves that are shed in the fall and grow back in the spring. Evergreen trees have needles or foliage that stay green all year long.
Because these trees are different, they need to be drawn with different techniques. Here is a step-by-step demo of how to draw deciduous trees. To learn how to draw evergreen trees, see this demo.
Step One
The first step is drawing the trunk. The trunks of deciduous trees are usually bumpy and gnarled, so straight lines should be avoided. To do this, the artist should make short, quick dashes to define the trunk.
The illustration shows how the trunk should look as if it is emerging from the ground by having the tops of its roots showing. These should be drawn the same way, with short, quick dashes of the pencil.
Step Two
The bark on a deciduous tree varies, so the artist must take the time to observe the tree. Some barks are smooth, while others are full of ridges. The bark on the tree in the example has fairly rough bark, so the pencil was turned on its side and strokes were made with short, dashing movements.
Step Three
To draw the branches of a deciduous tree, the artist should remember one simple step: the branches are V shapes that turn into progressively smaller V shapes.
Put simply, the artist can draw the trunk splitting into a V. Then, each arm of the V will split into a smaller V. The artist can keep doing this until the treetop is full of branches. The artist should remember, though, to overlap the branches to create depth.
On different types of trees, the Vs of the branches will be wider or narrower, but the rule still holds true.
Step Four
Leaves can be added by using the side of the lead of the pencil in long, sweeping strokes. The strokes should be connecting with the ends of the branches, where the leaves grow, and should be varied in darkness for depth. This works well for trees that are distant to the viewer.
Trees that are closer should have a little more detail, such as individual leaves drawn on the closer branches. To learn more about drawing leaves, see this demo.
Step Five
To finish a tree, the artist should add shading around the ‘V’s in the branches and on the trunk. Since trees shades itself, light will be dappled and indirect, making for darker shadows and less highlights.
These techniques can be used to draw almost any deciduous tree. The trick is to take these tips and to modify them for the type of tree that is being drawn.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
