How to Draw a Pile of Leaves (Easy Step by Step)
A pile of leaves is a great first fall drawing because it is made of a few easy shapes: pointy ovals and spiky stars stacked into a hill. Add a rake at the side and two leaves floating down, and the picture tells a little story. You can make the pile as big or as messy as you like.
- Medium
- 20 minutes
- 7 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawingIn this article (7 sections)
How to draw a pile of leaves step by step
How to Draw a Pile of Leaves · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Leaf outline pieces
Start the pile with a few curved lines. Draw one curved arch near the top, a wavy line to its right, a short zigzag on the left, and two small hooked lines at the bottom.
Step 2: Spiky maple leaves
Next to the top arch, draw a spiky star-shaped maple leaf with zigzag edges and sharp points. Then add a smaller spiky leaf on the far left.
Step 3: Wavy bottom edge
Along the bottom of the pile, draw wavy zigzag lines that start at the far left and run between the hooked lines. Add a small bent line on the right to close off that side.
Step 4: Stem knobs
Add small round blobs where the leaves meet. Put them at the top, on the left, in the middle, and low on the right. They look like little stem knobs.
Step 5: Leaf veins
Draw a line down the middle of the leaves, then add short branch lines on both sides like a fishbone. Add a few more short lines at the right edge. Draw one short slanted line in the sky above the pile and two short upright lines at the bottom right.
Step 6: Ground and rake
Draw a long straight line along the bottom for the ground. Then draw a slanted line from the top of the pile down to the right, and finish it with a box-shaped rake head at the bottom.
Step 7: Falling leaves
Draw two leaves floating in the sky above the pile. On the left, make a spiky star-shaped leaf around the slanted line. On the right, make a small pointed oval leaf with a short line inside.
All done!
Go over your lines with a marker, then color it in.
Finished your pile of leaves? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a hay bale or how to draw a pumpkin spice latte next.
Tips for drawing a pile of leaves
- Overlap your leaf shapes so each one hides part of the one behind it. Overlapping shapes are what make a pile look like a pile.
- The spiky maple leaves are the trickiest part. Make a rough star with a zigzag edge, then go back and sharpen each point.
- Draw the rake as a slanted line that ends in a box at the bottom right. Draw it after the ground line so it sits on the ground.
Free pile of leaves coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this pile of leaves 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 pile of leaves drawing
Use red, orange, yellow and brown, and give each leaf a different color so the pile feels busy and bright. For a creative twist, make one leaf in the pile purple or blue, and see if anyone spots it.
Pile of leaves fun fact for kids
Leaves look green because of a chemical called chlorophyll. In fall, trees stop making it, and the yellow and orange colors that were hiding underneath finally show.
Questions about drawing a pile of leaves
What shapes do I need to draw a pile of leaves?
You need pointy ovals for the round leaves, star shapes with zigzag edges for the maple leaves, and straight lines and a box for the rake and ground.
How do I make my leaf pile look bigger?
Overlap the leaves so each one hides part of the one behind it. Stack them higher in the middle and let them spread wider at the bottom.
How do I draw a maple leaf?
Start with a small star shape with five points. Add zigzag edges between the points, then draw a line in the middle.
