Many budding artists often find drawing a cherry tree daunting, but with a few helpful tips and enough practice, drawing a cherry tree can be an enjoyable process. Drawing a cherry tree requires basic drawing knowledge of color and shading, and it’s helpful to understand some of the key characteristics of a cherry tree. Depending on the type of cherry tree, the specific steps for drawing a cherry tree will vary a bit. However, this guide will walk you through how to draw a cherry tree step-by-step with several key tips so even a beginner can draw a realistic looking cherry tree.
To draw a cherry tree, you’ll need the appropriate materials. Most pencils work for the sketching process, but for shading and coloring, it’s best to use colored pencils, markers, or pastels. You’ll also need lumber pencils, a kneaded eraser, and a ruler to draw clean, straight lines. To ensure a realistic outcome, choose a cherry tree image that is detailed enough to provide an example of the features of a cherry tree with a clear view of the trunk and branches.
Laying Out the Basic Sketch
Start by sketching the basic structure of the tree. Measure to make sure the trunk, branches, and canopy are in proportion and ensure the canopy is round. To draw the trunk and branches, lightly sketch a straight line for the trunk and draw curved lines from it for the branches. Once the tree’s skeleton is in place, you can think about the structure of the branch variations like where the branches should divide and the angles of the branches should be. Make sure to use quick and small strokes when drawing the branches.
It’s important to think about the overall shape of the tree to give it an organic look. When we look at trees in real life, they don’t have lines that are too straight. Use a ruler to draw straight lines only when necessary.
Rendering & Shading
Now that the overall form of the tree is complete, add in some shading to make it look more three-dimensional. Shade the trunk darker and the leaves lighter, and use a sourcoring method to imitate the contrast between shadow and light that we can see in real cherry trees. With the sourcoring technique, use a sharp pencil to draw the dark, natural lines of the written and then erase the pencil’s wider strokes around the lines. Sourcoring is especially important in drawing the leaves of a cherry tree. Use light feathery lines to render the leaves in contrast to the thicker, darker lines of the trunk and branches.
Adding Color
Once the shading is complete, it’s time to add some color. Select colors for the leaves and trunk of the tree depending on the type of cherry tree you are drawing. Making the colors accurate is the key for a realistic looking cherry tree. If your tree is a Japanese cherry tree, you can use lighter colors like pink and white to render the leaves and a dark grey or black for the trunk.
If you’re drawing a sweet cherry tree, use brown and dark green colors for the trunk and a dark and light green for the leaves. Begin by adding the base colors and then use layer color over the shading to create more contrast, and then refine the colors. Add some white accents in places with more contrast to make the colors more vibrant.
Once your colors have been added and the details of the tree are in place, use pencils and markers to impart further detail. Filling gaps in the tree’s canopy, refining shadows, and especially detailing the leaves are all important components of making the tree look realistic.
Adding Depth & Texture
Adding depth is the best way to take your drawing from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional. Use layers of light and dark colors to give the image more depth and use different kinds of lines to mimic a tree’s texture. Start with thicker lines for the trunk and branches and thinner lines to draw the details of the leaves. A few spots of white will also help to break up the colors and textures to make the image appear more realistic.
Finishing the Drawing
Once all of the colors, lines, and textures have been added to the drawing, use an eraser to clean up the lines and fade out any pencil marks. It can also help to add in a few shadows to give the image even more depth. If you’re satisfied with the results, you can now take a step back and admire. With enough practice and exploration, anyone can learn how to draw a cherry tree.
Painting a Cherry Tree
If you want to add a extra challenge to your cherry tree drawing, you can try using watercolor paints. Watercolor paints have the potential to create a beautiful painting with a variety of colors and hues. Before beginning, make sure to sketch out the image and build up the basic structure of the tree.
Start painting by adding the base colors to the trunk and leaves. Take time to mix the colors on the watercolor palette to get the right hue of the color you want. When adding color to the trunk and branches, go for a simple ombre effect of dark to light. Once the base colors are dry, use different tones of the same color to add more contrast and variations.
Painting leaves on the tree can be tricky. Apply extra layers of light and dark colors on the leaves to make them stand out. If needed, you can use the pencils to draw a few details that you want to keep from the sketch before adding the paint. Add light and texture to the tree with a few touches of white to break up the colors. Finish precision painting on the leaves and trunk, and your cherry tree is ready.
Finding Inspiration
Understanding a cherry tree’s key characteristics and studying real life images of cherry trees are essential to learning how to draw them. When exploring possible cherry tree images, take the time to look at the details of the tree – the height, the width of the trunk, the angle of the branches, the general shape of the tree, etc. This will give you a better understanding of how to draw a cherry tree’s basic structure.
To gain an even better understanding of the tree, it’s important to consider the context of the tree – the environment, the landscape, the surrounding trees – to create a realistic looking cherry tree. Once you have an understanding of the context and the details of the tree, sketch out your ideas and experiment with the composition to start the drawing process.
Practicing to Perfect
Knowing the fundamentals of how to draw a cherry tree is just a start. To perfect and elaborate your skills, practice drawing cherry trees of different types, experimenting with different angles, and including different contexts. Each time you practice, you’ll gain more understanding and control of your drawing and be able to create more realistic drawings.
Use reference images to study the structure and details of the tree. Visualizing the image can help you focus on the step by step directions and stay on track when drawing. Working with simple sketches is a good way to begin drawing and explore different drawing styles.
Using Digital Drawing Tools
When learning how to draw a cherry tree, you can use digital drawing tools to add variations to your work. With shapes and layers, you can create different textures and details, as well as add complex lighting effects to your tree. Digital drawing tools also provide options to play with different color pallets and variations, which can give you quicker results with your drawings.
When starting out with digital drawing tools, look up tutorials and practice the techniques to understand the tools better. Once you have a better understand the tools, start experimenting with different styles and techniques to refine your skills. Combining traditional and digital drawing techniques to create a cherry tree can be a great challenge.