How to draw a flower
A flower is one shape drawn several times. Get one petal right and you already know how to draw the rest, because they are the same petal turned around the centre.
- 8 steps
- 10 minutes
- 4-10 Ages
- Easy
Draw it step by step
The new lines for each step are drawn in red. The grey dashed shapes are guides, sketch them lightly and rub them out at the end.
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1 Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch a big oval as a guide. Keep it soft.
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2 Step 2: Petal starters
Draw a short curved line on the left edge of the oval, plus two small dashes on top.
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3 Step 3: Top petal and center
Draw an oval on top for a petal. Add a small U shape under it with two curved lines joining.
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4 Step 4: Right petal and curves
Draw a big oval on the right for another petal. Add two long curved lines under the center to start two lower petals.
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5 Step 5: Bottom side petals
Draw two large ovals at the bottom left and bottom right to make the lower petals.
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6 Step 6: Center and bottom petal
Finish the circle in the middle with a curved line. Draw a rounded teardrop under it for the bottom petal.
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7 Step 7: The stem
Draw two straight parallel lines down from the flower for the stem. Close the bottom with a short straight line.
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8 Step 8: Two leaves
Draw a sideways oval on the left for a leaf and another on the right. Make them touch the stem.
What you need
A pencil, paper and an eraser. This is the easiest tutorial on the site and a good one to start with if you have never followed a drawing lesson before.
Before you start
Sketch the grey guide circle lightly. It tells you how big the whole bloom will be, so nothing runs off the paper. Leave room underneath it for the stem, which is longer than people expect.
The part most people get wrong
Spacing the petals. Draw the top petal first, then the bottom one, then fill in the sides. If you go round in one direction instead, adding each petal next to the last, the gaps get bigger as you go and the final petal never fits. Working opposite pairs keeps the flower balanced without you having to measure anything.
The other thing: petals are not perfect ovals. Give each one a slightly different width and let one or two lean. A flower where every petal is identical looks like a wheel.
Make it your own
- Change the petal shape. Round petals make a daisy, pointed petals make a sunflower, heart shaped petals make a poppy.
- Add more petals. Eight instead of six. Same rule, opposite pairs first.
- Draw a whole row. Three flowers of different heights, sharing the ground line.
- Add a bee. A small oval with two rounded wings, hovering to one side.
Learn more about flowers
The middle of the flower you have just drawn is not decoration, it is the part that does the work: it holds the pollen. The petals exist to advertise it to bees, which is why they are the brightest, biggest part of the plant. Sunflowers can grow over three metres tall and their heads turn to follow the sun through the day when they are young, a habit called heliotropism. And the leaves you drew last are the plant's kitchen, where sunlight, water and air get turned into food.
