How to Draw a Tree

This oak grows from the top down. The treetop comes first in box 1, a big cloud of small round bumps that go all the way around, and it is the shape to spend time on. Box 2 hangs a thick trunk under it, a little wider at the bottom than at the top, and box 3 adds two round root bumps that curve out from the trunk and end flat on the ground.

Hole, bark and acorns

A round hole and a little knot go on the trunk in box 4. Once the steps are done, an animal peeking out of that hole is an easy extra. Box 5 brings two bark lines and three small leafy curls in the treetop; three are enough. In box 6 two acorns land on the ground, one on each side, each an oval with a cap and a tiny stem. The boxes sit in two columns, and the newest lines in each are orange.

A first drawing lesson

Nearly every shape is a bump, an oval or a short stroke, which fits the 3 to 5 age range marked on the sheet. A small finished oak and the six steps sit above a large box labeled Draw yours here on page two, where a child can copy the oak or invent a tree of their own with the same steps. The website also shows an animation of the oak being drawn and a dashed outline for tracing. The acorns are small, and they stay clear when the A4 or Letter file prints at 100 percent.