You’re staring at a blank piece of paper and it feels like a personal insult. Most people think learning how to draw a simple landscape requires some divine spark of talent or a $200 set of Copic markers, but honestly, that’s just a lie we tell ourselves to feel better about not starting. Landscapes are basically just a collection of big, dumb shapes. If you can draw a wobbly triangle and a smudge, you’ve got the foundation for a mountain range that actually looks decent.
I’ve seen beginners try to draw every single leaf on a tree. Don't do that. It’s a trap. It makes your drawing look cluttered and vibrates in a way that’s painful to look at. Real artists—the ones who make it look easy—rely on "visual shorthand." They suggest a forest; they don't document it.
The Horizon Line is Your Boss
Before you even touch the paper, you have to decide where the world ends. This is your horizon line. If you put it right in the middle, your drawing will probably look boring and static. Most pros follow the Rule of Thirds, a concept used in photography and classical painting for centuries. Put that line in the lower third if you want a massive, dramatic sky. Put it in the upper third if you’re focusing on rolling hills or a lake.
Perspective is what separates a flat doodle from a "window" into another world. In a how to draw a simple landscape workflow, the horizon line acts as your eye level. Everything leads back to it. Linear perspective was famously refined during the Renaissance by folks like Filippo Brunelleschi, who figured out that parallel lines seem to converge at a single point. In a simple landscape, this might just be the edges of a path or the tops of a fence row getting smaller as they head toward the "vanishing point."
Atmospheric Perspective: The "Blue-ish" Secret
Have you ever noticed that distant mountains look pale and sort of blue? That isn't because the rocks change color. It’s because there is literal junk in the air—dust, moisture, pollutants—scattering the light. This is called atmospheric perspective.
When you’re drawing, things in the foreground should have the darkest blacks and the sharpest details. As you move back, things get lighter. Their contrast drops. If you draw a tree in the distance with the same heavy black ink as a bush in the front, the whole image collapses. It’ll look like the distant tree is actually a tiny toy hovering right in front of your face.
Compositional Flow: Leading the Eye
A landscape is a journey. You want to give the viewer a "path" to follow. This doesn't have to be a literal dirt road, though that works great. It could be a river, a line of rocks, or even just the way the shadows fall.
- The "S" Curve: A classic. A winding road or stream that starts at the bottom corner and snakes its way toward the horizon.
- The "L" Frame: A large tree or cliff on one side of the foreground that "frames" the distant view.
- Foreground Interest: Put something big and chunky right up front. A rock. A tuft of grass. It gives the viewer a place to stand.
Stop Drawing Individual Leaves
Let’s talk about trees. Beginners often draw a lollipop on a stick. Then they get fancy and try to draw every leaf. Both are mistakes.
When you’re learning how to draw a simple landscape, think of trees as clouds on sticks. You want to draw the volume of the tree. Look for the "masses." A tree is a series of clumps. Light hits the top of the clump, and the bottom stays in shadow.
Use a loose, scribbly motion. If you’re using a pencil, vary the pressure. If you’re using a pen, use hatching or stippling. The legendary Bob Ross—who, let’s be real, is the patron saint of simple landscapes—always talked about "happy little trees," but the technical truth behind his method was "layering." He’d put down a dark base and then "tap" the light on top. In drawing, you’re doing the same thing with values.
Mountains Aren't Just Triangles
Real mountains are aggressive. They have ridges, jagged edges, and "shoulders." If you draw a perfect isosceles triangle, it’s going to look like a 1st-grade project. Instead, draw a line that zig-zags.
Think about the "spine" of the mountain. One side of that spine is going to be catching the light, and the other side will be in shadow. This simple 2-tone approach creates instant 3D forms. You don't need a million shades of gray. Just "Light Side" and "Dark Side."
Water and Reflections
Water is intimidating because it's reflective. But here’s the trick: water is mostly horizontal lines. Even if you’re drawing a lake, the reflections are just vertical "pulls" of the objects above them, broken up by horizontal ripples.
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If there’s a dark tree reflecting in the water, draw some dark vertical scribbles directly under it. Then, take an eraser or a white gel pen and cut some horizontal lines through it. Boom. Water.
The Tools Matter (But Only a Little)
Don't go buy a $50 sketchbook yet. Honestly, a standard HB pencil and some printer paper are enough to practice the basics of how to draw a simple landscape. However, if you want to feel like an "artist," grab a 2B and a 4B pencil. The 2B is your workhorse for sketching, and the 4B is for those deep, dark shadows that make the drawing pop.
A kneaded eraser is also a game changer. It looks like a gray blob of putty. You can mold it into a point to "pick up" graphite, creating highlights in clouds or on the edges of rocks without smearing everything.
Step-by-Step Breakdown for Your First Attempt
Let's actually put this into practice. Pick up your pencil.
- Sketch the horizon. Put it about a third of the way up from the bottom.
- Add your "Hero" element. Maybe a big, gnarly tree on the left side, close to you. Make it tall enough to break the horizon line and reach into the sky.
- Place the mountains. On the horizon, draw a jagged line. Keep it light. Remember atmospheric perspective? These mountains should be your lightest lines.
- Create a path. Start a wide path at the bottom right and narrow it down as it moves toward the center of the horizon.
- Block in shadows. Decide where the sun is. Let's say it's top right. That means the left side of your tree and the left side of your mountain ridges need to be dark.
- Add the "fluff." Scribble some grass in the foreground. Keep it messy. Real grass isn't a row of neat lines; it’s a chaotic tangle.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A big one is "haloing." This happens when you draw an object and then shade around it in a weird, glowing aura. Shadows should be integrated. If a tree is sitting on the ground, it needs a "cast shadow" on the dirt, otherwise, it looks like it's floating.
Another mistake is over-detailing the sky. If your landscape is busy, keep the sky simple. A few long, horizontal wisps are usually better than a bunch of puffy, cartoonish clouds.
Actionable Next Steps
To actually get better at how to draw a simple landscape, you need to stop reading and start sketching.
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- The 5-Minute Thumbnail: Grab a small piece of paper (or draw a small box) and try to sketch a landscape in under 5 minutes. Do this 10 times. It forces you to focus on big shapes instead of getting bogged down in leaves.
- Value Study: Draw the same landscape using only three values: White, Gray, and Black. This teaches you how to create depth without relying on color or complex shading.
- Go Outside: Pictures are flat. Real life isn't. Go sit in a park and try to find the "horizon line" in the real world. Notice how the colors of the trees change as they get further away.
- Master the Scribble: Practice making different marks. Cross-hatching, stippling, and "scumbling" (swirly scribbles) are the textures that make a landscape feel "organic" rather than mechanical.
Drawing is a physical skill, like shooting a basketball. You can know the physics of a free throw, but you won't sink it until your hand knows the motion. Start with the "Rule of Thirds," keep your distant lines light, and don't be afraid to make a mess. The paper is cheap. The practice is everything.