In this sketchbook challenge, we’ll draw a realistic rose.  The rose is symbol of friendship and love, and real challenge to draw. A rose consists of complicated, overlapping folds.  It can be a bit overwhelming to draw, if you’re not sure what to look for.  We’ll break the steps down into easy to draw chunks to make things a bit more manageable.{adinserter 4}
Like with drawing any complex object, take your time and evaluate the shapes. By piecing the shapes together, we’ll end up with a pretty convincing rose.

Step 1 – Begin by drawing three simple lines.  Two of the lines will be slightly curved and will become the main shape of the flowering part of the rose.  The third line will extend downward and will become the stem of the flower.

Step 2 – Next, we’ll use the structure that we created as a guide to draw the folds and lines that will eventually become the petals of the flower.  We’ll also draw a short line and a shape for a leaf further down the stem of the rose. 

Step 3 – We’ll continue to add lines for the petals of the rose in this step.  Be careful not to be too stiff with your marks here.  A rose is an organic shape and is not made up of rigid lines.  Be loose and use your whole arm to draw the marks.  Another short stem and leaf is added in this step as well. 

Step 4 – We’ll continue to add lines and folds for the petals in this step.  The shapes that are made by the petals near the bottom of the flowering body are larger than the shapes that are created up near the upper portion of the rose where the ends of the petals become more concentrated.  A couple of lines are also added in this step for the middle divisions of the leaves extending off of  the stem.

Step 5 –  The structure is now defined and the finishing lines can be added to the drawing.  A few cross contour lines are added to help create the illusion of form on the petals of the rose.  Line quality, or variety of line thickness, is used to help create this illusion as well.  Any stray marks should be erased and color can be added if so desired.