How to Draw a Grassland

Capture the simple beauty of a prairie landscape.

Grasslands may be flat, sparse in tall trees and mostly uniform in color, but this doesn't mean they aren't beautiful. Prairie landscapes, with their muted color and soothing lines, possess a simplistic charm. Drawing a grassland landscape is relatively simple, as the resulting picture will consist mostly of grass and sky. Depending on which geographic region you wish to depict, animals, small trees and other vegetation may also be added to the landscape.

Things You'll Need

• Drawing pad or paper
• Graphite drawing pencil
• Eraser
• Colored pencils (green, yellow, tan, brown, blue)

Instructions

1. Define the horizon by sketching a light horizontal line across your paper. To add visual interest to your image, make the line about two-thirds up from the bottom of the page.

2. Begin filling in your grassland at the horizon line. As the grass near the horizon is distant and less detailed than that in the foreground, use light up-and-down pencil strokes to create the blades. Cluster strokes to form thick patches of grass, or space them out to convey sparseness.

3. Repeat Step 2 until the horizon line is mostly covered with grass.

4. Make your marks darker as you approach the foreground of your image. To convey the closeness of the foreground grass, make your pencil strokes larger and more detailed. For example, if you're drawing a prairie of wheat, make a cluster of small circles at the top of the stroke to indicate grain.

5. Add the appearance of wind by making clusters of diagonal strokes, or by making strokes in a wavy pattern. For uniformity, the strokes should lean in the same direction. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until the foreground is covered with grass.

6. Lay your graphite pencil on its side and use light back-and-forth passes to shade in the sky above the horizon line. Instead of defining clouds with a thick border, let them appear naturally by leaving small patches unshaded. For large, billowy clouds, leave circular patches unshaded. For thin, streaky clouds, leave horizontal lengths unshaded.

7. Add trees, shrubs or small animals to your grassland, if desired. If you decide to add any of these elements, ensure that their size is relative to their placement within the drawing. For example, if you sketch a tree near the horizon line, it should be small and indistinct. If you place it in the right corner of your foreground, it should be much larger and very detailed.

8. Color your grassland if desired. The dark graphite pencil gives definition to your landscape, while color will add a touch of realism. Shade your grass with an assortment of natural colors, such as green, yellow, tan and brown. Lightly shade the sky with different shades of blue, or leave it gray to convey a cloudy day.

Tips & Warnings

• Blend contrasting areas or cover mistakes by rubbing a moist finger onto the paper. This will teach you to accept and deal with your mistakes rather than erasing them completely. Keep an eraser on hand for bigger mistakes.

• Don't be discouraged if your drawing doesn't come out perfectly the first time. Keep practicing your technique and hold on to your old drawings to track your progression as an artist.

References

• Pencils; Drawing Grass and Weeds; Diane Wright
• Diane Wright Fine Art; Drawing Trees; Diane Wright
• Art Instruction Blog; Landscape Drawing Tutorial; Diane Wright