How to Draw a Daffodil

Welcome to this drawing tutorial! Thank you for letting me share my love for drawing with you :D Feel free to use whatever tools and materials you like the most, I highly recommend drawing with a pencil when you first start so you can make mistakes without stressing about it! Never be shy about erasing ^.^

 Step 1. Top Guideline

To start our daffodil drawing we draw a curved line that we will use as a guideline for the flower. We will put in these guidelines to help us place the flower on the page and get a sense of its size and proportions. Leave some room above this line and alot more room towards the bottom.

Step 2. Left Curve

Now add a line starting on the top left of the previous line that curves down towards the center. We will be drawing a triangular shield shape. Make sure to use the diagram to help you see where the drawing is headed and dont be afraid to use an eraser! erasing away mistakes is a crucial part of learning and taking the time to draw things properly will make this all the more satisfying.

Step 3. Complete Shield

Add a curve to the right side of the guidelines to complete our shield shape. We will be using this shape for the second layer of petals of the daffodil.

Step 4. Central Circle

Towards the center of the shield we add a circle, try not to make any of the elements too symmetrical because slight variations in lines makes the flower feel more organic.

Step 5. Core

Draw a smaller circle within the larger circle that is located towards the top right, this is the inner core of the flower.

Step 6. Core Stem

Draw an even smaller circle slightly to the left of the previous circle, this will be the end point of the inner stem that we will draw in the next step.

Step 7. Inner Stem

Add two lines that connect the smallest circle to the core of the flower. This should give the central part of the flower some dimension.

Step 8. Edge Lines

From the top and bottom corners of our larger circle, draw two diagonal lines moving to the top right. This is to show the three dimension of the central region.

Step 9. Complete Core

Finish this central region by adding a curved line that connects the last two lines. The curve should have a similar shape to the larger circle of the core.

Step 10. Petals Begin

Now that we have the center complete, we will begin adding in the flower petals. The key to drawing nice flower petals is to remember that the petals grow out from the central region of the flower. This means that the edge lines (the lines that define the sides) of the petals will move away from the center. Think of how sunrays move away from the sun, this is the effect that we want.

Define the spacing between the petals by adding these arrow shapes to the bottom, top left and top right. Try to copy the same proportions that I have in the image below.

Step 11. Edge Line

Now that we have our spacing planned out, draw a curved line from the top left that curves out and down from the center. This line will go past the guidelines for the second layer of flower petals.

Step 12. Complete Petal

Finish the petal by drawing another curved line from the center that meets at a sharp point on the outside.

Step 13. Top petal

Now repeat the last two steps for the center top petal. Notice how we are using the arrows we drew earlier to create good proportions for the flower. Using these types of techniques to plan ahead makes it much easier to achieve consistent results when drawing.

Step 14. Right Petal

Now we finish up the top layer of flower petals by drawing one in on the right side. Try to get these flower petals to about similar size.

Step 15. Second Layer

Now that we have our top layer complete, we will add in the second layer. Most of our work is done because we have our guidelines in place, all we have to do is draw a small line that cuts towards the center before the guidelines meet the edge lines of the top petals. I know that might be hard to understand through words but if you look on the image below you can see that I have drawn in small lines in the top left section.

Step 16. Complete Petals

Now repeat a similar shape in the top right and bottom sections of the flower.

Step 17. Erase

Erase away the guidelines where they arent needed anymore and redraw any lines of the flower that accidentally got lightened in the process. I am using a kneadable eraser which is a puddy/playdough like eraser that you can mold into whatever shape you want. I prefer these erasers because they dont leave any shavings :D.

Step 18. Shading Lines

Add two small lines to the bottom middle petal towards the center. This helps describe the form of the petals and give it dimension.

Step 19. More Shading

Draw more shading lines for the rest of the flower petals, make sure you shade towards the corners and center of the flower.

Step 20. Stem

Yaay! we have the flower portion complete, now lets add the stem. Draw two vertical lines that are slightly to right of center of the flower. Our daffodil is facing towards the left so the stem will connect towards the right. Think of how a human neck is center when a person is facing straight forward but then looks off center when a person starts facing away. A flower stem is very much like a human neck, there to support the pretty parts :D

Step 21. Leaf

Add a long tall leaf to the right side of the daffodil.

Step 22. More Leaves

Here you have the choice of adding as much foliage as you please, I decided to add leaves that are tall towards the flower and shorter towards the edges. I feel like this adds a pleasant rhythm to the composition.

Step 23. Shading

Add shading to the stem right where it disappears behind the flower, this helps sell that its further back. Also add lines similar to that of the shading on the petals to the leaves. Shade to taste :D

Final Step!

Celebrate your drawing!

Yaay finished the drawing! Thank you so much for letting me share my love for drawing flowers with you! I really hope this was fun for you and maybe (just maybe) this tutorial has helped you realize that you can totally learn how to draw. I learned drawing at a later age so I know that this is a learnable skill that anyone can pick up at any time (with effort, of course).

Check out more of the tutorial on the site! I've put lots of effort into creating these free resources because I want more people to fall in love with drawing. So feel free to share the link to this tutorial with friends :D That would be tremendously helpful to me on this mission to spread the love for drawing.

I have created a 20 page Printable Workbook (PDF) that will teach you how to draw different floral arrangements. I wanted to create something that could really speed up someone's learning and actually get them drawing. I poured tons of time into it to make it as useful as possible to someone who wants to capture the elegance and beauty of flowers, I would looove it if you grabbed your copy and drew with me some more!