A Free Landscape Drawing Lesson

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com
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Welcome to this free excerpt from Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink. Featured is a step-by-step landscape drawing lesson on composition. 

In the comments below, tell us: If you could travel anywhere in the world just for drawing landscapes, where you would love to go? 

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Landscape Drawing | A Step-by-Step Drawing Lesson for Beginners

Drawing for the Absolute Beginner | ArtistsNetwork.com
Learn more when you get your copy of the book here!

By Mark and Mary Willenbrink 

To a beginner, full compositions can seem overwhelming. Just remember, most elaborate drawings are just a grouping of smaller drawings. This particular drawing is made up of three main subjects: the building, the tree left of the building and the sheep. Approach it with the idea that each is a separate drawing that contributes to the whole. Take your time, be patient with yourself and enjoy the process. 

Must-Have Drawing Materials
• 4H, HB, 4B graphite pencils
• 14″ × 11″ (36cm × 28cm) medium tooth drawing paper
• Drawing board
• Kneaded eraser
• Straightedge, triangle or angle ruler
• Value scale

Optional, But Not to Be Overlooked:
• Dividers, proportional dividers or sewing gauge
• Pencil sharpener
• White vinyl eraser

For Beginners: How to Draw a Landscape

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Step 1: Draw the Basic Shapes

With a 4H pencil, lightly sketch a rectangle for the basic shape of the springhouse, then add a line for the roof’s edge and another line for the front corner of the house. This may be a good time to get out your straightedge to help you draw accurate lines. Sketch the grass line, tree trunk, leaf canopy and ovals for the sheeps’ bodies.

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Step 2: Add the Window, Door and Roof Lines

Using the 4H pencil and your straightedge, add the window and door to the springhouse along with angles to the roof. You may want to use an angle ruler to check your angles.

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Step 3: Add Details to the Building and Tree

With the 4H pencil, add more lines to define the springhouse, including additional overhang to the right side. Erase any unnecessary guidelines with a kneaded eraser. Sketch in more of the tree’s structure, tapering the smaller branches that grow away from the trunk.

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Step 4: Add Definition to the Trees, Foliage and Sheep

With a 4H pencil, add more branches. Sketch the basic shapes of the tree’s foliage and the brushes and shrubs along the house. Sketch the heads and legs of the sheep.

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Step 5: Refine the Sheep and Trees

Use the 4H pencil to refine the sheep by adding ears and filling out the basic shapes of their legs. Begin shading the leaves of the tree with a 4H pencil. Create texture by applying scribbles with short, broad strokes with the pencil tip flat against the paper, going back and forth. Use this same technique for the shrubbery. Check your values with the value scale and make adjustments as necessary.

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Step 6: Add Shading and Grass

Add shading to the springhouse, sheep and foliage. Use the 4H pencil for the lighter shading and the HB pencil for the darker shading. Notice that the springhouse is darker on the left side because it is in shadow.

With 4H and HB pencils, add grass to the foreground and shade the sheep further. Make the body of the sheep on the far left dark and keep the grass around it light for contrast. The bodies of the other two sheep are light, so make the grass around them darker with an HB pencil. By doing this, you won’t have to rely on outlines to define the sheep; instead, they are defined by contrast. Check your work with the value scale.

Landscape drawing tutorial | Mark Willenbrink, ArtistsNetwork.com

Step 7: Add the Darkest Darks and Finishing Details

Make any adjustments to the shading and details with the 4H and HB pencils. Use the 4B pencil for the darkest darks, such as the window and door openings and shadow areas of the tree. Check the range of your lights and darks with your value scale and make any necessary changes. Sign and date your drawing.

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Join the Conversation!

  1. I would like to travel the world to draw all the historic places of the ancient world. But I would especially like to draw the sahara desert with its waves of sand and then go to egypt to draw the pyramids

  2. I would love to go to the historical places in China . I have been reading many chinese manhwas for the last two years and i have been in love the historical genre. The drawings of the ancient buildings, landscapes, manors, and their costumes are amazing . Though i would go to other places but the first would always be the historical places.

  3. I would absolutely travel to be able to travel and draw landscapes across the world. Italy for sure , Tuscany, Cinque Terre Italy, Dolomites Italy. Im Italian, it’s my dream to visit. Also a few others id love to draw are El Chalten, Argentina, Wharariki Beach, New Zealand. That’s just to name a few. Would be amazing!!

  4. I love the wildly beautiful coastlines of Cornwall and of the Western Isles of Scotland! Both offer rugged cliffs, intricate rock formations, enchanting secret coves, idyllic stretches of flat pristine beaches. Both full of amazing creative drawing opportunities.

  5. I loved, loved, LOVED Ireland! Ancient castle ruins, thatch roof cottages, coastal wilderness, quaint little towns, winding roads, herds of sheep, rock walls, everything an artist could want down to the country folk in their authinic daily wear. I could sketch everyday for the rest of my life, and never run out of different scenery or subjects!

  6. I’d like to bounce around to different places Pa for the Lancaster farmlands, Washington state for the beautiful mountain scapes, Utah for the painted mountains Italy Greece and Mexico for the ruins. I could go on forever.

  7. Difficult to choose. New Zealand is incredibly beautiful and has a wide range of landscapes with giant, prehistoric looking ferns, waterfalls, and there are the volcanic or thermal areas with beautiful rock and mineral formations. Finally there are the southern regions. Much of it seems untouched by humans. Tahiti, and Australia have beautiful landscapes. And Central Texas in the Spring is spectacular with the wildflower blooms!

  8. New Zealand is incredibly beautiful and has a wide range of landscapes with giant, prehistoric looking ferns, waterfalls, and there are the volcanic or thermal areas with beautiful rock and mineral formations. Finally there are the southern regions. Much of it seems untouched by humans.

  9. Monet’s garden in Giverny, France would be my choice. It is said to be wild with color, birds, and flowers especially in Spring. I can imagine that Monet felt a touch of Paradise there and so filled his canvasses with inspirational skill.

  10. Not sure where I’d want to go. This world has so many beautiful places. Japan, Italy, the south of France and that’s just for starters…

  11. I think I’d have to say the Hawaiian islands. By the way I have this book and it is a excellent book for a beginner like myself

  12. England! Castles, cottages, gorgeous valleys, breathtaking seascapes, old world farms and towns… just so many different things to put to paper.

  13. The Bread Basket of America would be my number one choice for using as a reference for my landscape art. The Midwest offers beatiful, peaceful, and serene areas of farm land and prairie grass that are unbeatable!

  14. I was having a hard time with my drawing and felt I needed to get back to basics. This little landscape lesson helped me out of a slump. Thanks for sending it when you did. We are going on a Viking Cruise next month and the pencils would be a godsend for quick sketching in other countries.

  15. I’d love to do more drawing in my home state of Florida – as well as Cuba, where I am planning to travel in a couple of months.

  16. Out my back door where the desert comes alive. I live in a beautiful desert In southern Arizona just 20 miles from the boarder. I have all manner of birds and critters big and small creep in and out of my yard I love this place. It is a constant inspiration for me.

  17. Maine seacoasts and Islands, shores, cliffs, docks, fishing villages, wildlife, lighthouses, and sunrises provide an infinite supply of shadows for “painting”

  18. I would love to go to Australia! The landscape ther is just gorgeous.
    And I LOVE Caran D’Ache pencils I use the Supracolor soft watercolor pencils and the Neo color 2!! Thanks

  19. My Grandmother took my sisters and I on a RV road trip when I was about 6. We went from Sacramento, CA to Billings, MT. We traveled alongside the Donner Pass and Truckee River. My Grandma picked several spots to stop, like the Shoshone Falls in Idaho, Old Faithful at Yellowstone Park. I think I would like to try that again as an adult, and document the journey with sketches. All the rivers, and forests, and mountains, and wildlife… so beautiful.

  20. i also really love to draw people, so to travel to another land like India, China, or a Native American reservation, just to draw the people would be really neat!

  21. I would love to go to Scotland and draw the old stone homes, barns, sheep, rolling hills etc.. These pencils would be awesome!!

  22. My own back yard near, Moab, Utah, I like the diversity of the high desert, the tonal contrast of the rock formations, and the subtle colors of the sparse plants, along with the meandering Colorado, and Green rivers.

  23. I’d love to visit all the oceans of the world and sketch every single one and include things like sailboats, surfers and marine life.

  24. The Adirondacks in New York state would be my choice. The mountains, trees and lakes there would make great subjects for drawing.

  25. Well, at 70 I’m not sure Id be allowed, but I’d like to see the world from space…it would be lovely to sit on another place and see things not of our current understanding… 2nd choice the path of daVinci…

  26. Montana, Idaho, Calgary, and anywhere around the “Great Divide” where mountains, streams, lakes and fields of flowers all get together to create the most breathtaking beauty and vistas right here in North America!

  27. The North Shore of Lake Superior provides an endless visual feast, but any area seems to provide interesting landscapes for drawing if I am aware.

  28. I would love to go back to China and sketch the Great Wall, Alas, I’ll have to make do with the photos I took on previous trips. Otherwise, anywhere and old barn might be.

  29. If I could go one place anywhere to paint it would probably be Tuscany. I have heard so much about the light and it looks like a wonderful place

  30. Tibet. The Himalayan Mountains, the monastaries, flags flapping in the wind… The monks, the people, and animals moving about the area getting on with living life. To be able to archive on paper, with pencil, the majesty and mysticism of such a place would be nirvana. What a blessing to experience.

  31. I’d like to sketch Marin County, California…
    Coastal areas, small towns, dairy cattle, wildlife, lighthouse, hiking trails and all sorts of enjoyable things.

  32. Of course my “auld home town” Clifden Ireland is the place most teeming with landscapes asking to be drawn. The rocky hills, the wild Atlantic, the town itself and the horses, ah the horses! Going home for 3 weeks in September. Would love new drawers to capture my lovely views.

  33. I would love to sit in the grass in Ireland and draw the peace I imagine is there. Holland would be interesting too – because I don’t know what to expect!

  34. The Sonoran Desert would be my choice. I was born in Arizona and spent my early childhood there. The Sonoran is the only place in the world where the saguaro cactus grows wild. It dips into northwestern Mexico and is the hottest desert in Mexico. It is a hot and rugged place, full of surprising landscapes of vegetation, rock faces, mesas, escarpments, and an ever-changing sky. When storms roll across the desert, the looming clouds are a masterpiece of God’s artistry. After the storms pass, there are often masses of wildflowers that carpet the desert floor. It is truly amazing to see the stately saguaro standing among a sea of color. If you want to sample the beauty of the Sonoran, check out a copy of Arizona Highways magazine. The American southwest has more to offer than the uninitiated might suspect.

  35. My place for sketching is urban settings…I particularly like small amazing towns with interesting architecture. Mount Dora, FL is a favorite spot.

  36. I have always wanted to visit the South of France and spend my time drawing and painting. This would be the ultimate location to create and explore with all my artist materials!!

  37. I am blessed with a large lot featuring numerous large and mature tress mixed with some young ones in the couple of more open spaces. I enjoy sitting right on my back deck and drawing what beauty is revealed to me at that time. Awesome prize. Thanks for the chance to win!

  38. The Colorado Rocky mountains are close by and my favorite subject. When time permits, Yellowstone and the Canadian Rockies are great too.

  39. Anywhere there are mountains or interesting rock formations. I love the beauty and majesty in God’s creation especially in mountains. I’ve been to the mountains several times, but I’ve never really sketched there. I saw that someone else said Monument Valley and I would love to go there and draw too.

  40. I would like to go home to Norway, where I haven’t been for 15 years. There is so much wonderful nature to draw and paint there – and all the rock and year-round snow on the mountain tops would be perfect for monochrome drawings.

  41. I have always wanted to see/draw Iceland, but I am happy just to walk out my back door and find inspiration from the ancient Appalachian mountains.

  42. Italy France and Germany are all good., they all have beautiful landscapes as well as street scenes, each have varying characteristics and interesting textures. as well, South America, India (Asia in general) have varied and interesting landscapes, temples and peoples to draw. i think i could definitely fill a travel sketch book with all of those subjects! Simply Greatness.

  43. Aix en Provence would be my dream. Seeing the light that many amazing impressionists saw, smelling the lavender and just simply living the history of my favourite artists.

  44. Hard to pick one place, but one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen is Lucerne, Switzerland, with Mount Pilatus, magnificent!

  45. I would love to bring my new techniques, from lessons acquired from the Artists Network, and new Caran D’Ache art pencils to Lake Powell, Arizona. I’ve often envisioned attempting to draw the majestic landscape at the base of the Grand Canyon. I’ve completed several drawing lessons at https://www.artistsnetwork.com and I feel prepared to tackle this dream! Hunter Ripa

  46. I’d love to visit rural England in the spring or early summer to sketch. Specifically, I’d like to capture some of the sights surrounding Avebury and Glastonbury. That area of the U.K. not only contains great natural beauty, but many examples of Neolithic and medieval ruins that beg to be drawn. I’m also a fan of ancient legends and folklore, and Wiltshire is perfect for that too.

  47. I live on a sailboat, and my dream is to head off with my pencils and paints and document my travels. First stop, Sea of Cortez and Pacific Mexico and from there, who knows!

  48. I would love to go draw in Hawaii. I love the lush greenery and the hills as well as the huts and buildings, oceans and beaches It’s a little bit of everything all in one place.

  49. I have been to Tuscany and I would love to be able to go there and be able to spend time drawing and painting plein air. Such lovely scenes to delve into!

  50. I would love to go to the southwestern United States and capture nature in all it’s glory. I’ve always wanted to try and sketch the ancient dwellings and petroglyphs. And the colors are so vibrant… yes definitely the southwest.

  51. I would like to draw the landscapes of Goa , India. The culture , people, the heritage, the sea , the costal rain forest , it is a picturesque place to be in yourself and indulge into an expressive medium like sketching.

  52. Thank you artist network for the lesson!!

    If I could travel anywhere in the world just to draw landscapes, I would love to go to Machu Picchu! Love the place for its Breathtaking views!!

  53. Ireland! I’ve never been there, but it seems to run the run the gamut: modern, traditional, pastoral, wild. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of rural Ireland that didn’t take my breath away, and if I got tired of wind-swept vistas, plenty of inspiring town and city scenes to fallback on.

  54. I would go to the South of Argentina during the summer. Great landscapes with Mountains , contrats and shapes. Lakes and rivers. Glaciars.

  55. Hi, if I had the chance or could afford it, I’d have to say the islands of Hawaii. Just seeing the spectacular landscapes and vistas really moves me. Thxs Sean

  56. I would love to go back to Cannes, France and draw the Alps and the Riviera. I also would love to draw landscapes in Tuscany.

    Marianne

  57. I would love to visit Kashmir!
    It’s heaven on earth! It’s is the land of beauty!
    Unfortunately, it isn’t portrayed well in the media because of political problems!
    But I would love to draw it, paint it, and taken photographs of it nevertheless I don’t think that would be enough to take a copy of its beauty with me!

  58. I would LOVE to visit Oahu, Hawaii to draw it’s magnificent mountains and valleys. I have only seen photos of such beauty of a far off tropical land offering so much flora in those mountains and valleys to choose from. The (drawing) experience would be incredible!

  59. The west coast of Nicaragua, wild and natural beauty. A little inland, dense, rich jungle-like forests before climbing the volcanoes.

  60. I would like to go up to the Yorkshire dales and draw those beautiful stone walls and crofts, the shading made with the pencils would be ideal. Thanks for the video, very helpgful

  61. I would love to paint plein air in Iceland. Someday I will visit there and capture the beautiful landscape and amazing colors of the fjords and Northern lights.

  62. Norway! Due to the wonderful light there. There is no other place on the planet with such fantastic light and nature combination.
    The landscapes are oh so dreamy. Like a fairytale.

  63. Sedona, Arizona, the beauty of the red rocks, the water, Indian lore, the mystical vortices, the glowing sunsets, put to paper would be my dream.

  64. I would love to draw the trees and birds in my backyard or Latta Plantation because it will mix my passion of art and history as well as architecture.

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