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Are you a new to drawing, and trying to find out how to draw various things that are quite difficult to copy from the nature onto a sheet of paper? Actually, it doesn’t matter what level of artist you are, everyone has their own difficulties in depicting various effects. Besides, there are lots of resources that will provide you with new knowledge and hone your skills.
This time, let’s try to depict a realistic blowing wind – no worries, it’s not as difficult as it seems. In fact, it’s better to depict it along with some things and its interference in nature. For example, a bending tree or flying leaves in the air. Be sure that you will produce an awesome picture with this step-by-step tutorial of how to draw wind in the autumn.
Utensils That Are Really Needed
Depicting blowing cool wind doesn’t differ comparing another natural effect. The only thing you should do, is to apply your skills to as many drawings as possible. The approaches and details are always repeated from picture to picture, the same is with the tools.
Therefore, the tools that are required are the usual: pencil, eraser, and a sheet of paper or a paper pad. In addition, you may also need a sharpener and a shading tool.
However, special attention should be paid to the main thing – a pencil. As you might know already, there are various manufacturers and brands, and of course, all of them are different. However, all the producers always intend to follow standards, thus, mostly, they produce cores HB, H2, and B2. These pencils you will need while you draw the wind gust.
Step 1: Draw Ground Line
The first step implies preparing the sheet of paper properly, not literally, but prepare the first contours that will help improve and develop other details. It means that you should outline the potential place of the ground, a tree, and the sky.
So, put a sheet of paper vertically on the table in front of you. Then, virtually divide it into three horizontally equal parts. Your task is to draw the lower line only, since later, it will be the border of the ground and then there will appear a tree. Of course, you can also add the upper line, which will help you to define where to start depicting air masses. For this purpose, it’s better to use a pencil with an HB core. If you make a mistake, it will be easy to cancel the line with an eraser and depict it once again. Also, don’t forget that any contour should be performed with light strokes.
Step 2: Blown Trunk of Tree
The next step is drawing the swaying tree. Thus, first let’s imagine the nature scene of a tree, which resists powerful air masses. As you remember, it doesn’t bend from the lower part to the top, rather the lower part stays immobilized when the other parts are slightly bent according to the wind direction.
Now, let’s project the shape of a tree, that is slightly bent to the right. It’s better to start from the lower part, then add a curve to the tree trunk. Don’t forget that the top is much thinner than the lower part, thus gradually narrow down the trunk. Remember, the top is always lighter than the middle part; consequently, the upper part is obviously subjected to the greater wind power. When you finish, just shade the contour of the tree with light hatching – it will give more volume to the trunk.
Step 3: Add Branches
It’s hard to imagine the tree without branches, thus the next step will be creating the wooden frames and leaves on them. But not so fast, as every step requires, you should mark the places where the branches will be connected to the stalk. As usual, do it with light strokes that can be easily removed. When the places are marked, you can go on with contouring the branches.
With a light touch, gliding over the paper, draw a light line and then another one that is parallel to the first one. As you remember, the trunk narrows down at the top, and this effect has to be employed to the branches as well. The thickness of the pencil marks of the branches shouldn’t exceed the thickness of lines that were used for drawing the trunk. Thus, it is highly recommended that you sharpen the pencil core before you proceed with the third stage.
Step 4: Depicting Streams of Wind
Finally, we’ve come to the key stage – depicting the wind and air masses blasting. If you have drawn the border line of sky, this will help you identify where to start drawing the wind flow. The better way to perform this stage is contouring flow direction and air masses that constantly move. As you remember, the tree is already drawn bent to the right. Consequently, the wind direction is from left to the right.
So, once again, with a light touch, make long wavy lines with spinning at the end. Don’t overdo it, since it will not look natural. Hence, make a few long lines, and then, let’s draw some short ones along with intermittent marks – they will serve as light blows.
Step 5: Illustrate Spinning Autumn Leaves
This step involves drawing the power of wind, which is well noticeable with flying things in the air, such as leaves and other small plants. Particularly here, the wind is strong enough to tear off the autumn leaves that are on the tree and carry them.
For depicting blown and flying leaves, let’s take a pencil with a blacker or softer core – B2. All the foliage should be carried by the airflow, thus, they have the same direction. Don’t press on the pencil and mark the leaf shapes accurately. Furthermore, don’t forget that they can’t be straight rather than twisted and differ from each other. Another thing, it’s better to draw more leaves where the wind whirling is, and draw less along the wind gust.
Step 6: Stones and Grass Drawing
Now, it’s time to add some small details such as grass. Work within the ground border that we have contoured in the first stage. The main task is to draw the grass that will also show the wind direction, particularly from left to right. Draw some grass blades, but don’t make them the same since all of them can’t be bent to the same direction at once, rather than slightly pushed to the ground or waving.
This effect is best performed with black or soft core pencil and tight hatching. Besides, when you draw the blades, don’t forget to add some details on the ground, such as stones, earth lumps, or rough surfaces.
Step 7: Shade Your Picture
The final stage is making all the elements of the drawing more voluminous and realistic. Shade some parts of the tree trunk, then branches, and then lawn with light hatching. Then the wind flow, which can’t be transparent, rather than full of dust, flying foliage and other things that is usually carried by the powerful blast.
Don’t forget that all the elements, whether it’s in the day or at night, always have a shadow. The shadow also can be performed with the hatching and shading tools. Additionally, you can stretch the graphite along some elements; it will also add some volume and realistic effect. For this type of work, a hard core pencil is as good as possible, thus use H2 in your drawings, too.
Sum Up
Everyone who starts doing art and trying new effects, techniques, or pictures for the first time will always face a problem of what to start with and what tools should be used in each particular case. Speaking about drawing wind gust and the tree, hopefully, it was quite simple to repeat and follow the stages. As a result, you’ve achieved another goal – you’ve drawn the wind, and not just a boring sketch of it, but comprehensive wind that is always seen in nature.
However, it’s just the beginning and you should continue trying various approaches, adding your personal tools and techniques in order to learn to draw. Good luck with your future attempts and if you want more such guides – stay with WoWPencils, it will always guide you and help you to improve your skills.