How to Draw a Tree (Realistic)

In this video, we're going to take a look at how to draw a realistic tree using graphite pencils. Now, of course, you'll need a few items. We'll start off with a 2H pencil, which is a lighter pencil but with a harder lead, an HB pencil, which is somewhere middle of the road, a 4B pencil, which is softer and darker, an eraser, and then patience. This is a slow process, but it pays off in the end. There are several keys to drawing trees. The first key is to look at the shape, and we're just going to look at the outer contour of the shape of the tree. And, of course, this approach can be applied to drawing any tree that you wish, whether it be from observation or one that you create from your imagination. We'll start very lightly with the 2H pencil, drawing out the overall shape of the tree. In this case, this is an oak tree, so it has a very broad, almost a mushroom shape. Of course, we'll include the trunk and we'll maybe include some indication of the ground plane as well. Of course, it's perfectly acceptable to be very loose with your marks at this stage in the drawing. You may even draw several lines. We're basically just trying to find the overall shape of the tree. And, since we're using a harder lead pencil here, the 2H pencil, you want to be sure that you don't put too much pressure on the pencil. That can create depressions in the surface of the paper. Now, we're going to break the shapes down even further and look at each individual clump or collection of leaves on the tree as individual shapes. And, we'll go ahead and start to sketch these out within the overall contour that we've created on the surface. Now, while even this step is still very simple, it can be somewhat overwhelming to try to find each one of the clumps or collections of leaves. A good way to find these clumps or collections is just look at the relationships of the values that are happening. Usually, these clumps or collections of leaves will be lighter on the top and then become progressively darker as they start to recede back into the tree, making the values a bit darker. So, in this case, allow the values to be your guide in helping you find each clump or collection of leaves. It's also important to note that the species of the tree will clearly dictate the shapes of each one of these clumps. Say, for example, a pine tree is going to have different shapes than the oak tree that we're drawing here. And, the same is true for any other species of trees. Now, once we've got these shapes in place, it's time to move on to the next key to drawing trees, and that's the texture. Now, texture is clearly dictated by the marks that are made on the surface, but other factors are at play as well. For example, the surface texture of the paper itself will play a role. And, of course, value and the relationships of the dark and light values also plays an important role in creating the illusion of texture. We'll create small, irregular, organic squiggle lines to create the texture of the leaves of the tree. And, we'll move on to our medium grade HB pencil to do so. Now, remember when I mentioned patience earlier? This is where it's going to come into play. This is a very slow process developing believable texture that will represent the leaves of the tree. Remember, we are creating an illusion. This means that we don't have to draw every single leaf that exists on the tree. I see so many students get absorbed in the details that they see in a tree and become overwhelmed. They forget that, ultimately, it's the relationship of the elements that are used in the piece that lead to the illusion. And, speaking of elements, of course, we're creating the illusion of texture, but we're doing so in a large part in how we handle the value. Of course, value is the darkness or lightness of a color. And, in order for our drawing to be successful, it's the placement of the values that is what ultimately leads to the illusion of the texture of the leaves. We want to ensure that we have a full range of value, meaning that we have the darkest darks, the lightest lights, and the mid-tones in between. When we look at the tree in relationship to the value scale, we can pinpoint areas within the drawing where we've used specific values to create the illusion. We'll continue developing the relationships of values as we work through each clump or collection of leaves on the tree. We'll also leave open spaces where we can see parts of the sky through the canopy of the tree. We'll continue to work slowly considering the location of the light source. And, in this case, the light source is coming from above, meaning the upper portions of each clump of leaves will be lighter in value. There'll be mid-tones in between the lighter values and the shadowed sections which exist on the lower portion of each clump. We'll also want to add irregular edges around the canopy. No tree is perfectly symmetrical or perfectly shaped. It's very organic and irregular. These irregular edges exist on all sides of the tree, even the lower portion. Now, consider each grouping of leaves on the bottom. It's going to be much darker in value down here as well. In some of the breaks within the tree, we'll add a few indications of some of the trunk and a few of the branches. Now, a tree, of course, is a three-dimensional form, and the illusion of form is created through light. We understand light in the scene through the placement of the lighter values, which again will exist on the upper portion of each clump, and the darker values, which will exist on the lower portion. It's important that we stay consistent with the locations of lighter values and darker values throughout the drawing process so that the illusion of light can be communicated. Now, I'm right-handed, so I'm working from the upper left portion of the picture plane down to the lower right portion of the picture plane. This will keep the palm of my hand out of the way while I'm drawing. Of course, the palm of my hand could smear the graphite if I'm not careful. Alternatively, you could always put down a paper towel or a small sheet of paper under the palm of your hand to prevent the oils of your hand from mixing with your graphite applications. Now, remember, don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed with the details that you might observe in your subject. Remember, we're creating an illusion. This means that it's not necessary to draw every single detail that we see. Instead, we need to concentrate on how we can use the elements of art, value, texture, shape, form, to create the illusion of what we're seeing. Drawing, after all, is an activity of illusion. We're basically fooling the viewer's mind into believing and understanding the scene or subject that we're drawing. With the canopy of our tree in place, we can go ahead and clean up some of the edges. I'll use a kneaded eraser to gently lift up some of the 2H pencil marks that were made initially. We'll use the HB pencil to go ahead and add just a light touch of value on the trunk of the tree. Then we'll switch over to our softer pencil. I'm using a General's layout pencil for this, which is about equivalent to a 4B pencil. Marks are made in a vertical motion on the trunk of the tree. This helps to define the form of the tree and create a bit of texture there. We'll also use the softer graphite pencil to darken up some of the areas on the canopy of the tree. These areas include visible branches and parts of the trunk of the tree. We'll add a few additional branches here and there, sticking out from the clumps of leaves. We'll also darken up some of the areas on the bottom portions of some of the collections of leaves, broadening the value range and increasing the illusion of light. Now we'll switch back to our HB pencil and start to develop some of the ground underneath the tree. We'll add a light application using the HB pencil to indicate the cast shadow that exists underneath the tree. We'll also add a few strokes to indicate grass. Now even though you may think that the shadow needs to be completely dark, it doesn't. There are areas where light is filtering through the top portion of the tree, creating various shapes. Once we've got the basic shape down, of course, we'll switch back to the softer pencil and push the values a bit darker. Marks are made in this case mostly in a horizontal motion. And now with a sharpened pencil, we'll go back and add a few more indications of the grass blades. A few more areas are darkened with the softer graphite pencil. A couple additional branches are added around the edges. And now our drawing of a realistic tree using graphite pencils is complete. I hope that you were able to pick up a couple of things that you can apply to your own drawings. And as always, thank you for watching. If you're ready to learn more about drawing, then check out the Secrets to Drawing video course. You can click on the video to learn more about the course, which is the most comprehensive video course available for learning how to draw. We cover everything from the basics like line, shape, form, value, texture, color, and color theory. And we talk about each one of the traditional drawing media, including graphite, pen and ink, charcoal, colored pencils, oil pastels, and soft pastels, all while covering the traditional concepts of portrait drawing, landscape drawing, and figure drawing. You'll learn the core concepts behind seeing as an artist. You'll learn how to draw from observation and draw from photos. Now, there's more than just videos. Ebooks are included with the course as well. Each module includes an illustrated ebook that is taken directly from the video included in the module. It includes images and a written commentary. There are 28 total modules in the course, which include 26 ebooks that total 178 pages. That's over five hours of video instruction. I hope you'll check out the Secrets to Drawing video course.