How To Draw Palm Trees

You love tropical beaches, don’t you! Then how to draw palm trees must be an intriguing topic for you. Why do I know it?...because I love tropical beaches too.

Can you picture a tropical beach without palm trees?

In our modern realm, palm trees, especially coconut palms symbolize luxury, tropical paradise, sea, beaches and sun.

Palm branches were also the symbol of triumph and victory in the past.

People of Jerusalem celebrated Jesus with palm tree branches when he entered the town.

click the image to enlarge

Now, let’s have a closer look on this palm tree and observe a couple of important points:

the stem (trunk): it is curved

ground: a slight slope

branches: especially directions they are growing out of un-branched stem

Palm trees are very good objects for drawing. Really! To draw palm trees requires almost no skill. They are very simple in shapes if you are comparing them to other trees.

Think of a palm tree as only a giant piece of grass – a kind of prehistoric.

I made this palm tree drawing as detailed as possible.

However, you can draw a palm tree much quicker and have it finished in less than 5 minutes.

click the image to enlarge

I would suggest starting to draw with a standard HB pencil. Begin from the ground. Sketch the stem (trunk). Hold your pencil tilted or loose grip.

Always remember, in the beginning draw only weak and gentle pencil lines so that you can erase them anytime later during the process.

First pencil lines are always only the guidelines. These basic rules or techniques apply not only when you draw palm trees but virtually for anything.

click the image to enlarge

When you have the trunk ready outline the branches. Try to sketch the branches possibly by one single pencil line each if you can. It’ll be a great exercise.

Observe carefully how each branch grows out from the top of the stem. This is a wild palm growing somewhere on a beach - not a palm in arboretum.

click the image to enlarge

Draw the leaves. Notice that every palm tree branch has green leaves on two opposite sides on each branch.

Sometimes you see all leaves and sometimes not. Sometimes the leaves cover each other or are broken, etc.

click the image to enlarge

Here is one useful tip when you draw palm trees:

Draw weak pencil contours of leafed-branches as if they were ready. This will give you an idea about the final shape of the branch when it is filled with leaves.

Click on the picture and see how I sketched the approximate outlines.

click the image to enlarge

Good. Now you should have a complete basic outline of a palm tree.

You can consider this as a kind of coloring page too because that is what we are going to do next.

We won’t erase pencil lines this time. Simply continue drawing by color pencils.

Color pencils will cover most of the initial graphite pencil guidelines.

click the image to enlarge

Notice that I made the stem slightly curved right under the top. Now, the coloring.

I used 3 different green color pencils, each with different color tone:

Yellow Green

Green

Dark Olive Green

Experiment here a little with your own drawing. Play with it. Try new ideas.

click the image to enlarge

First, use the brightest one – Yellow Green and just gently draw the branches. You can also start to draw the leaves.

If you are not sure then by all means test your color pencils on a separate paper.

Just play with it and I can guarantee that you’ll get the best idea instantly.

When you draw palm trees it is good to have handy 3 different green color tone pencils.

click the image to enlarge

Gradually draw the leaves on every branch. Observe the spots where the leaves are brighter because of the direct daylight.

Usually the leaves in more dense and clustered areas appear to be darker.

In those areas use darker green color pencil.

click the image to enlarge

Shading the stem. Notice that there are ring-like broken circles around the stem.

Those are kind of residues from the branches that finally formed a hard stem as they grew.

click the image to enlarge

You can add some color to the ground too. The most suitable would be a beach sand color, what do you think?

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What Other Visitors Have Said

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lah9999@gmail.com
cooooooooool

GOOD\BAD
GOOD because it help me invisoin it. BAD becaues I THINK YOU SHOULD MAKE MORE STEPS AND SOUND SO YOU CAN GET THE IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO THINK …

palm tree
its very easy and wonderful... i like this alot

Great Job!!!
I did better than i thought! My green is a lighter green so it looks a little diffrent,but it is FANTASTIC Thanks for expiring me!!!!

Ms
Bless you for these lessons. At 68, I am learning to draw as prescribed by my doctors. I have alzheimer's and parkingson's and needed something to exercize …

The horse
I think that was good :)

Saint David
Spot on. I love tropical beaches. And pirates tales. I found this very helpful in my newly commenced artistic endeavors. Next, tropical island clouds and …

COOL!!
I did the palm tree in a scene with the dolphin sketch! it turned out really good!!

Anonymous
OMG!!! That was amazing! I used to suck at drawing a single tree and now i'm actually decent at it. Thanks so much.

A+
thanks so much this was such an awesome lesson.Im 10 years old and my drawing looks amazing

Palm Tree
A Palmrific Palm Tree.I love the way that that person did all of sand and the Palm Tree.It was wounderful.

everdeen
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This was awesome!
These instructions to how to draw palm tree was amazing and was very detailed.It really explained how to draw it and I love the pictures because it helped …

Sweet
Thank you so much! I had to do some sketches for school and your website has really helped me! Thank you! -Sarah

Could you teach waves?
This is a beautiful and perfectly done palm tree.. but I would like to know how to draw a beach to go with it! I have tried and tried and failed many times …

The Ocean
I thought that it was going to be very hard but its actually pretty easy. I'm 10 yaers old and did very good, I think i can email you the pic if you …

my comment
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palm
it was kinda hard to draw cuz im just newish to art but it cool

too faint
Its a shade too faint too see the sketching portion

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AWESOME
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Wonderful lesson
its a wonderful way to teach the drawing. I learnt another technique from this lesson....its really fantastic Siraj Pakistan

very good
may god bless you with lots of happiness!!

Click here to write your own.

awesome
i think this is superb............. wait ... where is the author? i want to give him thousands of a+ !!!!!!!!

i know this is coconut tree
Well.....superb....

I know
Palm trees are easy to draw. Follow their steps. Try it =^]

PALM TREE
THE PALM TREE IS THE EASIEST TO DRAW

thankx
grazie mi è servito per un compito di scuola :)

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this is my 1t time on this site and i am loving everything i see....but it is very limited though...i would love if u showed me how to draw the night sky, …

PALM TREE EXPRESS
this guide was so helpful and i got and a+ on my drawing

fly fly butterfly
ilove this site im going to visit everyday/night im an artist myself and this is wonderful work!!!!...lol... …

fly fly butterfly
i love these drawings/sketches... lol...

Palm tree great lifesaver, thanks!
I used this for 3 Japanese visitors to my art room, with 3 buddies who were students at my school but didn't take art as a subject. I had no idea whether …

PALM TREE
I think this is very helpful if you want to draw a good palm tree with great details

FANTASTIC DRAWING
it was FANTASTIC I LOVE IT IVE JUST DRAWN IT ITS GOOD WHO EVER DID THAT DRWING IS GOOD GOOD GOOD XX THX FOR THE IDEAR

The palm tree picture
This picture is really neat! I love it! It looks so real and amazing! I wish I could draw like this!

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BALE BALE
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omg
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hEY
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sharon
This is a great page ...I want to draw palm trees on my wall in the back yard this page is a great help

Beautiful
I think this is very beautiful, especially the branches!!!!

Teacher, Administrator and Cake Decorator
Excellent!!! Very clear and easy to follow.

i wuv this
I WUV THIS PLEASE TEACH ME THIS SO IF I WUV U!

Fly Away
This is a great, simple learning tool! The palm tree is beautiful, and instructions easy to follow.

hello
i do like the drawing it is kewl i like how you sketched it and made it kinda a shady light in the inside so cool how yu did that

NOT REALLY FOR ME
this was more for advanced artists and i dont really know how to draw. i was looking for an easy almost cartoon looking palm tree but this is too complex. …

Amazing!
This site is so helpful! I had to draw a palm tree not knowing how now I know how because of this site!

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My Palm
I love this drawing! I have started to draw some animals too. I´ve drawn your dolphin and dog too ! I Love it! This site is really cool. i need it! …

sjsd312lol
that is awsome.

AMAZING
this was awsome i drew it and i kinda expressed myself

AMAZING
I love this picture!!! Oh, it reminds me of the beach so much. Keep up the good work! Maybe in the backround you could add water! But it still looks great …

GOOD THINKING GIRL!
WOW!YOU ARE REALLY GOOD AT DRAWING!THANK SO MUCH FOR SHOWING YOUR TIPS,WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL MY FRIENDS WERE SO SURPRISED I DID SUCH A GOOD PALM TREE AND …

oh well
the drawing part was great, but I am banging my head against the wall for coloring it. i didn't have the right greens. maybe y'all need a pic of what …

Confused :/
I like it but I still have trouble with my leaves and it's hard to see where you used your different colored pencils.....

goo girl
im doin a drawing 4 school. it was a great help. thanks

work on
it was good but you need a video to go with it more details

:)　good
these tutorials are really good. I have no experience in drawing and i drew a PERFECT bird!

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Not really
It was not really helpful because the people who draw this stuff and put it on the internet are like professinals. So i felt bad when my horrible drawing …

GUIEDS
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cool
I think it is really cool!!! How did you get it so perfect? I wish that I could get it that good:):):):)

palm tree
i think this is great way of teaching people how to draw palm trees. the only thing that i would recommend is explaining how to draw the leaves.

Thank_You
Wow.. May I have your hand? Lol, im 11 and have been drawing for many years, and i try to draw what you do, but it doesnt exactly work out. Not that it …

Incredible
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Sweet
I think that this is very good.

George
You didn't say what color the trunk was?

THANK U
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ajaysingh
every thing is perfect

Working on this
I was searching all over for this, and it helped better than anything else! Thanks!

wow!!!!!!!
this drawing looks like you just took a picture of a palm tree. I'm amazed!!!!

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