Caroline
Leaves are a part of nature that many take for granted.
You look at a magnificent tree and you appreciate the beauty of it as a whole, but it’s easy to forget that the beauty is made up of thousands of individual leaves.
Leaves come in every shape, form and color imaginable, and this versatility has made them a favorite among nature artists.
If you would like to join them in making artworks about the humble leaf, then read on!
This step-by-step guide on how to draw a leaf was created to have you drawing beautiful leaves in no time!
How to Draw A Leaf – Let’s get Started!
Step 1
We shall start off this guide on how to draw a leaf by drawing in the outline of the leaf. To do this, we will be using two lines that start at the same point, curve out and then back in to meet at a point.
The reference image we provided will guide you on how this should look.
Step 2 – Add in a stem
Every leaf needs a stem, and that’s what we shall be adding for this next part of your leaf drawing.
The stem is made up of two curved lines coming out of the center of the leaf’s flat side. The stem will then be finished off with a flat line at the end.
Step 3 – Draw in the center line
Your leaf drawing is starting to come together now! We shall be adding a few more details to it before it’s done, and in this step we will add a center line to your leaf.
This line is called a midrib, and the veins of the leaf will connect to it.
We will be adding these veins in the next step, so for now, simply draw in a slightly curved line to the center of the leaf.
Step 4 – Add in some veins to your leaf
In step 3 of our guide on how to draw a leaf, I mentioned the veins of the leaf, and in this step we will add them in!
These will be pretty simple to draw, yet they make a difference in making your leaf drawing look more realistic.
To draw these in, simply add in a few lines onto the leaf’s midrib. These will vary in length, so you can look at the reference picture to get an idea of what the lengths should be.
You could also add in more or fewer lines to create a different look!
You could find some leaves in the yard or look up some pictures as well for inspiration on how you could make these details look for a variation.
Step 5 – Draw in some last details
Your leaf drawing is already in great shape right now, but often some extra details can be just what a drawing needs! We have shown a few that you could add by drawing in some lines and small circles to give the leaf more texture.
In addition to these, you could also draw in some fun details of your own! If I were drawing this, I would add in a little ladybug nibbling a hole in the leaf. What fun details would you add to add your own touch to your leaf drawing?
Step 6 – Finish off your leaf with some color
It’s been a lot of fun drawing a leaf alongside you, but there’s still one more step in this guide, and it’s a fun one!
Your leaf needs some color now, and you have a wide array of options at your disposal.
Leaves can be pretty much any color you can imagine, so that gives you a huge range of colors to draw from as you finish off this guide on how to draw a leaf.
Perhaps you could make it a lovely green leaf like the example that we used in this guide. You could also make it a stunning Fall leaf by coloring it in with a yellow, orange or red.
You don’t even have to keep it looking realistic if you want to use your favorite colors! You could color it in with blues, pinks or purples if you wanted to!
Another fun idea you could try if you’re feeling extra crafty would be to find some crunchy, brown leaves outside if it’s the right time of year.
You could crunch them up, spread a thin layer of glue over the leave and then use the crunched-up leaf to being some real texture to your drawing!
There are even more opportunities to make your drawing shine using some beautiful art mediums such as paints and colored pens, so get out your favorite art supplies and let your imagination run free!
I would personally use watercolor paints to color in the leaf as they can create a softer look that works well for nature subjects, but what will you use for your amazing drawing?
Bonus: Make Your Leaf Drawing More Realistic With These Tips
When designing the images in this guide on how to draw a leaf, we wanted to keep it simple. This way, it would be a breeze for you to make your way through this guide.
Now that you have finished the guide, you could take it further and challenge yourself. Challenging yourself to make it more realistic would be a great way to do that!
You could do this in a few simple ways, and we would like to cover a few of them now. For starters, some small and subtle details could make a huge difference to your drawing.
This could be a few more vein details or some nicks on the edges of the leaf. Some leaves will also have some spots on them, and others may have holes in them where bugs have eaten through them.
Some simple line and shading details on the leaf could also help to make it look more realistic, and can make a huge difference. Then, there are ways you can add detail using your colors.
When you look at a real leaf that has fallen off a tree, it may be somewhere in the stage of turning brown. That means there may be some brown details on the leaf even if it is mostly green.
So, you could replicate this look by working in some brown color to your drawing among the green or other colors. If you need some inspiration, then you could find some leaves in your yard or at a local park.
You can then look at these real leaves and then replicate the details and colors you like for your own leaf drawing! After this, we also have even more tips you can use to make your drawing even more incredible.
Do this to take your leaf drawing to the next level
You’re sure to fall for these tips we have for your leaf sketch!
This drawing of a leaf shows one that is colored with some lovely greens. These color shades look great, but there are many others that you could use as well.
There are other shades of green that you could use, or you could even go for yellows, reds and oranges for an Autumn feel to the image.
Not only can you use some alternate colors, but you could also try out different art tools and mediums.
Once your leaf has all of the colors you want, you could also add some extra small details on the leaf. There are a few ways that you could do this.
One would be by adding small holes and bits of damage on the leaf. It could also be fun to have some small insects on the leaf to add some life to the scene.
These insects could even have caused the holes you may have added! What are some bugs and other features you could add to this drawing?
If you loved creating this leaf drawing, then you could keep it going by adding some more leaves to the image. You could do this by drawing more of this same kind of leaf in the picture.
Or, you could also shake things up a bit by adding different kinds of leaves to the scene. This would be a great way to create some variety for the picture!
Finally, this leaf sketch would be finished off nicely with a background. One background you could create would show the leaf lying on the ground, perhaps with some other leaves.
That would give you many options, but you can also show the leaf gently floating through the air. Doing that would allow you to add all kinds of great background settings to the image.
What are some cool and interesting places that you could use as a background setting for the picture that you have created?
Your Leaf Drawing is Complete!
The details and colors have been added to your leaf drawing, and that means that you have been successful in your mission to learn how to draw a leaf!
We aim to create guides that will take you slowly through each step of the drawing process, and we hope that you had loads of fun while learning.
Now that you have drawn your own leaf, there is still a lot of fun to be had while you personalize your drawing!
There is a lot you can do, from drawing in extra details such as insects to creating a beautiful background for your leaf.
You could even draw a whole lot of leaves on one page to make it look like they are blowing in the wind!
Coloring it in will also bring some more fun, and the possibilities are endless. We can’t wait to see what you choose to use to bring your drawing to life!
If you enjoyed this guide, then we have good news for you because we will be bringing out many more step-by-step drawing guides for you!
Please remember to check our site often, as we will be frequently uploading more awesome guides for you to enjoy.
We always love to see your incredible artworks, so we hope that you will share your finished leaf drawing on our Facebook and Pinterest pages!
We always get a kick out of seeing your incredible creativity, and we’re looking forward to seeing some wonderful leaf artworks.
