How to Draw a Desert (Easy Step by Step)
You'll learn how to draw an easy desert scene using simple shapes like circles, ovals, and curved lines. This step-by-step guide helps beginners create a desert landscape with a sun, sand dunes, a cactus, and a palm tree by a pond.
- Learn to draw a desert scene using simple shapes.
- Incorporate circles, ovals, and gentle curved lines into your drawing.
- Add iconic desert elements like a round sun, sand dunes, and a cactus.
- Include a small pond with a palm tree to complete your desert landscape.
- Follow this easy step-by-step guide, perfect for beginners.
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A desert drawing mixes big and small shapes: a round sun, long rolling hills of sand, a cactus, and a little pond with a palm tree. Most of it is built from circles, ovals, and gentle curved lines, so it is friendly for beginners.
- Easy
- 15 minutes
- 10 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawing
In this article (7 sections)
How to draw a desert step by step
How to Draw a Desert · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch this oval. It only shows where the big parts go, so press softly. You will erase it at the end.
Step 2: The big sun
Draw a big circle in the upper left of your page for the sun. Take your time and make it nice and round.
Step 3: Sun rays
Add short lines all the way around the sun, like little spokes pointing outward. Put a small dot between some of the lines for sparkle.
Step 4: The tall sand dune
Below the sun, draw one long, smooth hill that starts on the left, rises, and then slopes down toward the right. Stop in the middle-right part of your page.
Step 5: The far dune
Start where the first dune slopes down and draw a second, smaller hill that goes up and then slides down toward the right edge.
Step 6: The wavy sand line
Below the dunes, draw one long, gentle curved line that starts on the left and swoops down toward the middle. It makes the sand look soft and rolling.
Step 7: The cactus
In the bottom left, draw a tall rounded shape like a long thumb. Then add a curved arm on each side that bends up, like a person holding their arms up.
Step 8: The oasis pond
In the bottom right, draw a wide, flat oval for a pool of water. Leave a tiny gap in the line near the top right.
Step 9: The palm tree
At the right edge of the pond, draw a short, slightly curved trunk that is wider at the bottom. On top, draw a few pointy, wavy leaves that spread out like a star.
Step 10: Water shine
Inside the pond, draw one short curved line and one tiny dot. They make the water look shiny.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your desert? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a mushroom or how to draw a sunflower next.
Tips for drawing a desert
- Draw the sun's rays as short lines that all point away from the center, and try to keep them about the same length.
- For the dunes, let your hand move slowly in one long smooth curve instead of stopping and starting.
- The palm tree is the smallest part, so draw it slowly. Start with the trunk, then add pointy leaves that spread out from the top.
Free desert coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this desert coloring page at full size and print it. It is the same drawing you just learned, with clean lines ready for crayons or markers.
How to color your desert drawing
Try bright yellow for the sun, warm tan and orange for the dunes, green for the cactus and palm, and blue for the pond. For a creative twist, color the sky a sunset pink and purple.
Desert fun fact for kids
A desert is any place that gets very little rain, and some deserts are cold. Antarctica is the largest desert on Earth, and it is covered in ice.
Questions about drawing a desert
What shapes do I need to draw a desert?
You need a circle for the sun, long curved lines for the sand dunes, an oval for the pond, and a tall rounded shape with two arms for the cactus.
How do I make my desert look bigger?
Draw the dunes in layers, with one hill behind another. Putting the small cactus and palm tree in the front makes the sand feel wide and far away.
How do I make my desert scene look cuter?
Add little dots of sparkle around the sun and a shiny curve on the pond. You can also draw a few extra dots on the sand.
