I will show you how to draw a sunflower using many small circular shapes, a few lines and bright colors. Of course, using a vector application to create this illustration is recommended. You can draw this flower using pencils and markers, but it will be much easier and quicker if you can do it in a digital format.
The illustration below represents the final version of this drawing tutorial. It's true that this is a complex picture to illustrate. Even if the drawing seems filled with many small details, this one is really simple and can be duplicated in just a few minutes. Let's give it a try!
First, you can draw the various shapes of the sunflower using a large circle in the center to start with. Then, you can add petals all around this shape like shown below. Don't forget to add a leaf on the bottom.
Next, you can add some details inside this illustration. A few lines are needed on each petal drawn around the main circle. Another thin curved line can also be added on the leaf.
Great! You can now add plain colors on this cartoon sunflower. The center must be filled with a dark brown color while the petals are yellow. The bottom of the flower is colored in green.
In the middle of the sunflower, you can add several small circles that are filled with an orange color (the ones in the middle) or filled with a yellow one (for the shapes around the middle ones). Don't hesitate to duplicate a single circle and move it around to create all these circles quickly and effectively.
The gradient tool is used to add a darker color on each petal. This darker color must be located near the middle of the sunflower. You can also add a second color on each yellow circle and on the leaf.
This step might seem complex, but it is really easy to do. First, create a circle filled in brown in the middle of the flower. Then, use transparency (circular) to hide the outline of this new shape. You need to repeat this step three times.
First, you must cover the center of the flower. Then, you can add another circle like this one to cover the petals in front. Finally, a third circular shape can be added on the petals that are behind.
One last thing you can do is duplicate the shapes that are surrounded by a pink outline in the illustration below. These shapes must be reduced in size and colored in white. Then, you can use transparency to hide the left area of each of these new shapes.
You can see the final effect in this illustration. Nice work. Now you know how to draw a sunflower made from simple elements are filled with great colors and effects. Feel free to try more flowers like the hibiscus or the cheery blossom. :)
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