How to Draw Fruits

A woman drawing green apples

The still-life drawing of fruits is a creative activity that has been enjoyed by artists young and old for centuries. Whether you plan on sketching to perfection or presenting as an inspirational gift, you will be craving a variety of mouth-watering fruits while practicing this activity. Fruits are great still-life objects to study because they are beautiful, plentiful, colorful and affordable. Here are some instructions to get you started on this delicious new activity.

Things You'll Need

• Fruits (apple, orange, banana)
• Graphite Pencils
• Drawing Paper

Instructions

Drawing Your Arrangement

1. 

   The contours of a juicy apple

   Arrange an apple, orange and banana on a table so that they are leaning against each other. Make sure the level of the table is easily visible to where you are drawing, whether you decide to draw flat on a tablet or have your paper pinned upright on an easel.

2. 

   The smooth peel of a banana with pointed tip

   Outline the overall profile or silhouette of this trio of fruits using your graphite pencil. Try to be somewhat immediate in your approach or "eyeball" it, rather than creating a shape that is overly planned. This simply is to get you started with making your first marks.

3. 

   A delicious mound of oranges

   Draw the linear aspects of the fruit by sketching out the curves and shapes. The apple and orange are spherical objects; therefore, the lines should emphasize the curves to show dimension. The banana is elongated, so the lines should be stretched out and curved.

4. Shade the fruits in your drawing by noticing the darker spots and shadows your fruit ensemble creates. The light source in the room will highlight certain areas, which should be left light or blank. Darker parts that require shading are the bottoms of the fruits and where the fruits lean on each other. Move your pencil back and forth, pressing harder as you progress, to give the feeling of weight and dimension.

5. 

   Add details to your fruit drawing by smearing the pencil marks with your fingers for a painterly effect. Another technique to sharpen up the intricate details in your fruit is called "stippling." Stippling is essentially marking a series of dots or small circles to create value or depth. The farther apart the dots are, the lighter the appearance. Dots marked close together create a heavier feel. The dimples in an orange and the bruises on a banana will be highlighted tremendously by using this technique. As you progress, add new fruits such as pineapples and grapes to the arrangement.

Tips & Warnings

• Add colored pencils to your work to showcase the vibrancy of the fruit.