And that’s a wrap, folks! Well done for reaching the end of the how-to-draw-a-cherry-blossom tutorial. By now, you should have a good grasp of the steps needed to create a beautiful cherry blossom tree drawing. If you have enjoyed this tutorial, we would love for you to join the next one!
How to Draw a Cherry Blossom – Drawing a Sakura Branch in Full Bloom
The cherry blossom flower is both delicate and gorgeous, gently perched on a tree branch. The rough exterior of the branch is met with a soft pink flower blooming along its long arms. This Japanese flower is a popular image used for tattoos and pop culture and in today’s tutorial, we will look at a step-by-step guide on how to draw a cherry blossom. We will look at color, shading, and texture. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- 1 How to Draw a Cherry Blossom in 28 Easy Steps
- 1.1 Step 1: Outlining the Branch of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
- 1.2 Step 2: Outlining the Side Branches of Your Sakura Flower Sketch
- 1.3 Step 3: Creating the Petals of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
- 1.4 Step 4: Adding the Sepals to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.5 Step 5: Adding Detail to the Stamens of the Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.6 Step 6: Erasing the Foundation Lines of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
- 1.7 Step 7: Adding the First Coat of Color to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.8 Step 8: Applying the Base Coat to the Branches of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
- 1.9 Step 9: Adding Color to the Leaves and Buds of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
- 1.10 Step 10: Adding Color to the Stamens of Your Sakura Flower drawing
- 1.11 Step 11: Shading and Contouring the Petals of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.12 Step 12: Adding Highlights to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.13 Step 13: Creating Dimension in Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.14 Step 14: Adding Shadows to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.15 Step 15: Tracing the Stamen Lines
- 1.16 Step 16: Adding Pollen Pots to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.17 Step 17: Applying Highlights to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.18 Step 18: Applying More Color to the Branches of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
- 1.19 Step 19: Shading the Branches of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
- 1.20 Step 20: Adding Texture to the Branches of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
- 1.21 Step 21: Creating Depth on the Branches of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
- 1.22 Step 22: Blending the Color of the Unopened Flowers of Your Sakura Flower Drawing
- 1.23 Step 23: Applying Highlights to the Flower Buds of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.24 Step 24: Defining the Leaves and Sepals of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.25 Step 25: Adding More Depth to the Sepal and Leaves of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
- 1.26 Step 26: Adding Highlights to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.27 Step 27: Smoothly Blending the Colors of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 1.28 Step 28: Applying the Finishing Touches to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
- 2.1 How Hard Is It to Draw a Realistic Cherry Blossom?
- 2.2 What Is a Japanese Sakura?
How to Draw a Cherry Blossom in 28 Easy Steps
No matter what your artistic skill level is, this tutorial has been carefully laid out to assist all artists. To start the process, one needs to plan. So, to begin this drawing, you will need to create foundation lines of the Sakura flower branch and outline the flowers. The next phase will be adding color and then finishing off with shading and contouring. Take a look at the diagram below to see the drawing progression.
Adding color and shading will be a large part of this tutorial so, before we get stuck in, we suggest choosing what medium you want to use in today’s realistic cherry blossom drawing. This guide is adaptable to any medium, be it digital or physical. Grab your art supplies and let’s begin to learn how to draw a cherry blossom.
Step 1: Outlining the Branch of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
To begin the first step, you can look for the middle of your page. Draw two thin lines diagonally across the center. This will be your cherry blossom drawing’s tree branch. This tutorial is a guide for you to be creative, so feel free to use your artistic license and play.
Step 2: Outlining the Side Branches of Your Sakura Flower Sketch
The main branch of your cherry tree drawing was created in step one. Now, you can outline two side branches on either side of the main branch. You want this sketch to look like a realistic cherry blossom drawing, and in order to achieve that, you must make your branches rough and uneven.
Step 3: Creating the Petals of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
Now, you will be outlining the cherry blossom’s petals. Every branch of the cherry tree drawing will have numerous flowers sprouting from it. Draw the flowers with five petals on each blossom. To create a more realistic cherry blossom drawing, you can tilt the petals of every odd flower and think of the petal bending in the air.
Step 4: Adding the Sepals to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
Every cherry blossom flower has what is called a sepal. This is the little leafy part that the flower blooms from. Some of them have not opened yet and will resemble a flower bud. Draw the sepals and leaves sporadically along the branches where there are no flowers, and add them behind the blossoms.
You can also add some oval-shaped flower buds.
Step 5: Adding Detail to the Stamens of the Cherry Blossom Drawing
Every cherry blossom has what is known as the stamen, which is where the pollen is produced. You must add this detail to your cherry blossom drawing. Draw five to seven lines that begin at the center of each flower and expand outwards. Complete each stamen by adding tiny dots. If you are stuck, you can see the image below for a better understanding.
Step 6: Erasing the Foundation Lines of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
In the steps before, you created the foundation outlines of your cherry blossom drawing. Some of those outlines are overlapping or sticking out. Use this step to clean up any stray or overlapping lines by gently using an eraser.
Step 7: Adding the First Coat of Color to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
Now the fun begins! You will be adding the first coat of color to your realistic cherry blossom drawing. Take a light pink color paint and a regular paintbrush. Gently add some light pink to each cherry blossom flower.
Step 8: Applying the Base Coat to the Branches of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
On the branches of your cherry blossom sketch, you will apply brown paint with a fine paintbrush. Add this color evenly as a base coat for the branches.
Step 9: Adding Color to the Leaves and Buds of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
Step nine will be divided into two parts. First, you can take a small paintbrush and some dark green paint and add color to the sepals, leaves, and buds. Then you will take a light lilac color paint and add color to the flower buds.
Step 10: Adding Color to the Stamens of Your Sakura Flower drawing
In this step, you will be adding color to the stamen of your cherry blossom sketch. By now, your flower should have a light pink base coat and the outlines of the stamens. Take the same lilac paint you used for the buds and gently trace over the stamen outline.
Step 11: Shading and Contouring the Petals of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
Continue using the lilac paint and add more color to the center of the cherry blossom flower and stamens. Then, you can use a lighter purple or add a touch of white, carefully adding a gentle shadow to each petal, which will create some dimension.
Step 12: Adding Highlights to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
To add highlights to the cherry blossom’s petals, you should select a small blending paintbrush and a touch of white paint and apply it to the petals by gently painting brushstrokes, moving away from the center.
Remember to be gentle!
Step 13: Creating Dimension in Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
Your cherry blossom drawing is beginning to take shape, and it is time to add dimensions using the shading technique. Take a small blending paintbrush and a light shade of pink and begin applying the second coat of paint along the petal’s edges.
Step 14: Adding Shadows to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
In this next step, we will focus on how to use shading and shadows to develop the drawing into a realistic image. Take a maroon-colored paint and a small blending paintbrush and add a darkened shadow to the center of each flower.
Step 15: Tracing the Stamen Lines
We are now going to trace the stamen lines again, this time with a shade of maroon. Use a fine paintbrush and carefully trace each stamen line and dot for each realistic cherry blossom.
Step 16: Adding Pollen Pots to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
Take a very fine paintbrush and a dark shade of yellow paint and carefully add tiny little dots to create the anthers in every individual flower.
Step 17: Applying Highlights to Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
In the previous steps, you have covered the shading aspect of your Sakura flower drawing. The next step will be applying more highlights to your realistic cherry blossom sketch.
Step 18: Applying More Color to the Branches of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
You have completed the base coats and highlights for the flowers, and now it is time to continue adding color to your cherry tree drawing. This phase will be to add a second coat of paint. Take a small, soft paintbrush and some darker brown paint and gently add the darker shade to the main branch and branch arms.
Be sure to add the darker color to the edges of your branch and not the entire piece. This will be part of the building texture.
Step 19: Shading the Branches of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
To create an even blend of your cherry tree drawing, you must add some light brown-color paint. Use a small blending paintbrush and gently add the light brown to the darker shade you painted in the previous step. Gently blend those colors to create the texture of the cherry tree drawing’s branches.
Step 20: Adding Texture to the Branches of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
In this step, you will be hitting two phases with one brush stroke. Adding tiny hairline strokes with a sharp paintbrush and white paint will serve as highlights and texture in one go. You must gently follow the movement and arches of each cherry tree branch.
Step 21: Creating Depth on the Branches of Your Cherry Tree Drawing
To create depth in the cherry tree by drawing branches, you must add a gentle shadow. Take a smidge of black paint and a small blending paintbrush. Glide your paintbrush along the bottom of the branches. This will give a three-dimensional effect to your cherry blossom drawing.
Step 22: Blending the Color of the Unopened Flowers of Your Sakura Flower Drawing
You have focused on the flowers and the branches of your Sakura flower drawing. It is now time to move your attention to the unopened flower buds. Take a small blending brush and some light pink paint and gently blend the color into the flower buds.
Step 23: Applying Highlights to the Flower Buds of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
You added the second coat of light pink to your flower buds in the last step. You can add the highlights to the unopened blossom buds by using a fine-tipped paintbrush and a touch of white paint.
Make gentle streaks along the curve of the flower buds to create highlights and texture.
Step 24: Defining the Leaves and Sepals of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
You will need to take a small blending paintbrush and a tiny touch of dark green paint. Gently shade around the edges of the sepal and the leaves of your cherry blossom drawing. Keep the first base coat of the color of the leaves visible.
Step 25: Adding More Depth to the Sepal and Leaves of Your Cherry Blossom Sketch
To continue creating depth in your realistic cherry blossom drawing, you will need to take a touch of black paint and gently add depth to the base of your sepals and leaves. Remember that when using black paint, less is best. Add more as you go where needed.
Step 26: Adding Highlights to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
As we reach the finale of your how-to-draw-a cherry-blossom drawing tutorial, it is important to finish off with the highlights. In the last step, you will be adding texture, shading, and depth to the leaves and sepals. Take a soft blending paintbrush and bright green paint, and add a highlight brush stroke to the edges of every individual sepal.
Step 27: Smoothly Blending the Colors of Your Cherry Blossom Drawing
Your cherry blossom drawing should be looking fantastic at this stage! The next step is to smoothly blend the colors of your realistic cherry blossom drawing. Take a small blending paintbrush and a touch of soft pink paint and gently add a second coat to the edges of the flower petals.
Blend the colors to create a smooth mix on the flowers.
Step 28: Applying the Finishing Touches to Your Realistic Cherry Blossom Drawing
This is the final stage of your how-to-draw-a-cherry-blossom drawing tutorial. You will be adding the finishing touches by gently erasing any remaining foundation lines that shouldn’t be there. Also, you can gently trace over the outline of your cherry blossom sketch. If you are using a digital design tablet, you can simply remove the foundation layer.
And that’s a wrap, folks! Well done for reaching the end of the how-to-draw-a-cherry-blossom tutorial. By now, you should have a good grasp of the steps needed to create a beautiful cherry blossom tree drawing. If you have enjoyed this tutorial, we would love for you to join the next one!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Hard Is It to Draw a Realistic Cherry Blossom?
Anything is tricky until you practice! We have a simple step-by-step guide on how to draw a cherry blossom. It is fun for any level of artist.
What Is a Japanese Sakura?
A Sakura flower is better known as the cherry blossom and is found in Japan. These plants have a gorgeous petite pink flower that blossoms on the branches of large trees. When this glorious plant is in full bloom, it is breathtaking to behold! This plant has been the object of many artists’ desires and will make a perfect model for a drawing class.
Izzy Benloulou ( Digital Artist and Content Creator )
Israel Benloulou aka IzzyBll is a digital artist and content creator from Israel, currently living in South Africa. Originally, he started his career in videography but later shifted his focus to digital graphic art. He specializes in using digital drawing software like Photoshop and Procreate. Drawing and photo editing have always come naturally to Izzy, and he now has 5 years of experience in the industry, working on commissions for various renowned brands such as Audi. Izzy creates drawing tutorials on his drawing tablet and produces related content for Craft Art since 2021.
Learn more about Israel Benloulou and about us.
Let’s start off with the background cherry blossom.
Trunk・Branches
Once you draw the main trunk, start growing the branches then draw in the sprigs.
Don’t make the color too dark.
I will start drawing the flowers using a Scatter brush of leaves.
For details on registering brushes, please read the article below.
Draw a simple leaf shape like the one above and choose “Scatter” for the Type, adjusting each parameter when you register the brush.
Choose the appropriate density so it doesn’t look too crammed nor too empty.
Now you are ready to draw the flowers!
Let’s start blooming the tree!
You are now the Hanasaka Jiisan!
The cherry blossoms are in full bloom! The tip here is to keep some sprigs visible.
For the sprigs extending a little, add flowers like the image above.
Instead of covering the whole twig, try making small chunks of flowers here and there.
You can achieve a realistic look if you let a single cherry blossom bloom at the tip of sprigs.
The illustration for this tutorial is composed of three layers; “flowers in the front”, “trunk・sprigs”, “flowers at the back”.
Just like the image above.
This will make it easy for you to change the color of the “flowers at the back” after you are done with the painting process!
Let’s start shading.
Paint them like clouds, using a pale color.
You can make the tree look three-dimensional by drawing darker shadows for the “flowers at the back” layer.
I will also draw the texture of the tree trunk as well.
Cherry blossoms are characterized by the stripe looking patterns on the tree trunk (depends on the species) so make sure to add such details.
Final Touches
Adjust the overall texture and draw the background sky to complete!
You can create a realistic spring look by lowering the saturation for the blue sky.
For Characters
Next, let’s draw the character.
I will draw a cute character to match the background.
Line Drawing
Let’s draw the line drawing.
Make sure to draw a soft and warm outfit.
Recreate the spring feel with calm, gentle colors with moderate saturation.
Let’s add shadows to the character.
Use a pale purple as the base color to paint the shadows on a layer with Multiply blending.
Highlights・Adjustments
Add highlights to the hair and the skin. Adjust the color of the line drawing to blend well with the rest.
Combine the cherry blossom layers with the character layers and make the flower petals flutter over the character! Make some adjustments to the overall hue and now you are done!
The spring season is well portrayed!
Lastly
How was this tutorial?
I hope this becomes useful for when you want to draw illustrations with cherry blossoms like hanami or entrance ceremony scenes.
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