How to Draw a Flower

Whether you’re hoping to draw a rose, daisy, tulip, or sunflower, the flower is a beautiful subject to practice your sketching — and to help make it fun. It only takes a few simple steps to make a symmetrical, realistic flower, and flowers are perfect for helping you with pattern work or learning how to juxtapose overlapping shapes in your artwork. Plus, they look absolutely stunning, and you can add a splash of color at the end to make them pop off the page. This guide will teach you how to draw 9 different types of flowers, with technique tips and suggestions to make your flowers as lovely as can be.

Method 1

Method 1 of 9:

A Sunflower

1
Draw a big circle and then draw a smaller one at the center.^{[1]
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2
Draw the stem and draw leaves on each side.

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3
Draw a thin elongated heart shape for the petal.
4
Repeat step 3 until you have fully covered the edge of your inner circle.
5
Add more petals to cover up empty space using pointed angles.^{[3]
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6
Draw slanted lines crisscrossed over each other inside the small circle.
7
Refine details of the leaves and the stem.
8
Color the drawing.

Method 2

Method 2 of 9:

A Rose with Stem

1
Draw curved line. Sketch another one (slightly bigger) below the first until you are able to draw three similar shapes.
2
Draw a curved vertical line to represent the stalk and add a leaf on one side.
3
Sketch a rough outline of the rose, and then start drawing the petals. Use the "U" >> shape first.
4
Sketch the petals so they seem to overlap each other, on the first "U".
5
Add petal shaped details on the second "U".
6
Use the last "U" to guide you in sketching the petals similar to what you did on the first and second "U".
- You can also add more petals if you wish for a more appealing rose drawing.
7
Draw the rose’s sepal using pointed angles.
8
Add thorns on the stem. This is best drawn using pointed angles. Add details to the rose’s leaf, do not forget that it has a serrated margin.
9
Color the drawing.

Method 3

Method 3 of 9:

A Rose without Stem

1
Make one circle to form the interior border of the flower.
2
Add two more circles to form the outer border of the flower petals.
3
Add some rough forms for the petals.
4
Draw the final lines.
5
Color the drawing and add some shadows and definition lines.
6
Finished.

Method 4

Method 4 of 9:

A Daffodil

1
Draw an oval to form the outer edge of the flower leaves. Add two parallel lines and connect the parallel lines at bottom as shown in the picture.^{[4]
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2
Draw a connecting smaller oval figure at the top of the parallel lines to form the top of the flower.^{[5]
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3
Create a rough sketch of the flower and leaves as illustrated in the picture.^{[6]
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4
Add the final lines for the flower and leaves.
5
Draw shadows and definition lines and color in your flower.

Method 5

Method 5 of 9:

A Cosmos Flower

1
Sketch a circle.
2
Sketch another circle at the center.
3
Sketch the petals surrounding the bigger circle. They should be almost of the same sizes and shape.
4
Sketch a line for the flower stalk.
5
Draw semi-circles around the smaller circle thus, making a flower-like structure. Then you could add something in the middle.
6
Draw the basic outline of the petals. The petals at the front should be differentiated from the petals at the back.
7
Draw the outline of the bigger circle and the stalk.
8
Color the flower.

Method 6

Method 6 of 9:

A Tulip

1
Sketch a circle for the flower and a long slightly curved line for the stalk.
2
Add the guides of the petals and the leaves. Draw 2 petals in front and a petal at the back of the 2 petals totalling to 3 petals. The leaves of tulip are long and not straight so the guide lines for the leaves should be long curved lines.
3
Sketch the guide of the sepal and the leaves.
4
Draw the basic outline of the flower, sepal and the stalk.
5
Draw the basic outline of the leaves.
6
Add more detail. Draw lines in the leaves and in the petals for a better outcome.
7
Color the tulip.

Method 7

Method 7 of 9:

A Simple Daisy

1
Start the outline by sketching a small circle.
2
Draw a bigger circle. Make it look like a disc so you could remember the basic outline of a daisy flower whenever you draw one.
3
Start drawing the actual lines by the small circle at the middle.
4
Begin drawing the petals with two line strokes, up and down directions. Always begin drawing the actual lines with a mirror effect.
5
Draw another mirror of petals on the horizontal way.
6
Continue drawing the petals using the same technique.
7
Finish drawing the petals.
8
Erase the outline sketches and color the draft.
9
Add the background.

Method 8

Method 8 of 9:

A Basic Flower

1
Draw a small circle in the middle of the page.
2
Draw a bigger circle which has the same center point with the small circle.
3
Draw the petals of the flowers using curves. Use the circles as guide.
4
Draw the petals as to revolve around the circle.
5
Draw other petals which occupy the space left in the circle. They don’t all have to be in the same length.
6
Draw the stem and the leaves by using curves.
7
Refine the leaves to resemble a real one.
8
Trace with a pen and erase unnecessary lines.
9
Color to your liking!

Method 9

Method 9 of 9:

A Cartoon Flower

1
Draw a vertical oblong. Below the oblong, draw a slender rectangle that would serve as the plant’s stem.
2
Draw two curves at the oval one from the left and the other at the right.
3
Draw lines extending from the lower part of the oblong which spread in four directions. Draw a curved loop also at the bottom of the oblong.
4
Draw curves which connect the lines to form petals for the flower.
5
Draw curves which extend upward in the oval to resemble budding.
6
Draw another petal using the same principle and lines along the oblong.
7
Refine the drawing and trace with a pen. Erase unnecessary lines.
8
Color to your liking!

Community Q&A

Question

Are there any tips to help me draw easier besides practicing?

Community Answer

You can make drawing easier by using basic shapes and then adding details. To draw a flower, all you need are some circles and ovals, then you just add the details. Of course, practice is always recommended too.
Question

How can I make my flower look realistic?

Community Answer

Use different shades and colors. Try to use inspiration from the flowers you see around you, and don't forget to draw in and color a background.
Question

How do you draw and color with shades?

Community Answer

Shading is just adding a darker color to the parts of the object light does not reach, and adding a lighter color to the areas that the light shines on directly.