How to Draw a Palm

Palm Tree Drawing Set-up

Basic Items Needed For Drawing

You'll want room to draw, and places for your drawing materials. Are you a beginner for learning how to draw a palm? We think maybe so. You might not have thought of this. But the better outcome is if you're comfortable while drawing your palm. Choose your best place for that.

The best set-up is to have an Upright Easel. Maybe you're not ready to make that investment purchase. But down the road it's an essential, for improvement over time. One relatively inexpensive idea is a Drawing Board. This tool helps you get your drawing proportions most accurate.

When placing your paper on the board's surface, support it with a few added sheets underneath. The surface of your drawing board may have flaws that could cause problems. It makes for smooth drawing lines.

Lighting for Drawing Palm Tree Artwork

Artist Working With Good Easel Set-up & Excellent Lighting

The best lighting is a bright, Non-Glaring Light source. Which lights your drawing area evenly, without shadows.

Have a natural light to accomplish this? Like outdoors on your patio? While using your own Landscaping Palm For Ideas, as a model, for instance. That's fine, as long as shadows don't creep in!

PENCILS

You'll need a drawing pencil, or a Selection of Drawing Pencils with grades. Grades tell how hard the graphite "lead" is. For the more experienced, you can move on to Charcoal Pencils or colored pencils.

Graphite pencils make smooth lines. And you'll be able to redo unwanted lines more easily with a good eraser. Up to 20 pencils are in a set. With graduating ranges from the hardest to softest.

Pencils Made for Drawing are the Best for Your Artwork

WHAT IT MEANS

Meaning the softer the pencil grade, the darker the blackish tones you get from it. On the opposite end, the harder the pencil grade, the lighter the blackish tones you get from it. In fact on the hard grade ends (H & onward), the tones are actually a range of grays.

As a beginner, it's usually best to start with pencils in the medium grade range. Like choosing one "B" and one "H."

Are you uncertain about embarking on this hobby? Unsure if you'll continue beyond learning how to draw a palm for this one time? Getting a grade HB will adequately cover all the bases.

If you do decide to stick with it, you can always add more as you go!

Sanding Block is an added help for a sharp pencil. It's really just sandpaper attached to a wooden piece.

• Sandpaddle Sharpeners - Ready made items that you can purchase. They conveniently have added stacked sandpaper pads. When the top surface one is exhausted, tear it off for the new one below.
• DIY Sanding Block - These can be simply made at home. Just attach a sheet of sandpaper to a block of wood with appropriate glue. 

Sandpaddle Sharpener + Blending Stumps & Tortillions
This brand of pencil has carbon lead. Without the high shine given off from graphite lead.
Also giving more intensity with high numbers like 6/8B.

How to Draw Palm Trees Confidently

Are you now ready to draw a palm tree? Start first with practice sketches. Take your "scribbling" Practice Pad and get started.

PRACTICE EXERCISES

Look at the parts of a palm that you plan to draw. Practice sketching various palm parts on your scratch pad.

Think of each section's overall shape. Analyze proportions. For instance...

• Is the trunk thin or wide? Is its width the same from top to bottom?
• Are the leaves long or short? Thin or wide?

YOUR PRACTICE BEGINNINGS

Time yourself for each practice sketch. Work on each one for three minutes. Your minimum suggested goal for completing the number of practice sketches is below. Giving you at least 51 minutes of practice time.

You're not looking for perfection here. Just get moving. 

It loosens up your drawing arm/fingers. Getting you ready for your serious palm tree drawing result. It helps sharpen your skills bit by bit.

PRE-PRACTICING

Think how all drawings, including learning how to draw a palm, involves putting together basic shapes. Like triangles, rectangles, squares, ovals, curves & lines, circles & wedges.

Think of the palm tree you'd plan to draw. What shapes are included within?

• The trunk is basically a rectangle. So are smaller stems.
• When Drawing Palm Leaves, they can be triangular, rectangles or wedges.
• The base of the crown is like a wedge. Or maybe a circle, as are fruits.

Flowers are made up of nearly all shapes. The curve is a line that squiggles or arcs one way or another. For instance, think of an "S" curve.

Spend about one minute on each shape. Quickly sketching out various versions on your scratch pad.

Begin Practicing How to Draw Palm Trees

BEGIN THIS WAY

An ideal way is to gather some pencil line drawings of basic palm trees as examples. Probably 3 or 4 of them. Use them as models for practicing. For learning how to draw a palm of your own.

EXAMPLES FOR YOU:

Pinnate Palm Trees

Palmate Palm Trees

Work with actual Palm Tree Parts:

• Sketch out a basic palm tree trunk. Draw three versions. Use examples from above.
• Draw the palm tree leaves. Make them in different shapes & formats.

1. Some with pinnate fronds, some with palmate. Two of each type of frond.

NOTE: You certainly can just draw outlines, you don't have to fill in the areas.

Stylized Palmate Leaves

Pinnate Palm Leaf

START WORKING!

Now based on these, try some experimentation in working out how to draw palm tree leaves in different situations.

• Some reaching upright, others drooping downward. Four sketches.
• Maybe views of fronds in a blowing storm. Two views.

DIFFERENT BRANCHING

• Are you including inflorescences? Sketch a few of them. Two versions.
  
• Infructescences could be a logical addition. Practice some of them. Another two.

Take a Break
When Learning How to Draw a Palm Tree

BREAK TIME

Before moving on, time to Give Yourself A Break!

There's a documented technique. When learning something new, it's best to break the material into sections with mini-breaks in between. This enables your brain (including your physical muscle memory) to absorb and remember better.

Keep in mind, this is your hobby (we think, right?)! It's supposed to be enjoyable. To be fun for you. If you start getting frustrated, because your drawings don't look like you'd hoped, don't stress about it.

Taking a break from drawing a palm tree practice.

WHAT HELPS

Time and practice will improve your work (or should I say play!). Remember your learning is a process. A step by step way to get improvement in learning how to draw a palm. It doesn't happen at the snap of a finger!

Keep reminding yourself of that. Have patience with yourself!

Your Final Palm Tree Drawing

YES, NOW IT'S REAL!

Now it's time to get out your Drawing Book, set up a few pages on your easel, and prepare to begin.

FOLLOW-UP

After following the instruct for the first time, take a step back. Does your drawing look like you expected? Or does it need adjustment?

There's nothing wrong with that. If it doesn't look perfect from the start! Good drawing is a learning process. Anything takes practice, and improvement will come. Just continue that process. The steps to getting it just so - just as you want it to look!

DO THE PROCESS

Think about why it doesn't look like you wanted it to. Look at details.

• Which parts of your palm tree drawing look exactly right? 
• Which need improvement?

Begin again, focusing on reproducing what you've already done to your satisfaction. Then improve on areas you weren't happy with. Work more carefully with them. Get those Palm Tree Parts to look more like you expect them to look.

When you've completed the drawing, step back again. Look it over to decide if it's just how you wanted it. If not, begin this process again. Until this process gets your progression of how to Easily Draw Palm Trees, right where you want it to be.

FINISH WITH CONFIDENCE!

Now do it as a final, professionally done drawing, in your Drawing Book Pad.

As you become more experienced, an Easy to Draw Palm Tree will be quickly accomplished. If you're enjoying your artwork experiences, you might want to move on to learning to do palm tree paintings.

Shortcut for How to Draw Palm Trees

Did that sound like a lot of work?

One thing to remember, or I've got to emphasize again. No matter what skill there is you'd want to learn. There's that tried and true saying:

Practice Makes Perfect!

There are no Real short cuts! But...

Here's a funny little sorta short-cut to learning how to draw a palm tree. This may help you out a bit, too. It's a Game For Drawing Palm Trees that has an instructive method. See if it works for you!

As you do drawings more and more, you'll improve. You'll gradually see better and better results. Especially when you follow the process of reviewing what needs improvement. Doing that each time. Until you're totally satisfied.

Even musicians that you love, or famous genius composers you've heard of, followed a similar system. They didn't get to peak performance overnight. It was after many hours of practice!