🎃 How to Draw a Pumpkin | A Cozy Botanical Illustration 🍂, by Vlada Repina Art on YouTube. 20 min 11 s.
- Video length
- 20 min 11 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Draw a light outline of the pumpkin body and stem with an HB pencil. Keep the lines faint so you can adjust the shape as you go.
Build the volume of the pumpkin by rounding out each segment so the ribs curve away from the centre instead of looking flat.
Start shading at the bottom of the pumpkin where the least light reaches, then work your way up into the first segment.
Rub the graphite with a blending stump to smooth the tones, then go back over the area with your pencil to deepen the shadows.
Add a cast shadow on the surface under the pumpkin so it looks like it is sitting on a table rather than floating.
Add texture with short curved pencil strokes that follow the direction of each rib, pressing harder in the shaded areas.
Add small natural imperfections such as dents, uneven ribs and light spots to keep the pumpkin from looking too perfect.
Draw the stem with darker values and rough, uneven edges, then shade the leaf and darken its outline to build volume.
Sketch the flower, shade the inner area, define the petal edges and finish with fine detail in the centre.
Step back and check the whole drawing, deepening any shadows that look too light and lifting highlights with a kneaded eraser.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep your pencil sharp for the texture lines so they stay crisp instead of smudging into the shading.
Blend in the same direction as the ribs, not in circles, or the pumpkin will lose its shape.
Work from light to dark in thin layers, since graphite is hard to erase once it is pressed into the paper.
Leave a few pale areas on the top and side of each rib to suggest light hitting the surface.
Questions
Can I draw this with a normal pencil?
Yes. A standard HB pencil works for the sketch and mid tones. A softer 2B or 4B pencil helps for the deep shadows in the stem and the cast shadow.
How do I stop the pumpkin looking flat?
Shade each rib so it is dark at the edges and lighter in the middle, and keep a consistent light direction. The cast shadow underneath does most of the work.
Do I need a blending stump?
It gives the smoothest finish, but you can blend with a soft pencil, a paper towel or a cotton bud instead. Just go gently so you do not tear the paper.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
