How to Draw a Lily

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. Base Circle

Draw a small circle that is very squished and also tiny, make sure to leave room both above and below this circle because it will be the base of the flower.

Here is a video version of the tutorial if you want to see it drawn in real time
Click Here to Open in New Tab

Step 2. Top Sphere

Slightly above the base circle draw a sphere/ball.

Step 3. Stem

Connect the base and the sphere with a stem by drawing two vertical lines that are thinner than the ball (the stem is not as wide as the ball).

Step 4. Side Nodes

Now lets add two small nodes to each side, draw one node slightly higher than the other to give it a natural feel.

Step 5. Node Stems

Add stems to the nodes keeping them thin, just like the first stem.

Step 6. Right Curve

Starting from the base we draw a curving line that goes slightly up and towards the right. This marks the center line for what will later become a petal (check the diagram on the left).

Step 7. Left Curve

Now we do the same thing to the left side but try to make the two curved lines similar in length but not exactly the same in shape. You can see how my right curve comes slightly higher than my left, these small difference help sell the natural feel of a flower.

Step 8. Central Curve

Now add a curved line moving down the page (or towards the viewer) by starting in the middle and curving slightly to the left. Try to give the line just enough curve so that it isnt perfectly straight.

Step 9. Side Lines

We are now going to start constructing the petals :D start by adding two small lines to the sides of the base. These lines are very short and are angled towards the sides more than they are angled down.

Step 10. Left Side of Petal

Add a curving line that goes from the small line on the left towards the center line of the front facing petal. Make sure to leave room between the center line and where this line ends. Look at the drawing below to see that the center line and petal line do no touch.

Step 11. Right Side of Petal

Now we repeat what we did on the left side of the petal to right side. Note that you can make the petal slightly curvy like I did with the blue line on the left until you get more comfortable drawing organic lines.

Step 12. Big Right Petal

Now we will build the petal to the right, notice how towards the base of this line it connects to the petal we just finished. Pay attention to this overlap because it will give the drawing more dimension. This line has a steep curve towards its ends and is fairly straight through the middle.

Step 13. Finishing the Right Petal

Now add the opposing line, make sure to connect this line to the previous one and also stop this behind the sphere or stem. The centeral part of the flower (stem, nodes and sphere) are closer to us so the back side of this petal will go behind it.

Step 14. Left Petal

Now we repeat the process we did with the right petal, this line also connects to the central petal and its line connects towards the small lines we drew earlier.

Step 15. Complete the Left Petal

Finish the left petal by adding a large curved line that is also hidden behind the stem & sphere.

Step 16. Backside Petal

Now we will add in the petal that is furthest back. Start by drawing a curved line that starts pretty far up the left petal we just completed. Notice how this curved line is more smooth and doesnt have as much of a straight edge.

Step 17. Backside Petal Right Side

Add a line to the right that connects with the previous line, try to make this line smooth like the last one.

Step 18. Central Lines

Add two thin lines in the middle of the petal to help describe its form. These small lines gives the viewer more information about the subject we are drawing.

Step 19. Front Left Petal

Now we will start adding the petal that is to the left, start by adding a line that droops downwards starting at the left petal we drew earlier.

Step 20. Complete the Petal

To finish this petal add a curve at the front that is fairly flat and another line that curves back under the cental petal. pay attention to the difference between these two parts of the line (marked in red and blue to help you see the difference).

Step 21. Center Line

Add a center line to the petal, make sure not to draw it too far down the petal. Notice how I have left a lot of room between where the petal ends and where this central line is. The curve should compliment the flow of the petal.

Step 22. Right Petal

Now we repeat the process for the right side petal but we will give this petal a slight edge. Notice how the line comes out and then drops down quickly. Making the petals slightly different in design makes it a more interesting image.

Step 23. Right Side Petal

Here again I have split the line into two parts, notice how the second part of both of the lines drop which makes it feel like the petal is folding. This can be challenging to do so practice this petal shape in your sketchbook a few times until you get a hang of it.

Step 24. Center Line

Add a center line to the petal that compliments the form, this line also has a dip towards its end.

Step 25. Add a Stem

Draw two vertical lines that go underneath the central petal. Since we curved the central petal slightly to the left (in the beginning of this drawing) the stem will connect slightly to the right of the petal. We want the stem to feel like it is supporting the flower at its base so make sure its not off center to the flower.

Step 26. Leaf Central Line

Like we did for the first few petals, begin by adding a central line where the leaf will go.

Step 27. Draw in the Leaf

Feel free to design the leaf whichever way you prefer, you have drawn quite a few petals and have a good sense of how to construct a leaf shape. For mine you can see that i have two lines coming out and then meeting at a tip.

Step 28. Base Shading

Add lines to the left and right petals close to the base. Draw these lines moving outwards from the center and following the form of the petal. Shading in this direction will make the flower feel more realistic.

Step 29. Continue Shading

Add more lines where the petals meet, note that shadows occur close to where the petals overlap because these are areas where its harder for sun to reach.

Step 30. Complete the Image

Add shading until you feel satisfied. Make sure to add shading where the stem connects to the flower to show that its going underneath. I prefer more minimal shading but feel free to try different levels of shading and see what you enjoy!

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 learn-able 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!