Pine trees are drawn differently than deciduous trees because they grow differently. Identifying these differences and applying them to drawing the tree are important. Here is a step-by-step demo of how to draw a pine tree. To learn how to draw deciduous trees, see this demo.
Step One
The trunk of an evergreen tree is usually quite straight, and grows to a point at the top of the tree. The bark is generally rough. This can be shown by using the edge of the pencil to draw short strokes in an irregular pattern.
Step Two
The branches of an evergreen tree are perpendicular to the trunk of the tree. The artist should not draw straight lines for the branches because this doesn’t look natural. Wavy, random lines are much more believable. These wavy lines split into a ‘V’ shape at the ends to form smaller branches. Usually, branches on pine trees only ‘V’ once.
In the illustration, the artist overlapped the lines of the braches to create depth. The branches come from the trunk from behind the trunk, the center, and the sides. The branches also get progressively shorter as they get closer to the top of the tree. This is because the higher the branches are, the younger they are.
Step Three
Since this tree is a pine tree, the needles need to be added. Needles are drawn as little clusters of straight lines that come at the end of the branches, as shown in the illustration.
To draw needle bunches, the artist should start by holding the end of the pencil farthest away from the lead for more range of motion. Then a straight line should be drawn for the center. More straight lines should be drawn coming from the center in various directions. Needles should overlap to create depth, as well.
Needle bunches that are farther away from the viewer should look less defined. The top of the tree should be less defined, as well, with the needles overlapping and meshing in bunches.
Step Four
The tree should be finished by adding shading to the undersides of the branches and to the bark on the trunk.
Piles of fallen needles can be added to the base of the tree to add a touch of realism. This is done by drawing hatch marks on the ground around the tree.
These steps can be used to draw just about any type of pine tree without too much of a variation.
Note: The tree in the illustration is drawn with sparse foliage so that readers can see the basic construction of the tree. For a finished tree, extra branches should be added for more fullness.
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