Download Article
Download Article
This article was co-authored by Kelly Medford. Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
This article has been viewed 327,707 times.
Drawing a forest is actually almost as easy as drawing a tree, you'll understand how following these steps. Let's begin!
Steps
-
Draw 2 lines.
-
Add one shorter line.Advertisement
-
Add 2 more lines.
-
Draw more lines and draw a part of the tree.
-
Add more lines to mark branches. Draw short lines to mark bushes in front.
-
Around the drawing draw four lines and draw more branches and leaves, as shown.
-
Using a razor gum, make some lines softer.
-
Start coloring the drawing using two or more shades of brown for the trees.
-
Finished.
-
Start by drawing a line for the floor.
-
Draw two curves covering the floor line and six more behind it, as you can see they always go from thin to thick, top to bottom.
-
Draw a few more behind the first row of trees.
-
Draw a third row on the back.
-
Now is the perfect time to add details, like bushes and mushrooms.
-
To make these rows of trees look real keep in mind that the farther they are the dimmer the color on them will look, use a pallid yellow and green to make the background look gloomy.
-
Draw the ground. If you want a grassy forest, draw some spikes that vary in size and direction.
-
Draw some trees. If the tree is closer, make it larger. If it is farther away, make it smaller and behind the ones that are closer, to add perspective to your drawing.
-
Add some details that bring the forest to life. For plants, you could add some mushrooms, bark textures, bushes and small plants. For animals, add insects, mammals, maybe even an owl or two. If you'd like to add people, you could include children collecting acorns or picking berries.
-
Add color. Remember that the trees behind the ones in front are in the shadows and gradually make it a darker color. Color shadows, spots that you want to be bright, and other little features.
Expert Q&A
-
QuestionHow can I improve my perspective in drawing?
Kelly MedfordKelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
Professional ArtistOne way is by doing blind contour drawings, where you just look at the object that you're drawing without looking at your paper—this forces your eyes to go very slowly around the object and have your hand follow your eye on paper. You can also take photographs of buildings that are in perspective and trace over them with tracing paper, which helps you understand how angles go back in space and are not flat. -
QuestionWhat is razor gum? Is it just an eraser?
Community AnswerIt is a special kind of eraser that can be molded to erase fine details and not large swaths of drawing. -
QuestionHow do I draw a simple winning drawing?
Shahzaib KhanCommunity AnswerFollow the method above and add your own tweaks and ideas. Use your imagination!
Video
Tips
-
You can even add some little rocks on the forest ground.Thanks
-
Add animals or some branches, or even change the type of trees to add variety.Thanks
-
Give contrast colours on tree, animals, and stones so it looks like natural and use colour pencils and oil pastel or crayon.Thanks
About This Article
If you want to draw a sketch-style forest, start by drawing 2 vertical lines on a sheet of paper. Add in several lighter, shorter vertical lines, but vary the angle slightly so the trees will look more natural. Draw angled lines coming from the trees to form branches, and add short lines near the bottom of the drawing to create bushes in front of the trees. Use bushy, curvy lines to make the leaves. Once you have the outline drawn, color the trees using various shades of green and brown. To learn how to draw a basic forest, keep reading!
Reader Success Stories
-
"I needed to draw a forest for a scene from a book for school, and was able to do so. Thanks a bundle!"
Did this article help you?
