How to Draw Lightning
In this lesson, you will learn how to draw lightning in a landscape setting. Over the course of about 30 minutes, you will follow simple steps to create your own unique drawing. You will focus on outlining shapes and forming the lightning bolt, along with adding elements like clouds and grass to complete your scene.
This lesson emphasizes how to represent weather phenomena through art. You’ll explore how to create a dramatic effect by drawing lightning and its surroundings. While I insist you use the same colors as me, I will share my own color choices for this drawing. Feel free to choose your favorites to make your artwork stand out.
By the end of this lesson, you will have a drawing that captures the energy of lightning in nature. You’ll gain skills in outlining and shaping, which you can use in future drawings as well!
Materials
- Paper
- Pencil
- Crayons, Colored Pencils, or Markers
- Black Marker (optional)
Get ready to create a stunning drawing of lightning! This lesson will guide you through the exciting process of capturing the power of a lightning bolt in a landscape. As you work, pay close attention to the different lines and angles you’ll be using. Start by imagining a fluffy cloud in the sky, where your lightning will burst forth. You’ll draw a bold lightning bolt that zig-zags down from the cloud, branching out into smaller bolts that add extra flair to your artwork.Don’t forget to add more clouds to fill out your scene and some grass at the bottom where the lightning strikes. You can also outline the distant terrain with jagged lines to give your drawing depth. Once you have everything sketched out, it’s time to add color! Choose bright shades that make your lightning pop against the sky and give life to the clouds and grass below. This is your chance to show off your artistic style! By the end of this lesson, you’ll have created an electrifying piece of art that showcases your skills and imagination.
Time Needed: 45 minutes
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Outline a Cloud
First, draw a bumpy line curving upward to outline a cloud.
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Form the Lightning Bolt
Draw a long, pointed lightning bolt coming down from the cloud.
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Add a Lightning Bolt
Draw two lines attached to the lightning bolt to start forming a smaller bolt.
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Form More Branching Bolts
From the open ends, draw two more pointed bolts.
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Draw Another Lightning Bolt
Add another branching lightning bolt attached to the other side of the long lightning bolt.
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Add More Clouds
Add more cloud layers below the first cloud.
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Draw the Grass
Add pointy grass at the bottom of the drawing where the lightning strikes.
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Outline the Background Terrain
Draw a jagged horizontal line above the grass to form the distant terrain.
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Color the Lightning Drawing
First, shade the lightning bolts with light yellow. Now, fill in the sky light gray. Next, color the upper layers of clouds light gray, gradually darkening toward the bottom layers. Then, shade the grass green and the background terrain dark green.
How to Draw Lightning PDF Download
You can check out this drawing lesson in PDF format below. This PDF is perfect for printing and will guide you on how to draw lightning. Plus, the last page has a coloring book page with just the outlines for you to color in! Feel free to click the link to either preview or download it.