How to Draw a Sunflower

Sunflowers are easy and fun to draw. You can incorporate them into your designs in so many ways. They're very versatile making it possible to use sunflowers in your designs for any occasion throughout the whole year. In this tutorial, we will go through the steps of how to draw a sunflower.

Each step will have drawing instructions that you can follow in any program or on a piece of paper followed by a little snippet giving your more information on how to draw that step in Procreate. As you follow the instructions for drawing in Procreate, keep in mind the drawing instructions in the previous paragraphs.

If you'd like to follow along in Procreate, we will use a couple of Letter It Out Procreate brushes by the Ink Affair to draw the sunflower. There are tons of great Procreate lettering brushes available on Design Bundles.

Step 1 - Sketch a Large Circle and a Smaller Circle Inside

Sketch a large circle. The large circle will be the size of the sunflower itself. Next, sketch a smaller circle in the middle of the large circle. The smaller circle will be the center of the sunflower.

In Procreate: Draw the circles on separate layers. Tap the Transform button. Tap Snapping in the Transform toolbar, and enable Magnetics and Snapping. Align the circles to the center of the canvas.

Step 2 - Draw Center Circle

Following the smaller circle sketch, draw a circle with a squiggly perimeter.

In Procreate: Add a new layer at the top. Select the Letter It Bold 2 brush. Draw a circle with a squiggly perimeter.

Step 3 - Draw the First Layer of Petals

Using the large circle sketch as a guide, draw petals connected to the center of the sunflower extending outwards to the larger circle. Sunflower petals are V-shaped with curved sides, and each petal lines up pretty straight with the center. Rotate your sketchbook, iPad, canvas, etc. as needed to keep the petals straight.

Vary the size, shape, and placement of your petals for a more natural look. You can make the petals wide, thin, closer together, or further apart. They can be rounder near the base or the middle of the petal. The petals can be pointy or more round at the tip.

In Procreate: Add a new layer at the top. Draw the first layer of petals.

Next, we will draw lines on the petals to add more detail. The lines will follow a similar curve as the sides of the petals. Start the lines inside the petal or at the tip. Change up how many lines you draw in each petal and the length of the lines.

In Procreate: Select the Letter It Calligraphy brush. Add a new layer at the top, and draw the lines. Use light pressure when you first start the line. Apply more pressure as you make your stroke towards the center of the flower to thicken the line. Merge all the layers together except the sketch layers.

Step 4 - Draw Second Layer of Petals

The second layer of petals is essentially behind the first layer of petals, so only the tops of the second layer petals can be seen. In between the petals of the first layer of petals, draw the tops of the second layer of petals. Draw the lines in the new petals like in the previous step. You can sketch the second layer of petals and the inside lines first if needed.

In Procreate: Select the Letter It Bold 2 brush again. Lower the opacity of the top layer. Add a new layer underneath the top layer. Draw the second layer of petals. Select the Letter It Calligraphy brush again. Add a new layer and draw the lines in the petals. Merge the two layers (second layer of petals and the inside lines) together. Erase any parts that overlap into the first layer petals. Set the opacity of the first layer back to 100%. Merge all the layers together except the sketch layers.

Step 5 - Sketch and Draw Leaves

This step is optional as you can use the sunflower as is without leaves. Sketch the outline of the leaves. Place the leaves anywhere you would like.

In Procreate: Add a new layer at the bottom, and sketch the sunflower leaves.

Sunflower leaves have jagged or pointy edges, but you can draw them with a smooth edge similar to the sketch above. Draw the sunflower leaves. Next, draw veins on the leaves.

In Procreate: Add a new layer under the top layer. Switch back to the Letter It Bold 2 brush, and draw the sunflower leaves and veins. Merge all the layers together except the sketch layers.

Step 6 - Add Details to the Sunflower Center

This is another optional step. You can be creative here and add details to the center of the sunflower any way you would like. See the following image for some ideas.

In Procreate: Add a new layer to the top, and add details to the center of the sunflower.

Step 7 - Color the Sunflower

You don't have to color your sunflower, but it can really help make your sunflower pop and come to life. Color your drawing with any medium you have on hand.

In Procreate: Fill your Procreate drawing with solid colors, a gradient, or even a pattern.

Sunflowers can be colored in a variety of ways. See the following examples to help spark your creativity.

You may also enjoy our tutorials on how to draw people in Procreate and how to draw a pumpkin. Or if you don't have a lot of time, you can purchase our Sunflower SVGs.