I am sure that almost all of you are interested in the topic of creating landscapes. Landscapes can be very different, showing beautiful and interesting views of different parts of our planet, in many of them you come into contact with the task of depicting trees. How to draw a living, beautiful and natural tree is the topic of our today's lesson.
Trees are not difficult to draw, only sometimes they come out somehow too drawn or flat.
Basic Mistakes
The main mistakes in drawing trees are:
Lack of volume
The lack of volume in the drawing (in color or black and white) is achieved by using paints of different tone and intensity. Even on a cloudy day, some part of the crown and trunk will be more shaded, and some less. In the thick of foliage, the colors are always darker. Think of a tree as a ball (crown) and a cylinder (trunk) to understand how shadows form on this complex shape.
Here are some examples:
Too regular and unnatural forms
To avoid this mistake, trees are easy and quick to gently draw, and if your hand trembles somewhere, it will be more natural than when all the lines are very folding and dewy. In nature, you will not find exactly the same trees, a perfectly symmetrical crown or trunk. There is always something out of the ordinary. Something always gets out of the general system, and this is what gives the tree (plant) and your drawing more liveliness and naturalness.
Naturally, this rule is not suitable for trees and bushes, the shapes of which are shaped by gardeners.
Advice: Before you start drawing a forest or a park alley, practice drawing trees and bushes separately on a sheet, so that they start to turn out easily and naturally. It is important that you can mark trunks and branches with quick movements, this will help to avoid "loneliness" in your work. After training, move on to a more serious task.
We draw in stages
In nature, there are a huge number of trees, each with its own character. Let's try to depict different types of trees in stages in order to better understand the process of creating such a picture and some of the nuances.
Define the general shape
The main thing is to correctly determine the general shape of the tree, its crown and trunk. If it is somehow tilted or rotated, then at the very first stage it is important to note this direction as well.
The initial sketch may look very primitive, but it is important that you can already guess from it whether it is a tree or a bush. No details are needed or important now.
Refine the silhouette
A clear shape and correct direction (turn, bend or slope), a good basis for some detailing and refinement.
Now, we can refine the silhouette of the crown, some small protrusions of the branches, show the gaps, refine the placement and direction of the branches on the trunk and among the foliage. 
Remember that trees that are too even and symmetrical will not look natural.
Adding overall tone and color
The sketch is ready and now we can pick up paints or a pencil and give the tree more expressiveness and volume.
If you work with any paints (except watercolor), then the crown and trunk can be immediately painted with a common color without showing light and shadow.
At this stage, it is important to choose a good shade for the foliage and trunk, which is characteristic of this particular type of tree and corresponding to the lighting.
Spots of light and shadow
After the main paints are selected and applied, it is worth giving some volume. To do this, depending on the lighting, you need to show the shadow and light on the entire crown, without highlighting the branches on the trunk.
Also now it is necessary to note the shadow on the trunk, depending on the location of the sun.
In the illustration above, we have assumed that the sun is above and to the right. Accordingly, the shadows on the trunks formed on the left side.
Small shapes and details
When the total volume is shown, individual branches, clusters of branches, depressions and gaps between leaves can be distinguished. If there is a need, you can select some leaves in the foreground, so there will be a feeling of stronger detail.
You should not draw every leaf, so the picture will look like a child's one. After all, when we look at the forest, we see the big picture, and only looking closely, concentrating our attention, we can look at individual leaves.
Trees without leaves
In the cold season, the trees are left without leaves, this is also an interesting topic in the visual arts. Drawing dry branches is a good practice for any artist, as here you need to correctly show the volume, direction, shape, angle and perspective.
Each type of tree has a different arrangement of branches, this must be taken into account. In some trees, the branches are small, with many bends, they are located close. In others, on the contrary, the branches are long, straight with a minimum of branches. Also note the shape of the crown without leaves.
Video lesson
See the lesson on how to draw a forest, a tree, trees in stages with a pencil:
Examples for inspiration
Claude Monet, Olive Trees in Moreno's Garden 
The tree quite often becomes the object of children's drawings. What picture of nature can do without trees? But trees are not as easy to draw as they seem, so it is better for novice artists to draw a tree in stages and at first with a simple pencil. And only by correctly completing the drawing with a pencil, it will be possible to paint it with paints. It is quite difficult to draw branches in a tree. They should be evenly spaced along the trunk and stretch upwards towards the sun, and also have many small branches of branches inside. To make the tree look more beautiful in the picture, make the crown and trunk of the correct shape.
First, mark the lines of the branches, then make them almost invisible in the foliage crown. The easiest way to learn how to draw a spruce. It has a fairly simple structure, but we will try to make the task more difficult. In this lesson we will draw a tree, step by step pencil.
1. Let's mark up the tree trunk
First we need to mark the base of the branches and trunk. To do this, in the middle of a sheet of paper, draw two main vertical lines. From them we will make branches for branches stretching upwards, but at the next stage.
2. Outlines of the main branches
Try to make the contours of the branches a little at different distances from each other so that you do not end up with strict symmetry, which practically does not exist in nature.
3. Add small twigs to the drawing
Further, from these main branches of branches, many more branches need to be made, of which there are many on any tree. But in our drawing everything is conditional, therefore, one should not draw too many of these branches. Make them also not in symmetry. Leaves will be drawn on these future branches.
4. Let's finally draw the whole tree, except for the leaves
According to the preliminary contours, we outline the actual dimensions of the trunk and branches. To do this, circle the main line with two others, but not so even, since the surface of a tree is even only on a pole. We will do the same with branches, only we will add along one line, since there is not necessarily an ideal similarity. Draw a lot of bunches on the trunk, they will be branches turned towards us. This is often forgotten and tree drawing turns out flat. In the next step, we will determine the size of the leaves of our tree and circle the counter for the future crown.
5. Draw the leaves of the tree
Drawing the leaves of a tree is not so much difficult as long. Firstly, they are small, and secondly, there are a lot of them, and if possible, you need to draw each leaf separately. To quickly draw the leaves of a tree, draw small elongated ovals, just make sure that they do not go much beyond the general outline of the tree. Draw them according to the location of the branches, and do not leave gaps between them.
6. Drawing a tree with a pencil
If you draw only with a simple pencil, then add some more small details, shade the tree trunk, remove extra strokes from the drawing. And to make the black and white drawing of a tree more picturesque, you need to add small details surrounding the tree. For example, draw grass next to it, depict a shadow from a tree crown with dark strokes, etc.
7. Drawing trees with paints
This lesson is about how to draw a maple leaf. But, if you draw other trees, this lesson will help you draw the leaves of any trees correctly.
Try to draw a flying parrot. In the future, if you can draw a parrot correctly, you can draw any bird, even a firebird. It is best to draw it against the background of tree leaves.
If you draw a forest, you can draw mushrooms. Mushrooms will be a good decoration for your drawing, especially if you color them with colored pencils.
A Christmas tree often needs to be drawn for a New Year's card or wall newspaper. If you draw a Christmas tree, you can draw both Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. There are tutorials on the site.
An apple tree is practically no different from an ordinary deciduous tree, only its branches are always widely "scattered" and bend down to the ground, because in the harvest year heavy apples bend them to the ground.
The house can be drawn in many ways, such as making a roof of tiles, drawing double doors, or adding a chimney lined with bricks for a fireplace. It depends on your desire, but any house should have a foundation, walls, a roof and doors with windows. Drawing the surrounding landscape around the house, you can not do without drawing trees.
From a very early age, first mothers, then kindergarten teachers, teachers in drawing lessons at school put love for nature into the soul of a child. One of the ways to appreciate the beauty around us is the fine arts.
Children are very fond of and wildlife is the best topic for this. Let's draw trees with a pencil and paints.
Master class for beginners: how to draw a beautiful tree with a pencil
How to draw a winter tree?
It is quite difficult for a person inexperienced in fine arts to show changes in nature, and especially winter. But if you are not too strict and critical in relation to the children's drawing, then you may be surprised to find that the kids are much easier about this. The smallest do well with white snowflakes from gouache dots that cover bare branches.
The older the baby becomes, the more difficult the technique of making a winter landscape. There is no need to strictly indicate exactly how to draw winter, developing the talent of the artist.
How to draw a tree in autumn?
With the autumn theme, things are much easier. Bright red-yellow shades elevate fantasy to an unprecedented level. And various drawing techniques allow you to get beautiful autumn landscapes.
Someone loves watercolor, someone likes working with gouache - mixing paints to get the right shade is a very exciting and exciting thing. You can even draw an autumn tree with a toothbrush, spraying different shades of paint alternately with a bristle onto a sheet of paper with an already drawn trunk.
If you want to be an artist, you need to be able to draw anything regardless of style or purpose. This also applies to images of trees. And this is not surprising, because they are the most important element of our planet. Without them, all life on Earth will perish. It is thanks to them that we and all other living beings can breathe.
Masters can draw many variations of these plants without much difficulty. This is especially true for animators and authors of original comics. If many trees are involved in them, they have to be added by hundreds, or even thousands. Therefore, it is important to be able to draw them as easily and simply as possible.
If you want to achieve the same skill as famous artists, know that you can draw a tree in stages. It is only important to know the technique and some features.
It is better to read a few articles about trees before starting work. Learn about the differences between species, the structure and structure of plants, shape features, periods of growth, development, and much more. Elementary, you will not be able to draw larch or spruce if you do not know how they look, what shape and stiffness their crown is.
It is also impossible to plausibly depict a tree if you do not understand the structure of the tree. For example, the trunk is not just a bare log, and the crown is not airy cotton wool, but a huge number of leaves that form a single and unique pattern.
Knowing the nuances is an important part of every artist. For example, if you decide you need to know about the structure of the visual apparatus, etc. That is why the materials posted on our website, we try to reveal every, even the smallest step. If you don't want to miss our lessons, subscribe.
How to draw a deciduous tree
Drawing a tree with a pencil for beginners is quite simple if you do it in stages. However, it is important to determine for yourself which plant you want to portray. View photos on the Internet, take a walk in the park or in the forest. We guarantee that you will find many bizarre tree shapes. We will take the standard form. It is easiest to show those techniques that will help you in your creations. Having mastered the basics and basics, you can easily depict trees, whether it is an element of a futuristic or fabulous landscape.
Draft
To transfer an imaginary deciduous tree onto paper, do the following:
Adding details
It's time to bring the draft to a sensible state. Let's take the crown first. If you repeated after us, then your contour turned out to be even. Now, with light movements, draw a wavy line along the entire length of the crown.
If you are drawing a tree in natural conditions, and not a lawn plant, then remember that there is no such thing as a perfectly rounded crown. Make indentations or protrusions to give more realism. You will not be able to completely repeat the drawing, as it turned out in the lesson. But it's completely natural. Remember that we only give recommendations that can help you in most situations. But, if you think that you need to do it differently, feel free to do it. 
Shadows and blackouts
When depicting sinuous lines, remember that the crown closer to the trunk is always somewhat darker, as it receives much less sunlight. To achieve the desired effect, apply strokes with light movements. Increase the amount of winding short lines between tree branches. 
If you want to competently draw a tree in stages with a pencil, remember the shadows. In our case, the light falls straight from above. Therefore, the entire trunk is dark. At its base, we also apply blackouts. In shape, they should resemble an oval if the crown has a rounded shape. Also draw shadows on the crown itself.
To do it right, consider where the leaves are more tightly packed, where the crown has ridges. Having identified these areas, shade the places under them. If you work with one pencil, then just press the tool a little harder than usual. There are also whole sets of pencils with varying degrees of hardness. Even if you use them with the same pressure, the stylus will leave drawings of varying degrees of darkening. 
Let's look from the other side
After you understand the basic principles of how to draw a deciduous tree, let's try to depict it a little differently. This time we will try to depict a younger and weaker plant, the crown of which does not reach the main stem of the plant.
To begin with, as in the previous case, depict the soil and the trunk. Remember that our tree is not that many years old. Therefore, the ratio of the height and width of the trunk will be appropriate. The plant is more elongated, and its diameter is reduced. The same goes for the branches of the tree. 
Now draw the crown of the tree. In this case, try to do it right away with a wavy line. If you don't succeed, don't worry. Draw a rough outline smooth, and then change it. 
Apply shading to the crown. In the process of hatching, the branches of a deciduous tree can get lost in the crown. There is nothing wrong with this. If you don't want to let this happen, by slightly increasing the pressure on the pencil, circle their contours, making them more visible than they were. 
Darken the stem. The tips of the branches can be left closed if you want your tree to have a dense and lush crown. However, remember that in young deciduous plants this phenomenon is extremely rare. But anything is possible in our world. 
To draw a tree in stages with a pencil for children, make the outline of the plant clearer. Circle the crown, branches, trunk. But don't overdo it. Spend time working on the shadows. Don't forget to shade at the base of the plant. It is possible that dirty stains will remain around the tree in the process. This is normal if you hold a pencil the same way you would a regular ballpoint pen while writing. Erase the stains from the sheet and from the hand (yes, traces of the tool will also remain on it). 
From the school course of botany, we remember very well that in addition to deciduous trees, our planet is full of representatives of conifers. There are areas of thousands of square kilometers that are completely covered with these plants, for example, Northern Canada or Siberia. Therefore, if you want to learn how to draw any trees with a pencil, you need to try your hand at depicting conifers.
In principle, there is nothing complicated about this. To draw such trees, do the following:
- think over the composition of the picture;
- imagine the age of the tree, its age, shape, etc.
- break the drawing into stages;
- present the tree in the form of separate, independent fragments;
- draw each stage separately from the rest.
The last element, by the way, is more suitable for those who want to draw a tree in the Paint Tool SAI or Photoshop. In these and similar programs, there is one indispensable function - the creation of layers. With their help, you can draw individual elements. In our case: soil, trunk, branches, crown, environment. This greatly simplifies the image process, as you can change, correct, edit, paint over, erase and do other operations directly with a specific element. In this case, other parts will not be affected. And at the end of the process, you just need to merge all the layers into one to get a single finished drawing.
It all starts with a sketch
As in the previous case, outline the center lines. More specifically, the ground line and the axis of the trunk of a coniferous tree. To depict them once without subsequent changes, remember that you need to think over the entire composition of the drawing in advance. In our case, we will not complicate our work, since drawing a coniferous tree for beginners or for children should be easy. We confine ourselves to the image of the tree itself without additional details. On the same light contour, outline the crown of the future plant. 
The crown of a coniferous tree consists of very dense leaves that resemble needles in shape. In addition, unlike hardwoods, it (crown) has, as a rule, a conical shape.
Now that you have the first sketches, inside the crown, carefully draw the trunk and branches of the coniferous tree. Do not press hard on the pencil. If you have a whole set of tools, use the softest one. The fact is that the branches of most coniferous trees are completely hidden behind the crown. 
We bring to a ready form
Before proceeding to the next step, decide which branches will be visible from the crown, and which will be completely hidden. Often in nature, the branches of some coniferous plants look out to the surface. By doing the same, we will give more realism and believability to our drawing.
However, remember that this recommendation is more relevant when you want to draw a coniferous tree with a pencil in stages, which will be the main active element of the entire image. If, for example, you draw comic or cartoon scenes that take place in a coniferous forest, such details can be omitted to save time and effort. The main thing is that in this case, they act as a background and do not focus on themselves.
In the same step, draw the primary blackouts. To successfully complete this step, repeat the same steps as with the deciduous tree. Recall that for this you need to determine the location of the light source. 
Take some more time to work out the details. Again, let me remind you that this is necessary if there is only one single tree in the figure. Darken the trunk and branches of the plant, some parts of the crown. Don't forget the shade under the tree. It may not be in one single case - if the light source is at the foot. However, this is possible if the tree is on the lawn and is illuminated by several small spotlights. 
Now you know the basic techniques, using which you can draw a tree of any shape, size and species. The main thing to understand is practice. Not enough knowledge of one theory. What matters is the experience you get. In our text, only three cases of how to draw a tree with a pencil are considered. And there are many varieties of this plant. Find pictures or trees in the area where you live and try to draw them. To make it easier, use the techniques that were described above.
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How to draw a beautiful tree? This skill is useful if you like to draw nature, landscapes or just want to complement the background with a nice element or groups of them. You will need the ability to draw trees in the process of drawing a forest or any other natural location. In addition, trees can be stylized as a fantastic element of a futuristic or space landscape. However, you need to start small - namely, by drawing a simple, but still beautiful tree. In this tutorial I will show you how to draw a beautiful tree step by step with a pencil. As a result, we will get such a nice drawing.
For drawing you do not need exotic materials - just a simple pencil and paper. Use crayons, felt-tip pens, pencils or paints as you wish. We start drawing the tree from the trunk. We will have a fairly slender tree, pay attention to how it expands downward and upward.
Next, we need to draw a sketch of the first branches. It seems that they grow in a chaotic manner, but this is not so. In order to catch exactly how the branches of certain trees grow, watch them in nature or just look at the photo, note the common features. We should have it like this.
Now we draw side branches from the main branches, forming the general outlines of the crown of our beautiful tree. In general, you can stop at this stage if you are drawing an autumn or winter tree without foliage.
In this step we will draw the general outlines of the crown. Since our tree is located far from the observer, there is no need to detail it too much and draw each leaf. If your tree is in the foreground, then, of course, you will have to work hard and add more details and elements. This is how we've got it so far.
Now, on top of the branches, I draw the volume of foliage.
Please note that some of the leaves overlap the tree branches - this means they will need to be erased. We remove the extra lines, we get such a beautiful tree.
Outline if necessary. If you plan to paint a tree drawing using paints, then you can skip this step.
