How to draw a rose

Flowers, particularly roses are one of those things that most people want to learn to draw perfectly. With the right technique, you can learn to draw roses.

Most people, whether they are novice at sketching or more advanced at it, yearn to draw flowers like roses and orchids. A rose with all its intricate detailing of the petals might seem hard to draw. This is especially true for kids, who do not know how to go about drawing a flower as intricate as a rose. If you are a beginner who wants to learn to draw a rose, then the first step is to observe a real rose. Before making a sketch, you need to observe how the petals of the rose are in the form of concentric circles when observed from above. And how the petals of a rose bud unfurl. Observing the details of the flower in this way will help you to sketch a realistic rose. Since it is very difficult for a kid to sketch a rose by looking at a real rose which a three dimensional object, therefore a step by step approach to sketching this beautiful flower is recommended. This however does not mean that you skip the earlier step of observing the flower to learn its form.

Method 1

One of the easiest way to draw a rose for kids is by the swirl method. Given below are the step by step instructions for drawing a rose using this method.
»In this method, first you need to draw a swirl pattern on the paper with a HB pencil. A swirl pattern is nothing but a spiral pattern, but its shape is more oval than round.
Make sure that the swirl pattern is oval in shape and is clearly defined.
»Once you are done drawing the swirl pattern, sketch the petals of the rose by drawing an S shape from the extreme left of the swirl towards the point which will form the bottom of the drawn flower.
Draw a backward S shape from the farthest point of the swirls pattern in the right.
»Make sure that both the S shapes that you have just drawn meet an inch or so below the center point of the earlier swirl pattern that you have drawn.
You will notice that the outline of the rose is emerging. Next draw a curved line on the left from the center point of the lower most petal. Join the curved line with another smaller curved line so that it looks like a petal.
Draw another curved line from the lower center point of the rose towards the right hand side to meet the backward S shape that you had drawn earlier.
»Connect the edges of the swirl that you had drawn earlier by sketching small vertical straight lines.
Draw a long stem, starting from the lower mid point of the rose. Make sure that the stem is a little curved to give it a more realistic look.
Draw two leaves on each side of the petal making sure that the leaves are smaller than the rose you have just drawn.
Finally, shade one side of the rose with short pencil strokes and also sketch the veins of the leaves. Your rose is done!

Method 2

For kids who want to know how to draw a rose, given below is a simplified step by step instructions.
Draw a circle on a piece of paper and then draw a slightly curved line starting from the base of the circle.
Now draw a smaller circle one inch above the first circle.
Join the two circles together with curved lines. While drawing the curved lines to join the circles make sure that you hold the pencil in a light but firm grip. This will give the curved lines a natural look which is what we are aiming for.
Next sketch a spiral inside the smaller circle.
Draw two curved lines from either side of the rose and join the curved lines to the body of the rose to make the petals.
Draw two U shapes on the curved line that you had drawn earlier from the base of the bigger circle.
Join the top portion of the U shapes that you have just sketched. This will make the leaf of the plant.
Sketch the veins of the leaves and define the petals with short pencil strokes.
These were two ways in which you can draw a rose. With practice you will be able to draw roses that looks realistic and soon you can draw them freehand too.