How to Draw a River

In this post, we are going to learn how to draw a river with your drawing materials. Be sure to observe the various sizes and shapes contained in the example drawing of the river. The new lines in each step is drawn in blue so you can observe the current components that you will be working on.

Time Needed: 30 minutes

1. Draw A Tree Trunk

   

   Form the vertical shape as shown to draw the tree trunk. Add vertical lines to create the texture on the surface of the tree trunk.

2. Add The Leaves Of The Tree

   

   Add the leaves of the tree by first drawing a bumpy round shape on top of the tree trunk. Don’t forget to draw the leaves attached to the branches as well by making curved lines..

3. Draw Landforms

   

   Let’s start forming the shape of the river by drawing the landforms surrounding it as shown in the illustration. Then, add some grass by drawing pointed shapes.

4. Form The Edge Of The River

   

   Let’s form the edge of the river by drawing the lines following the shape of the landforms as shown.

5. Draw The Background

   

   First, let’s draw the distant landform in the background by making a bumpy line. Next, form the clouds by creating bumpy round shapes.

6. Add A Pathway

   

   Add a pathway on the grass by drawing wavy lines.

7. Attach A Bridge

   

   Attach a bridge connecting the pathways by first making an outline of a rectangular box curving downward. Next, add the plank texture by creating repeated lines on the bridge.

8. Draw The Currents

   

   Draw the river currents by drawing lines that follow the shape of the river.

9. Complete The River Drawing

   

   Let’s color the river with a blue crayon. Next, use a yellow green crayon to shade the leaves of the tree. Now, use a brown crayon to color the tree trunk and the bridge. Then, color the grass with a green crayon and the distant landform at the background with a darker green crayon. Don’t forget to color the pathway with a light orange crayon and the landmass at the edge of the river with a light brown crayon. Finally, fill in the sky with a light brown crayon and the clouds with a white crayon.