How to Draw Poppies

This art lesson is devoted to very picturesque flowers which we have already tried to draw in landscapes and still lives with the oil paints. Today we will create great drawings and learn how to draw poppies. These flowers are not difficult to draw. And if you take a pencil and a sheet of paper, you will get a good result – a beautiful picture.

Materials for Drawing

Today you will need the following materials for our painting course:

• graphite pencils of different hardness;
• paper for sketches;
• pastel or colored pencils;
• eraser.

If you do not have all the materials, draw with everything you have on hand.

To create a good sketch, desire is the most important thing. Making drawings in pencil is very easy, simple, and quick. You do not have to prepare paints, palette, canvas, and easel. Wherever you are, you can find the appropriate writing tools and spend several minutes on your creative work. This boosts spirits! Check it by yourself.

How to Draw a Poppy in Pencil Step by Step

Our delicate poppy flowers are completely unpretentious and they often decorate the entire field. Some species bloom in June, others – in the second half of summer. The poppies fade very quickly and it will quite difficult to admire their beauty in a bouquet for a long time.

We need nature to create the painting. If you find alive “Scarlet flower”, it will be great. Otherwise, you should find good photos. You can also look up to my picture. You should get a similar sketch at the end of our painting lesson free.

The picture of poppies in pencil

Composing and Outlining the Shape

Let`s draw the poppies at different angles and at different stages of blooming. Let`s show the flower, which has already ceased blossoming, the flower, which is just coming out, the lushly blooming one, and the seed case of the plant.

Marking out the flowers, showing their shape and angle

In most positions, the poppies are inscribed into simple shapes — circles and ovals, sometimes they are a bit elongated or flattened. Using these simple geometric shapes, we mark not only the contours of the flower but also its heart and area where the stamens are located.

The flower in full bloom resembles a saucer or a bowl very much. Perhaps, this association will help you imagine and show their shape on your picture.

Also, we should mark the gentle and often curving stems. At this stage of our online painting, it will be enough to show them with a light line.

Drawing the Petals

After we have located and marked our flowers with a hard pencil, let`s make these simple shapes more understandable and recognizable look. Let`s outline the petals, they should be inscribed into previously outlined shapes.

The flowers have a small number of petals of quite simple shapes. They are located in two rows. The petal of a poppy is an oval. It is elongate at the bottom – in the place where it is attached to the stem; its line can be wavy above.

The shape of the flower and petal

If you are painting the poppy where the lower row of petals is slightly bent downwards and the upper row has a shape of a bowl and looks upwards, you should outline two circles that will designate them (as is shown in the picture above).

At this stage of our online painting lesson, we can draw in the hearts of flowers more accurately.

The Stems and Leaves

We should add thickness to the stems. The stems of these plants are always covered with small fur which is well expressed. Let`s show this with the help of not very straight lines, slight zigzags, and brushstrokes.

Outline the green leaves on the stems.

Drawing the stems and leaves

They have a characteristic shape – they are elongated and have ragged edges. It is quite difficult to describe it in words, therefore you should look at the photos and illustrations.

The Buds and Seed Cases

The poppy buds are small, oval, and covered with small fur-needles. When the red petals begin to break through the green «shell», they have a lot of wrinkles.

The bud, stem flower, and leaves

This picture shows how the stem and the flower are connected.

The poppy seed cases, where the delicious seeds are kept, have usually the round shape or the shape of an elongated oval. There is a kind of a crown above — the small teeth.

If you want to make your flower composition more interesting, try to draw different flowers. Turn them at different angles and do not forget to show the buds. And if you are painting the poppies, you should add the seed cases and the flower which has already ceased blossom.

Improving the Details

When the slight sketch is ready, take a soft pencil and improve all the shapes and lines. Correct everything you do not like.

At this stage of our pencil art lesson, we can add some details. You should pay more attention to the variety of stamens around the ribbed center of a flower. Show the dark spots on the petals. Show the wrinkles and curves on petals and leaves with the help of slight brushstrokes. Also outline the shadows under the petals, inside the flower bowl, and the shading on the green leaves and stems.

To enliven the picture, add a bit of light, using pastel or colored pencils.

Sketching Video – How to Draw Poppy Step by Step

Let`s watch a short video and draw our flowers together:

• Also, you can draw poppies with oil paints. In this case, you should also look at our oil painting lessons.
• How to draw poppies with the oil draw.

The fields of blooming poppies can be often seen in the territory of Europe and Asia. These flowers grow in the mountains and on the plains. At different times and in different countries the poppies were considered to be various ambivalent symbols: for example, freedom, optimism, women`s beauty, dependence, «weak head», youth and many others. The interesting thing is that these flowers can be not only red but also yellow, white, pink, and even blue.

Watch the video tutorials on how to draw a lily or how to draw a tulip.

Draw flowers and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding world!

I wish you good luck and new successes in your creative work.