How to draw a tree
A tree is three clouds sitting on a post. Once you see it that way, the whole drawing is rounded lobes for the crown, two straight lines for the trunk, and roots to hold it down.
- 9 steps
- 11 minutes
- 4-10 Ages
- Easy
How do you draw a tree?
Sketch three big overlapping ovals for the puffy treetop. Draw two straight lines for the trunk, then outline the middle crown, the left crown and the right crown so that they overlap each other and swallow the top of the trunk. Add two small branches, three big curved roots at the base and a knot. Nine steps.
Watch it drawn, line by line
The whole drawing in under half a minute, in the same order as the steps below. No sound, so play it anywhere.
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 three big overlapping ovals for the puffy treetop.
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2 Step 2: Trunk lines
Draw two straight vertical lines for the trunk, and a tiny short line at the bottom center.
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3 Step 3: Middle crown
Draw a big curved circle for the middle puff, and a short curved line under it.
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4 Step 4: Left crown
Add a round curved outline for the left puff, plus a small curved notch at its base and a tiny C on the trunk.
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5 Step 5: Right crown
Draw the round outline of the right puff, and a small triangle at its base.
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6 Step 6: Small branches
Add two short curved lines for branches and two rounded rectangles at their ends, plus a tiny curved line on the trunk.
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7 Step 7: Big roots
Draw two big curved root shapes at the bottom, connected with a long curved line.
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8 Step 8: Middle root
Add a U shape root in the center front.
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9 Step 9: Final details
Draw a small flat oval on the top puff, and finish a small circle knot on the trunk.
What do you need to draw a tree?
A pencil, paper and an eraser. Trees forgive everything: a wobbly lobe just looks like leaves in the wind.
Where do you start?
With three overlapping grey ovals for the crown, sketched lightly, the middle one highest. The crown hides most of the guides later, so keep them faint. The trunk arrives in step 2, and it is drawn as two straight lines running up INTO the leaves, not stopping underneath them.
What is the hardest part of drawing a tree?
Where the crown meets the trunk. The three lobes have to overlap each other AND swallow the top of the trunk. The classic mistake is a lollipop: one clean circle balanced on a stick, with a visible seam between them. Let the middle lobe sit higher than the side ones, and let the trunk lines disappear up behind the leaves.
Second thing: a tree does not just stop at the ground. The big curved roots in steps 7 and 8 spread out at the base like a foot, and that flare is what makes a drawn tree look planted instead of placed.
How do you make it your own?
- Add fruit. Small circles inside the crown make an apple tree in ten seconds.
- Change the season. Empty lobes with a few falling shapes read as autumn; bare branch lines inside the lobes read as winter.
- Add a swing. Two vertical lines and a small plank hanging from the branch stub.
- Grow a forest. The same tree at three sizes, the smallest highest on the page, and you have depth.
What else is worth knowing about trees?
The knot you drew on the trunk marks where a branch used to grow, and the rings hidden inside the trunk record one year of growth each. The drawing shows a tree, but the trunk is also a diary. And the roots you drew flaring at the base usually spread wider underground than the crown does above it, which is why the tree in your drawing, like the real ones, will not tip over.
Questions people ask about drawing a tree
Is this easy enough for a 4 year old?
Yes. There is not a single straight edge that has to be perfect, and a lumpy crown looks better than a neat one. Nine steps, none of them longer than a minute.
How long does it take?
About eleven minutes. Most of that is the three crown lobes in steps 3 to 5, which are drawn slowly, as one bumpy line each.
What kind of tree is this?
A broadleaf tree, the round kind children draw by instinct: oak, maple, apple. For a pine, swap the three round lobes for a tall zigzag triangle and keep the same trunk and roots.
