How to Draw a Cherry Blossom

Welcome to this drawing tutorial! Thank you for letting me share my love for drawing with you :D Feel free to use whatever tools and materials you like the most, I highly recommend drawing with a pencil when you first start so you can make mistakes without stressing about it! Never be shy about erasing ^.^

Step 1. Guideline Circle

Yaay lets draw some cherry blossoms :D start with a large circle, this circle will be the guideline for the outer edge of the flower. The size of this circle defines the size of the flower.

Step 2. Bud Circle

Add a smaller circle towards the top right of the first circle, make sure that there is space between the two circles and that they dont touch. We will be using this smaller circle to draw a budding cherry blossom.

Step 3. Core Circle

Return to the large circle and add a small circle towards the center of the guideline circle. This will be the core of the flower.

Step 4. Small Line

Draw a small line from the top center of the core that is angled to the left.

Step 5. Second Line

Add a line of similar length but this time to the right side of the core.

Step 6. More Lines

Add two more small lines to the bottom right portion, these lines will help define the proportions of the petals. Make sure to pay attention to the spacing between these lines and keep the length of the lines short.

Step 7. Last Two

Add two more small lines to left side, erase away and correct if you feel like the spacing is off. We dont want perfect symmetry but we want a decent balance. We will be drawing three petals coming out of these lines.

Step 8. Flower Petal

Now that we have the proportions and guidelines set up we can start drawing the petals. The key to drawing flower petals is to draw them flowing away from the core. Think about how sunrays move away from the sun, we want to capture this in the edges of the petals. Our little Sun Buddy in the diagram below is here to remind us of this point.

Add a curving line to the top center line, moving away from the core and to the right. The line ends at the guideline.

Step 9. Complete Petal

Finish the petal by adding a curving line from the small line on the top right out to the guideline (in blue). Draw a line that follows along the guideline connecting the two lines we just finished (in pink).

Step 10. Bottom Petal

Draw a curving line from the bottom line toward the guideline circle but this time, curve it before it touches the guideline.

Step 11. Complete Petal

Add a curving line from the last curve that curves back towards the core (in blue) and add the edge line (in pink). Notice how this petal has more of a tip than the last one, playing with slight variations like these will help us develop an organic feel for the flower.

Step 12. Left Petal

Now we are left with two small lines out of the core for the last petal. Start with the top edge line (in blue) and start to tilt it downwards before the guideline circle and continue until it touches the guideline (in pink).

Step 13. Complete Petal

Draw a line following the guideline and then repeat the last step for the bottom edge of the petal.

Step 14. Second Layer

Yaaay :D we have the top layer of petals complete, now we will start with the petals underneath. The key to this is that the second layer of petals wont have their edge lines fully visible, they will be overlapped by the top layer of petals. This might be a bit confusing at first but as we go through this, try to pay attention to how lines intersect and give the illusion of overlap.

Draw a line coming down from the edge line of the left petal, angle this line towards the middle (in blue).

Step 15. Curve

Finish this petal by curving a line to the bottom right petal. See how this petal looks like it behind the two petals its connected to, this is the effect we want for the rest of the petals.

Step 16. Top Petal

Add a petal to the top left space by drawing a curving line that goes to the guideline circle. Notice how the line starts partway up the edge line of the petal beneath it.

Step 17. Complete Petal

FInish the petal by curving the line downwards.

Step 18. Right Petal

Draw a petal in the space on the right by drawing a curving line downwards until it touches the guideline circle.

Step 19. Complete Petal

Finish the petal by drawing a curving line that intersects with the edge line of the petal beneath it.

Step 20. Erase

Erase away the guideline and any other mistakes you want to fix. I am using a kneadable eraser which is a puddy/playdough like eraser that you can mold into whatever shape you want. I prefer these erasers because they dont leave any shavings :D.

Step 21. Stem

After cleaning up the drawing and redrawing lines that might have gotten lightened by accident, draw small lines coming out from the core.

Step 22. Stems

Add more stems flowing out of the core, notice how they point slightly downwards.

Step 23. Bulbs

Add tiny circles to the ends of the stems.

Step 24. Bud

Now that we have the structure for the mainflower complete, lets start giving the budding flower some petals. Start by drawing a curved line that starts at the middle point of the circle and comes up and around. Pay attention to how this line is more curved towards the top than it is towards the bottom.

Step 25. Bud Two

Draw a small line that curves to right from the middle point. Pay attention to how this petal is underneath the last one so it intersects and disappears. Starting with the top layer makes it much easier for us to create this layering effect!

Step 26. Top Edge

Draw a line towards the top that follows the curve of the circle, this line is very thin but helps give the bud some extra detail.

Step 27. Branch

Now that we have our two flowers in place, lets add the branch. Draw two lines tilted to the top left and stop at the bud. Make sure the angle makes it feel like the bud is sitting on the top line of the branch. Keep the distance between these lines small so that the branch isnt too thick.

Step 28. Turn

Now add two more lines that are tilted towards the flower, this sharp turn gives us the indication that this is branch.

Step 29. Bottom Branch

Draw two lines from the bottom middle of the flower towards the bottom right. Notice how the lines for the branches creates movement through the drawing.

Step 30. Leaf

Add a leaf underneath the budding flower by drawing a similar shape to the petals we drew earlier. Define the edge lines and curve the top.

Step 31. Bottom Leaf

Add another leaf underneath the flower that is larger than the last leaf we drew, this variation in size between the two elements makes the image more pleasant.

Step 32. Branch Shading

Add shading to the branch by adding lines that flow in the direction of the branch edge lines.

Step 33. Petal Lines

Add two lines on the top right petal that are close to the core. Make sure to keep these lines closer to the core than the edge.

Step 34. Shading

Add shading to the rest of the petals and the leaves with the same method, follow the form and keep the lines close to the core or where the petal/leaf attaches.

Final Step

Celebrate your drawing!

Yaay finished the drawing! Thank you so much for letting me share my love for drawing flowers with you! I really hope this was fun for you and maybe (just maybe) this tutorial has helped you realize that you can totally learn how to draw. I learned drawing at a later age so I know that this is a learn-able skill that anyone can pick up at any time (with effort, of course).

Check out more of the tutorial on the site! I've put lots of effort into creating these free resources because I want more people to fall in love with drawing. So feel free to share the link to this tutorial with friends :D That would be tremendously helpful to me on this mission to spread the love for drawing.

I have created a 20 page Printable Workbook (PDF) that will teach you how to draw different floral arrangements. I wanted to create something that could really speed up someone's learning and actually get them drawing. I poured tons of time into it to make it as useful as possible to someone who wants to capture the elegance and beauty of flowers, I would looove it if you grabbed your copy and drew with me some more!