How to draw a tree

Recently, in person student artists created collages of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. I loved the fresh creativity and the textures of the mixed media project, but realized afterward we could have benefitted from more instruction on how to see the lines and shapes of trees.

Why should kids learn to draw trees?

When drawing kids learn to observe. Drawing is learning to see…and to notice details. As kids observe and draw, they see that objects are made of lines, which make shapes. Learning to see, observe, notice details, and then draw them also increases memory development. Kids are developing eye-hand coordination, visual perception, attention span, emotional expression, problem solving, and imagination--all through drawing trees (and other beautiful things in nature!)

Drawing from nature helps reduce stress and helps kids express themselves. Nature provides inspiration and can increase their awareness of their Creator as they observe creation. 

It's fun to create tree shapes using cut paper and glue, but it helps to learn to see...and draw...a tree, first.  

Here is one way to help your kids grow in their tree-drawing skills. If you are able to, go outside with some crayons and paper and a clipboard, and watch what happens when your kids start to observe the lines and shapes they see in trees outside. 
   
After finding a tree, ask them to look at the trunk and branch lines and try to draw those lines from the bottom of the paper to the top. The focus here is just looking and observing where the lines go. Notice in my example, I didn’t draw all of them, just got down the general directions and position of some of the big lines. Then they can color the bark with jagged lines. If kids see leaves, they can color in rough, jagged ovals of colors. If no leaves are out yet, they can draw the bare branches or they can use their imaginations as I did, since there are no leaves yet! Encourage them to use at least two colors. As Britt Curley says, nothing in nature is only one color! 
  

 Then if they are still having fun, ask them to do it again…and again….maybe a different kind of tree each time.
  

I love to watch kids grow in their understanding of taking something from nature and depicting it in art. As we learn to draw, we all start out with a very basic understanding of shape and line (or no understanding,) and with practice, we grow.  The goal isn’t to make it look exactly like the object-the goal here is to grow in observing and seeing. To draw not what we think we see, but what we actually see.

Drawing trees requires combining different shapes together. When you understand the shapes and can translate that onto paper, even your most junior artist can draw realistic-looking trees! Inside my online program -Drawing for Kids- I teach them the fundamental shapes we use for drawing and how to combine them to create artworks they can proudly hang on the wall. If you'd like to help your child develop drawing skills, this online class is a great resource you can use over and over again!  

Happy drawing!