How to draw plants with colored pencils - Eucalyptus Branch step by step tutorial

 

Here's a short (only 5 steps) tutorial of an eucalyptus branch which shows how to draw leaves with colored pencils.

Media used:
Polychromos pencils:

Other media:
Kneadable eraser
Derwent Drawing Chinese White pencil

Paper:
I used a square 15x15 cm sheet of paper - Palazzo Botanical Garden for Sketches - 140g. This paper has a nice pale mint color. You can draw on a white bristol board if you don't have this particular paper.

Photo reference: shutterstock

Step 1

Drawing an outline
Use brown pencils to sketch the branch and one of dark greens to sketch the leaves. Look at the shape - the leaves are rounded. Don't press the lead too hard to the surface. Draw delicate lines so that it would be easier to erase them if needed.

Step 2

Filling in the leaves
Let's start from the leaves at the top of the branch. Fill in them using 168, 172, 174 colors.
Use the darkest green (165) to mark the darker parts.

Step 3

Creating more leaves
Let's vary the drawing slightly. As shown on the scan, in this step use 270 and 172 colors to fill the leaves. Use Derwent Chinese White over the Polychromos layers to create all the details of the eucalyptus leaves.

Step 4

Adding more to our drawing using the same method as in the previous steps.

Step 5

The last step - finishing the illustration
Add the last leaves and all the details on them. You can mark some darker places here and there.


* It is forbidden to copy this article (and drawings included in it) without the author's permission.