How to Sketch & Draw Trees

Learn how to sketch simple trees for a landscape drawing and how to draw a more detailed tree as part of a study in itself. This is the fourth lesson in a series of lessons that Phil is filming from home whilst isolating from Coronavirus.
** Video Sections **
2min 25sec - Sketching Simple Tree Shapes
15min 03sec - Sketching A More Detailed Tree
28min 21sec - Sketching A Tree Trunk: Part 1 - The Lay In
41min 34sec - Sketching A Tree Trunk: Part 2 - Shading
** Reference Photos **
1. Detailed Tree Reference Photo: art-tutor.s3.amazonaws.com/fi...
2. Detailed Tree Final Sketch: art-tutor.s3.amazonaws.com/fi...
3. Tree Trunk Reference (black & white): art-tutor.s3.amazonaws.com/fi...
4. Tree Trunk Reference (Colour): art-tutor.s3.amazonaws.com/fi...
5. Tree Trunk Final Sketch: art-tutor.s3.amazonaws.com/fi...
6. Sketching Simple Trees Cheatsheet: art-tutor.s3.amazonaws.com/fi...
Follow Phil's latest drawing program here: www.drawawesome.com
Join our free community for artists of all abilities: www.artkula.com

[@PhilDaviesArtist]

Hope you enjoy this tutorial - any questions or requests for future lessons, please pop them in the comments below 👍

[@lynnnicholas5832]

Hi Phil, I am really enjoying your tutorials. Thank you for taking the time to share them with us. I was hoping you might make a video on water. I find capturing ripples in water really difficult and do with some help. Regards Lynn

[@andrewnordell5332]

Thanks so much! This really has boosted my confidence in drawing in ways that I have never felt before! I have always thought of myself as, "bad" at drawing, but your simple tips seemed to have skyrocketed me to places that I couldn't even imagine doing a few weeks ago!

[@paolo6293]

Hey Phil...your link to 101 ideas on the artTutor page! After putting my info in and clicking through...no "ideas" appear in my email. I did this yesterday using 2 of my email addresses (x3) and never got the "ideas." I appreciate your videos and all but maybe the link should be taken down if you are no longer offering the "ideas." Just a thought.

[@ethanboyd7843]

I'm not able to draw to save my life, but I've fallen into sketching sets and mediums to fill. Where or how do I find the series of the vids before and after this one labeled #4?

[@shivawatercolor6540]

Thanks for your great video 🥰 please check out my trees in watercolour tutorial , I’ll be very happy to hear your opinion about it kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6u8p6WceMp0i6s

[@clarebanks294]

'Trying to think like a branch...' I love it!

[@susiewallenstein9320]

Thank you for your generosity. You are helping make the world a better place.

[@gprogers1]

Phil - another great and enjoyable tutorial. Clear, informative and very easy to follow. My wife and I both watch and are learning from you. Many, many thanks.

[@TrueLoveX1027]

Brilliant tutorial. Thanks you for sharing your tips on basic shapes at the start and so helpful to see you draw the more complex and unique tree. I can apply this even to my watercolor with thumbnail sketches to get your lights, mid tones and darks right, as if you start with a faulty drawing, no amount of watercolor can fix that. 👍🏼❤️

[@fingerfriendstudios4432]

May I request a tutorial on natural rocks/stones just in general. I would love to be able to put natural looking rocks in my drawings! Thanks ;)

[@myrarucker7953]

Yes,please!!!

[@AndreaM77]

Yes!!! I love rocks!

[@gailcheck8611]

Great tutorial. Thank you for taking the time to explain and demonstrate the real-time process.

[@irmareitz1081]

Great tutorial! Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing your knowledge.

[@carlomichael186]

This is pure dimond, thank you the best Chanel step by step for understand the concept of Drawing fron the base, angles and negative spaces until small details! Thousand of THANK YOU!!

[@sandyglass6367]

Love graphite. Your attention to detail is remarkable. Thank you.

[@AndreaM77]

Beautiful work, you're not only a gifted artist, but teacher as well. Thank you for your knowledge and generosity of your time. Blessings!

[@judylearn7971]

These videos are clear, fun to watch, and are superb instruction. Thank you for sharing these do-able techniques. I'm encouraged to take a little sketch book on a trip I have coming up. Sketching is not only fun, but truly encourages us to look more carefully at what's around us. Many thanks!

[@rainazichterman2537]

This is a great tutorial. I’ve learned a lot. Especially about proportions. Thx Phil.

[@jamirovega1332]

I have never watched an instructional video that focused on these principles of drawing. Many times I have wondered HOW something was done or WHY. Built it from lines, blocked in the negative shapes, blocked in the shadows, then, and only then, focused on details. Why have I never seen this in a drawing tutorial? So simple. So enlightening. Thank you! I'm pulling out my sketchbook again.

[@ranger2316]

Thank you I thoroughly enjoyed this tutorial. I was able to follow you, pausing the video as I went along to complete the various stages of the drawing. Nice work!

[@real_snowwy]

How do you not have 1 MILLION SUBS?!?!?!? This is so detailed! Tanks!

[@anahata2009]

This was great, thank you. I'd be interested in a tutorial about how to draw trees that have less dense foliage, where there is more empty space and the value shapes might be less obvious, for example young olive tree, birch, where the canopy is not so well-defined or is more sparse. With these, I tend to lose the sense of the overall mass and get bogged down in leaves, and then we're on the train to Weird-looking Town. Also, willow would be interesting to see, or tropical trees--just things that might require a different way of seeing or conceptualizing the forms and textures, and different types of mark-making. Thanks so much for these videos. Extremely helpful.

[@sojournerkarunatruth4406]

2:25 sketching simple tree shapes 15:03 sketching a more detailed tree 28:31 sketching a tree trunk: part 1 the lay in 41:34 sketching a tree trunk: part 2 shading

[@mememario4747]

Legend

[@nicholasalexander4459]

How does this channel not have 1 million subs yet? Its just that good. Absolutely love the content. Although I'm new here, I expect to learn a few things a long the way. Keep it up!

[@genineregante]

Thank you! Your a great teacher and artist. I really enjoy your videos. Not sure what your up to these days but hope all is well. Thanks again for this series. ❤

[@stever7061]

this old artist here of 49 yrs has a request for mountains in pencils with highlights and shading,maybe in thumbnail size. I am in Rochester New York and since I work in a bodyshop I have to work M-F and don't have much time to sketch.this would be mist appreciated love the videos and the help of yiur videos to refresh my brain.👍👍👍😁😇

[@fingerfriendstudios4432]

I would also love to learn mountains, for it is the one skill I am fully lacking, yet the one skill that I feel can make or break a great drawing.

[@thisischris5351]

Woooow, I love how you use lines to block out abstract shapes to make your proportions more correct 🤩 that’s genius, mate!

[@robertahubert9155]

I just subscribed to your channel. Now that I found you I never want to lose you. Your tutorials are so easy to follow. I am not an artist but I enjoy drawing trees and flowers even though I’m not very good now I hope to get better.

[@diannepantojas338]

Just found this tutorial and I have to say you are a great teacher, in depth simple, even a child can follow, love it

[@NichetJamir]

Just Recently, I have also made a tutorial on "how to paint a tree" but I've never thought of "How to sketch a tree." This video is well presented and very helpful. Thank you 💜🌻🌻🌻

[@franjaureguim]

Absolutely beautiful… thank you so so much for sharing this perfect and necessary lesson with us… 🌙🤍🌙

[@ScheherazOdd]

I've been working on the foliage of a tree for several days (when I get a few minutes here and there) and I'm really happy with the way it turned out, but now it's time to focus on the trunk and I've been avoiding it because I'm afraid that I'll ruin the drawing. I had no idea where to start, but this tutorial has really helped, and now I'm not so apprehensive about it. Thanks so much!

[@bendigeidfran1282]

Excellent tutorial! - really, really useful. Thank you so much.

[@leehwanart9507]

그림이 재미있고 인상적이네요~ 즐겁게 감상하고요,, 항상 응원합니다 ^^

[@WolfmanWoody]

Thanks, Phil. I loved it and found that very useful and have already tried one (using carbon pencils) along the lines of the first tree. Not bad, for me, but I may need more practice.

[@creativewilderness4177]

You are a fantastic teacher can’t believe how well my tree turned out!

[@savinda3036]

I hope you read this. I'm new to sketching. This really helps. Thank you very much.

[@plankutonmass4684]

This was wonderful and answered many of my questions. Thanks!

[@cshula1]

You're such a good teacher!! You really helped me a lot. Thank you!

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

I am really enjoying this series. One thing that I notice a lot of newer artists forget is that the light can come from the 180° arc you can draw on the paper, but also the 360° circle around the object. I like to imagine that there's a clock going around the drawing, where the viewer is standing at 6 o'clock and the backside of things are at 12. I will refer to the 2d arc you can draw from the left to right sides of your paper in degrees & the circle around the drawing, in which the viewer is at 6 o'clock by clock points 1 - 12. Now picture that the light is coming from 2 going around the clock & 60° on the arc. On the edges of the branches in darkest shadow between 8 - 10 on the clock you might very well have brilliantly illuminated tips of the branches. Although it is a minor detail, it can make a drawing come alive to the viewer. Unless you always draw from either due North or South of your image, the sun will seldomly be on a neat 2d arc. Sometimes interesting shadows can be found by circling an object.

[@carolinedaniels3571]

Just discovered you...love the clear concise instructions..keep up the good work Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@suemcarthur105]

thank you Phil for your generosity and time

[@remo4248]

This is true expert level drawing. We are lucky to have people like you offering this content on youtube. I will be sure to subscribe and check out your other stuff! Thanks :D

[@aartist8085]

Honestly this evolved my trees better then i can explain thank you you so good and the tutorials are so easy to follow 🙂

[@eiriyuki19]

So I just discovered this channel and I instantly subscribed to it! I guess I have a nice backlog of tutorials to make this world situation a little bit easier to endure. I'm incredibly impressed with the quality of your teaching experience, and I'm not someone who usually likes to comment on videos because in most cases the comment section is a trash-fire. But it seems like a friendly and encouraging community here which is a nice change of pace! As for a request, well I'm not entirely sure if this is a subject or technique that's up your alley.. But I'd love to see a tutorial on iterative thumbnails of game assets, or if that's not something you enjoy then I would also appreciate environments! And if it wouldn't be too much trouble and you would really like to help me out then if you'd be willing to perhaps include some isometric thumbnail sketches than you would be a saving angel! In any case thank you for the amazing gift of your time and talents and for sharing it with us all for free, which is an amazing way to show that you care about your community!

[@normaneames5901]

Fantastic tutorial. Extremely helpful.

[@letsgodrawing1753]

Awesome sketch love it watch your drawing look detail keep going amazing work 😄👍

[@kathleenzielinski3393]

Your teaching is very easy to understand. I really enjoyed it.

[@meadowscolin]

I’ve always struggled with trees. This is a brilliant tutorial. Thank u. Would love to know how to transfer the shading into watercolours.

[@giaantran3810]

awesome tutorial. I enjoy watching your video a lot. Thanks for your time and effort!

[@powermom74]

This is very helpful. Thanks for sharing your talent

[@lindahamilton2847]

Thank you. Amazing practical help .

[@benborsa8266]

Great explanation! Finally ACTUAL steps and tips and not sure music playing while someone draws! Thank you!

[@Derick1150]

Thanks learned a lot. 70 yr old enjoying while under code 1 lockdown in SA

[@BasicBroccoli]

Wow this is amazing. This is a nice tutorial, we are really learning. Can you also show us how to draw from pictures and photos of people in solo or group. Thank you

[@jagnese]

Thanks for the generous gift of art lessons. I'm enjoying them in Mexico. Will you be doing a sketch of different kinds of palm trees? .

[@cherylb36]

Wow those trees are wonderful.

[@donnagoode6923]

it's easy for me to de-focus my eyes... I just look over the top of my glasses. No squinting required... that's one of the advantages of having poor eyesight. Another is, it makes everyone look more attractive and younger. Thanks for a great video, I really learned a lot from it.

[@runig549]

It's very beautiful and very useful details. I learned lots from your lessons. Thank you so much. 💐

[@jewel9097]

Thank you so much for this! Absolutely brilliant! The only thing I can't quite seem to get a grip on is the shading. My shading doesn't seem as smooth or as realistic as the one in the video

[@5canwalk]

Great share! Beautiful drawing!

[@glk3473]

Beautifully done; thank you.

[@jacquelynwilliams5191]

This my first time seeing you draw or sketch trees and I’m going to follow you more.

[@abigailhumes4608]

Thank you. I am just beginning to do these.

[@BerthaGretton1]

Thanks, I'm enjoying the tuition.

[@jfart1113]

Very interesting and helpful !!! THANK YOU !!! 👍

[@skelley164]

I’m a total newbie, I’m 4:34 in and I’m stoked. I think I’m pretty decent at this and I’m feeling good about it.

[@maurizio7209]

Grazie, very nice tutorial.. well explained and very nice drawing...

[@lambert8915]

These trees are fab, thanks

[@tereschwartzbart9110]

Beautiful!!

[@mreinstein48]

I enjoyed a lot! Thank you

[@JohnMmbaga_]

I am inspired to sketch. Thank you sir.

[@allthosepajamas4116]

Thank you thank you thank you so helpful!

[@sophiefly4258]

Excelent! Thank you!

[@dd07wow]

Excellent video tutorial 👌! You just got a new subscriber!

[@Groinattack1]

Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge :)

[@saratariq3830]

So underrated channel

[@sinfalacias2009]

Wow! thanks, very useful video. Chears from Bolivia.

[@federicofreiria3450]

Regards from Argentina!

[@sketchbook4505]

Very good tutorial! thanks for sharing

[@bruce5351]

Tonight is my first attempt at learning to draw. Wow, thank you, you are now subscribed.

[@nathaliesadler947]

Amazing!! This channel is great! Thankyou 👌

[@brunocauchon2852]

Wow Phil nice job of teaching.

[@Afrah03]

Thanks you so much for this!!!!!

[@edwardfothergill6156]

Hi Phil, excellent tutorial thank you. With a sketch book of pencil drawings, do you spray them with something (?) to stop them smudging?

[@hchung7247]

Thank you so much~

[@chrisrossiter302]

Really good keep going ur amazing

[@artworld9799]

So great drawing !! Greetings from a new friend💐💐💐💐💐

[@julia62130]

Muchas gracias. Muy interesante

[@mariaroca5762]

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!

[@EllieBelle444]

Excellent ❤️

[@mim260]

Thank you very much , your video is very helpfull !!!

[@faircookskitchen6415]

Thank you very much for the trees sheets

[@chefwannabe1]

Thank you for the video!

[@saka25354]

Thank you so much!

[@Fallen5321]

good tutorial - I hope your family are well also 🙂

[@kimyoung3484]

Thank you so much ❤️

[@lynnetiltman1001]

Ar ay wack! A great tutorial, thank you.

[@taqwa8044]

!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@theoldbuffer9591]

I am very grateful for the information

[@sheetalmordani3013]

Sir amazing .please more tutorial

[@casperwilliams6393]

thank you so much very cooooooool !!!

[@phattoe39]

May I request a tutorial on old wooden out buildings...like an old barn by water..Many thanks

[@bobbymalta73]

Thks for sharing.

[@lucase.crusader1196]

Finally a good channel to sub