How to Draw a Fleur-De-Lis Flower

Fabric weavers designed textiles with fleur-de-lis images for knights to wear over their armor.

The fleur-de-lis, or "flower of the lily," has many different meanings. The image is most commonly known as a symbol for French royalty on armor, clothing and flags. It is also included in many family crests and political organizations worldwide. The fleur-de-lis is a beautiful, but simple representation of a lily or lotus flower, said to signify perfection, light and life. Though some designs are more elaborate, all fleur-de-lis designs begin with an easy-to-draw template.

Things You'll Need

• Paper and pencil
• Colored pencils or markers

Instructions

1. Draw a horizontal oval approximately 1/2 inch tall and 2 1/2 inches long. Place the oval a little below the center of the page. Draw a straight vertical line through the center of the oval extending above the oval by 4 inches and below by 2 inches.

2. Create the center part of the flower by drawing a wide curve from the top of the line to your original oval. The widest part of the curve should be about 1 inch from the center line and 1/8 inch from the center line at the oval. The heaviest part of the curve is toward the top of the line and begins to narrow one-third of the way down. Do the same on the opposite side. Mimic the curve above the oval on the line below. This curve is much smaller and shorter but should reflect the same curve proportions you just drew.

3. Draw a large "C" on the right side of the middle stem. The curve of the C is parallel to the outside of the mirrored curves above and below the center oval. The bottom tip of the C curves around and almost touches the oval. The top tip is at a 45 degree angle about 2 1/2 inches from the oval.

4. Repeat those steps on the left side, mirroring the C. Complete the two outside petals by drawing a line from the top of each C to the bottom, following the curve and making a sharp point at each end. Draw the bottom petals. Starting on the left, draw a petal on the bottom of the center stem.

5. Draw one line curved outward, parallel to the line of the left petal 1 inch long. Then draw a line from the endpoint of that line upward toward the original center line. Do the same for the right side.

6. Erase any excess lines, so the flower is one continuous outline with no lines within the petals, stem, or center oval. Fill in the fleur-de-lis with a solid color or pattern. Make the drawing more elaborate with decorative lines or by slightly changing the shape of the petals.

References

• Fleur-de-lis Designs: The Fleur-de-lis