How To Draw A Cherry

A subject’s proportions must be accurate if you are interested in drawing realistic drawings. Learning how to draw a cherry is easy to learn and will be a great studie to help you enhance you soft value changes.

Before we get started on this how to draw a cherry tutorial let’s go ovet the drawing tools I use.

Drawing Supplies

Below is a list of all the materials I use for my drawings. I purchase all of my drawing supplies online at Blick Art Materials.

Drawing Paper

• Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Pads 9″ x 12″ Smooth 
• Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Pads 9″ x 12″ Velum 

Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper Review

Blending

• Tortillons
• Loew-Cornell Blending Stumps

Pencils

• Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencil
• Blick Studio Drawing Pencils
• Pentel Graph Gear 500 Pencil

Value Finder

• Gray Scale and Value Finder

Erasers

• General’s Factis Magic Black Eraser
• Tombow Mono Zero Refillable Eraser
• Prismacolor Kneaded Rubber Erasers
• Alvin Dry Cleaning Pad

Extras

• General’s The Miser Pencil Extender
• Sandpaper Block
• Westcott Wooden Dusting Brush
• Derwent Scale Divider

How Toi Draw A Cherry Step – By – Step

Accurate proportions of a subject are essential in a realism drawing or painting.

There are several techniques artists use for accurate proportions, including the grid method, which we will be using today. Others are sight measuring, tracing, triangular grid technique, identifying positive and negative shapes, linear perspective, and using a projector.

Start by drawing 1-inch blocks on your reference image with a pen.

Next, draw the same amount of blocks on your Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Pads 9″ x 12″ Velum with a 2H Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencil.

Draw the gridlines lightly so it will be easier for you to erase them later.

Next, draw in the shapes you see for each box. Use a Derwent Scale Divider to help you be more accurate.

After you have sketched the cherry, double check to see if the proportions are correct, make any adjustments if needed.

Erase all of the grid lines with a General’s Factis Magic Black Eraser.

Do not press down too hard with the eraser. Doing so will damage the paper making it impossible to add soft values to the drawing surface.

Start by drawing in the darkest values with a Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencil.

Study the reference image and identify the darkest areas by squinting your eyes.

Draw the values with a light touch and feather the lines by landing on the drawing surface while the pencil is in motion and lifting of the drawing surface when the line is completed.

The stroke is like a “U” shape or a plane landing and taking off.

This drawing technique will prevent dark dots on the drawing surface, and you will be able to blend the lines easier as you go along.

Do not leave any gaps between the lines you are drawing. Fill in any discrepancies before you continue to darken the area.

Continue to add value by cross-hatching over the dark areas and working towards the lighter areas.

Make sure to follow the contour of the cherry. This will create an illusion that the cherry is three-dimensional.

The last step is to draw the value of the stem and the detail of the top of the stem.

Keep in mind that the stem is lighter than the cherry. The cherry is a dark red, and the stem is a lighter green shade. You will want to make the stem lighter to make the drawing more realistic.

I blended and softened the graphite lines by rubbing lightly over the cherry with a Kleenex, and I used a Loew-Cornell Blending Stumps to blend the stem.

Drawing Tips:

• The darkest part of an object is where the light does not hit.
• Using a 2H pencil, condition the paper and add graphite to the bottom of the tooth on your drawing paper. This will prevent the little white dots you will get if you start with a softer lead. Start applying graphite with your HB pencil when you can not get any more value from your 2H pencil. If the area is still not dark enough, continue with your 2B pencil.
• Squint your eyes when observing a subject’s lighter and darker values.
• Work from dark to light to create a soft value change. Make sure your pencil is sharp so the graphite reaches the valleys of the paper.
• Continue to darken areas by drawing over an area with cross-hatching. Be sure not to leave any gaps between the lines. The more you cross-hatch over an area, the smoother the values will become.
• Use light pressure when you are erasing any unwanted lines. If you press too hard, you will damage the paper making it impossible to add soft value changes.
• Do not press too hard with the drawing stump; doing so will make it difficult to add more graphite to the area.

Visit Drawing tutorials to learn how to draw more subjects.

How To Draw Realistic Eyes