How to Draw a Palm Tree

In today’s three-step drawing guide, you are going to learn how to draw a palm tree. Your palm tree illustration can be used for all kinds of projects. Use it to make clipart for a printable travel guide, create tropical repeat patterns, or a sublimated beach tote for your friends and family.

Before you get started with this drawing exercise, gather all of your traditional or digital supplies. Our drawing tutorials cater to everyone across all skill levels. So, even if you want to use acrylic paint, crayons, or DesignScape, this is the guide for you.

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Step 1 - Create Sketches of your Palm Tree

In our first step, use a sketching medium like a pencil to make your palm tree drawing. If you do not have a pencil, you can use any light color medium you have on hand. Then, you can cover it up when outlining and coloring your palm tree.

Let’s begin with the trunk of your palm tree drawing. Roughly sketch two curved lines that narrow towards the top. See our example image below.

At the top of your tree trunk, sketch a bunch of palm leaves. We simply drew long curved shapes with jagged edges on the sides. You can also make your palm tree leaves more minimal by drawing crescent moon shapes that curve toward the bottom.

Add a few horizontal lines on your palm tree truck to create the layered segments.

Step 2 - Outline your Palm Tree Sketch

Using your lining medium, begin tracing over your sketch lines to make a palm tree outline. For your lining medium, use any dark-colored mediums such as plank paint, crayons, or a permanent tool like a pen or marker.

Start your outlines on the palm tree leaves first. Pay close attention and line only a few of the leaves where you want to have a full leaf shape.

Then, between your first palm leaves, trace the remaining outlines. Make sure only to outline the sketch lines that are on the sides and not the leaf lines that go through the other palm leaves.

Lastly, line your palm tree truck, including the layer sketch lines that you drew. When you are done with your outlines, you can go ahead and remove them if a removable sketch medium is used.

Step 3 - Add Color to your Palm Tree

In the final step, we are going to add color and shading to our palm tree clipart. For your color palette, use any shades of brown and green. Add your brown to the tree trunk and the green to the palm leaves.

With a darker color, add shading to the leaves and trunk of your plant drawing to create depth. We used the “Soft 1” brush from this chalk Procreate brush pack to add our textured shading.

Fantastic work on creating your tropical art by drawing a palm tree. Why not change things up by drawing different-sized palm trees curving from different angles? We hope you had a great time following along. Follow more of our FREE drawing tutorials and learn how to illustrate other nature drawings, such as fish, animals, and flowers.