How to draw a willow tree with a pencil step by step?
To learn how to draw a tree, in addition to imagination and time, you need to take into account some nuances:
- display the time of year in the picture (for example, a tree may have a lot of foliage in the summer, and in the fall crumbling foliage can be seen under the tree)
- it is important to find out the growth pattern of the tree, the basic shape (wide crown, thin or thin trunk)
Weeping willow
Willow sprig
Let's start creating a masterpiece!
- Let's sketch out the initial lines of the trunk. In our drawing it will have an irregular shape of 3 lines, but you can draw it to your liking.
Drawing the initial lines of the trunk
- Let's turn these lines into a powerful tree trunk by additionally drawing slightly wavy contours on the outside. This way we will show the uneven and massive trunk, because a willow tree cannot be smooth.
Outlining the trunk
- Let's draw knots on the tree and add curved lines of sunken bark. Thanks to these details, the drawing will look more interesting.
- Let's start drawing the willow crown hanging down. Let us outline four main branches. It is easier to draw them if you imagine elongated leaves, located top down, differing in shape and thickness.
Drawing the first drooping branches
- To show that the crown consists of small long leaves, let’s draw a dissection along the lower contour.
Drawing the branches from the sides
- We continue to draw the drooping crown, adding branches covered with leaves on the sides.
- The next stage will be the completion of the second “floor” of the tree crown. We draw abrupt lines directed downwards, giving the branches the shape of a falling water mass.
We continue to “complete” the tiers of branches on the willow
- But this is not the top of the tree yet. We finish drawing the last “tier” of foliage.
- We complete the details, clarify the lower part of the branches hanging to the ground and add volume to them by drawing a short line in the center of each branch.
Finishing the top of the tree
- The finished drawing can be improved by adding shadows or decorating it.
Let's decorate
Video: How to draw a willow with a pencil?
Second version of a willow drawing in pencil
To work you will need the following:
- simple pencil
- colored pencils or markers
- eraser
- album sheet
Let's start the drawing by drawing the initial contours of the tree.
- We recall geometric shapes and depict an array of circles, reminiscent in shape of balloons rushing to the sky. Adding a trunk line.
Draw the initial contours of willow branches
- We complete the second line of the trunk contour, showing the largest branches. Let us show with curved lines the crown drooping towards the ground.
Draw the trunk and drooping branches
- We draw the willow branches, adding additional lines to add volume and clarifying the leafy part. To avoid any difficulties with drawing branches, look carefully at the photo and repeat all the lines.
- It’s time to draw small willow branches. Continue checking the photos provided.
Showing small branches on a tree
- Use an eraser to erase all unnecessary lines in the drawing. We add small branches and foliage where the area on the tree looks “empty”.
Adding details
- We apply light shading to the illuminated areas, shading the trunk and branches of the willow.
Shading some areas
Option three
- Let's also draw a blooming willow. We draw the initial outline of the tree: a large semi-oval from which we will draw the crown and trunk.
Let's outline the crown
- Do not forget that all lines in the first stages are drawn without pressing the pencil, so that later they can be easily removed.
- We draw the top of the tree, depicting the foliage in a wave-like manner. Erase the auxiliary line. We clarify the shape of the trunk.
Specifying the shape of the tree top
- We draw additional lines on the crown, dividing it into several tiers.
Divide the crown into sectors
- We clarify the crown of the tree: we draw circles and ovals lying one on top of the other.
Let's start drawing branches
- The next stage will be drawing the willow branches: add volume with short lines and draw out the lower part of the branches hanging to the ground. Draw the main lines of the trunk.
We draw the branches in more detail
- All branches need to be “fluffed”. To do this, we will go along each branch hanging down with short dashed lines.
“Fluffing” the tree
- We paint it yellow, because our tree is blooming. But you can also paint it green.
Applying bright colors to the drawing
Let's try to depict the willow a little differently. For the drawing you will again need a simple pencil and a blank album sheet.
- Let's divide the sheet into 3 parts. At the bottom we will draw two horizontal lines. This will be the soil in which the tree grows.
Making the initial markings
- Let's mark the crown: draw short lines at an angle, marking the top of the tree with a horizontal segment. Approximately in the center we will draw a curved line of the tree trunk.
- Let's draw another line parallel to the original contour of the trunk. Let's additionally draw the main branches.
Let's draw the trunk and main branches
- Let's start adding foliage to the tree, remembering that the willow crown is drooping: all the branches are lowered to the ground.
We continue to draw the branches, shade the trunk under the crown
- We begin to hatch the trunk directly under the crown, drawing details in accordance with the figure below. After this, we will move on to shading the entire crown.
- Add shadows at the bottom of the crown.
Apply pencil shading to the branches and the rest of the trunk
- We draw some details and the drawing is ready. All that remains is to decorate it if you wish.
Apply more intense shading at the bottom of the tree
Finished drawing
We draw a willow step by step with acrylic paints.
1. Use a pencil to sketch willow branches. You can come up with a thread “out of your head”, you can use photographs on the Internet.
2. Using “Acrylic-Hobby De Luxe” paint in Mahogany color, completely paint over the willow branches. Most willow branches have a bit of a red tint to them and this color suits it very well!
3. Take an old fluffy brush, add Gray Linen color to it and make a fluffy imprint of a willow inflorescence.
4. Take a thinner brush, pick up “Acrylic Art” Burnt Umbra paint and add a shadow to the branches. We decided that our light falls from above and to the right, so the main darkening of the branches will be below and to the left.
5. Paint the buds themselves with Acrylic-Hobby De Luxe Khaki.
6. We continue to darken the branches. For thin branches, use an even smaller brush.
7. In addition to the characteristic reddish tint, the willow branch is distinguished by its smoothness and glossiness. Therefore, we pick up the color Linen Gray on a thin brush, remove excess paint on the paper and, with an almost dry brush, go over the branches in some places, adding a slight sheen.
8. Now take the white color, add a drop of Cherry Mousse “Acrylic-Hobby De Luxe” to it and with a fluffy brush add a white (with a slightly cherry tint) top to our fluffy inflorescences.
9. Now we take the thinnest brush, put pure white color on it and, with thin strokes, draw fluffy hairs on the inflorescences.
10. Under the branch, carefully draw a beautiful inscription with a thin brush in white. You can use a white marker or felt-tip pen if this will make you feel more confident when drawing beautiful curls 
11. After the paints have dried, use a wide flat brush to apply a universal acrylic gloss varnish, securing the design.
How to draw a willow? Very simple! We only needed a few ready-made flowers and brushes. Even a beginner can do it! Good luck in your creativity!
The author of the master class is Natalya Udovina.
How to draw a willow in a vase with a pencil?
It is not difficult to draw willow branches in a vase if you first draw one branch and understand the arrangement of the buds.
- Let's outline the main outline of the vase and use a large circle to designate future willow branches. The main thing is that both parts of the vase are symmetrical.
Outline the main outline of the vase
- Draw the vase: draw the neck with two parallel lines, and draw the bottom in the same way. Let's mark the shoulders of the vase with a semicircle.
Drawing the vase
- Let's start drawing the willow branches. We draw the bases thicker, with thin short branches extending from them.
Drawing twigs
- We draw fluffy buds on the branches.
Drawing buds on the branches
- Let's finish drawing the branches lying on the table.
Let's finish drawing the branches lying on the table
- Let's add fluffy buds along the entire length.
- You can draw Easter eggs next to the vase.
- Let's start adding volume to the vase and buds. We use soft shading for this.
- Using the same method, we will add volume to the Easter eggs.
- We outline the contours of the vase, branches and eggs with a black pencil or felt-tip pen.
- Since the vase is on the table, you need to mark the shadows under the lying branches, under the vase and the eggs.
- Let's add a pattern to the vase.
- Using an eraser, draw highlights on the vase and on the eggs.
Add shadows to the vase and table
How to draw a willow twig with gouache and paints?
It is even easier to depict a willow branch in gouache without a sketch:
- Place white strokes on the selected background so that they can be connected with a branch,
- draw a brown line from the far bud of the willow to the bottom one and continue a little,
- the willow branch is ready,
- repeat the steps to create a spring palm bouquet.
Instruction drawings:
drawing a willow branch in gouache step by step, example 1
drawing a willow branch in gouache step by step, example 2
Willow twig children's drawing
Children will quickly learn to draw willow branches if they are given easy-to-draw pictures. This section presents children's works on the theme “willow branches”.
Example 1: willow twig, children's drawing
Example 2: willow twig, children's drawing
Example 3: willow twig, children's drawing
Example 4: willow twig, children's drawing
Example 5: willow twig, children's drawing
