How to Draw a Lilac

The blooming gardens are wonderful and fascinating. No one can stay indifferent while being surrounded by trees and bushes covered with bright fragrant flowers. Today we will concern the theme, which is quite popular in painting, and learn to paint lilac.

You will need the following materials for our pencil art lesson:

• graphite pencils
• eraser
• paper for sketches
• pastel or colored pencils

Also, you can make a sketch using a pencil and color it with an aquarelle.

How to Draw Lilac in Pencil Step by Step

Our task is not the easiest one but it is not difficult. The small flowers, where the big bright and fragrant sphere is formed, are easy to depict. It is more difficult to understand how to locate them so that these elements form a beautiful and appropriate bunch.

Cut off a twig and put it in a glass in front of you. Thus you will be able to see it and practice properly. The good photos also can be used as samples – carefully look at them. You can partly look up to my sketch. You should get a similar one as a result of this art painting lesson:

Flowers

The flowers have a simple shape: the long cylindrical bowl ends with four petals, all of them are located at the same level and an equal distance, they are of the same size and shape.

You should practice showing the separate flowers from different angles. Each of them can be inscribed into an oval or circle.

Depending on species, the petals can have pointed, round or diamond shape.

Shape and Composition

If you are going to draw one or several bunches at once, you should slightly mark the figures where they should be inscribed into.

It is necessary to outline the direction of the main stem since it holds lots of crotches with flowers.

Also, you should show the size and direction of leaves.

Before painting the picture of a big blooming branch, you should practice well painting the small part of it where each of the flowers is seen clearly. This will help to create more complicated pictures easily and quickly in the future.

The separate flowers or the whole bunches can be inscribed into these figures.

Location

• At this stage of our free art lesson, you should locate the flowers on the branches properly – they should be inscribed in previously outlined overall shape. There are often buds on the ends of the branches – show this. Also, it is important to locate them at different angles considering the size of the blooming bunch.

  

• When showing the bunch, which consists of many separate small flowers, it is not necessary to draw each of them and draw four petals locating them too accurately. The quick painting will look much better and more natural. There is no problem if the shape of each particular element is not exact. The main thing is that the bunch is perceived well as a whole.
• Leaves. Our work will become more interesting and natural if we add some green leaves. They have a very simple heart-shaped form.
• The stems of these beautiful bushes are dainty. They slightly bend and branch many times. There are several blooming bunches on each of the sprouts.

After having a small practice and drawing the simple sketches, let`s come back to the branch with several bunches. Let`s inscribed the small flowers into previously outlined figures, show the shape of leaves and improve the stem.

Volume

To give volume or to color the branch, you need to imagine its shape well. The bunch is slightly similar to a cone or sphere. To add some volume to the picture, you should not color each flower separately – you should consider the shape of a whole bunch.

If the light falls from above, all the objects, located closer to it, will be lighter and those, which are farther, will be darker. For example, you can show the volume of these branches in monochrome without drawing in the details.
The shadow is formed in the depth of foliage below and between the flowers. If the branch is sparse, the gaps will be seen.

Imagining the volumetric shape, you will be able to show it properly in any painting technique: you can draw a still life with a bouquet of lilac, the landscape with these bushes, or the picture in pencil.

Painting Video Lesson – How to Draw Lilac Step by Step

Let`s watch a short video where all the above-mentioned tips and working stages are demonstrated.

All the previous explanations will help you create wonderful drawings and painting with the images of beautiful flowers in various compositions, techniques, and genres.

I wish you new successes in your creative work!