How to Do Your Own Hibiscus Flower Drawing

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Last Updated on June 5, 2023 by Dee

Hello and welcome, aspiring artists and flower enthusiasts! Ready to enhance your artistic skills with a lovely hibiscus flower drawing? You’ve come to the right place! In this guide, we’ll take you step by step through a comprehensive drawing tutorial designed to help you master the art of the hibiscus.

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So, how can you do your own hibiscus flower drawing?

Hibiscus Flower Drawing: Step-By-Step

Step 1- Collecting your reference material

If you want to draw a hibiscus flower it is a good idea to get a clear and good quality reference image to work from.

Work from your imagination

You can work from your imagination, but the truth is that most people’s brains leave out important information about the original flower. As a result, the flower may become more stylized or simplified than the original.

Work from your own photos

Drawing from your own photos is a great way to come up with unique ideas and compositions. You also have first-hand experience of what the lily looks like in a real-life situation. This gives you a better idea of how the subject matter “sits in space” so to speak.

Work from a free stock photo

Because I wanted a level of naturalism in my artwork, I chose to work from a photograph of a hibiscus plant that I found on unsplash.com.

Step 2: Decide on the size of your drawing

I find that working on an A4 or A3 sheet of watercolor paper is a good size to start off with for botanical art. The hibiscus plant I painted is on an A4 sheet of paper.

I would recommend sticking to at least A4 in size, because if you work any smaller you may struggle to get a good amount of detail in your drawing or painting.

Step 3: Composition and rough drawing of the general shapes of the hibiscus plant

Once you have decided on the size of the paper you will be working on, you can think about your composition and then draw it out in pencil.

Think carefully about how you will position the hibiscus flowers on your page.

I recommend using a 2B lead pencil to first softly sketch out the general shapes of the hibiscus’ petals, leaves, and stem. Make sure you are applying only a very light pressure onto the pencil to achieve very light pencil marks on the page.

I have start my hibiscus flower drawing by sketching out the general curved lines that the flower heads will fit into.

Step 4: Defining Form

Once you have sketched the light general shapes of the hibiscus flowers, then you can start going over the petals, stem, and leaves again and making changes and alterations to your shapes in order to get your subject matter looking more accurate. I use a kneadable eraser because I find it great to be able to manipulate its shape so that I can erase lines in small places and awkward angles!

Step 5: Go over the pencil marks in pen

Once you have sketched the general shapes of the hibiscus flower and have a good idea of how it works together, then you can start going over your pencil lines with pen.

Step 5: Begin shading

Remember to check where your light source is! This is so important in order to accurately draw forms and get a sense of three-dimensionality. Your shadows will fall opposite your light source.

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I personally find that using combination of shading techniques to build up density of form and deepen my shadows works really well.

Step 6: Shade the stem and the bud, and final details

Continue to deepen your shading and shadows and use fine cross-hatching to create a sense of shadow on the stem and the bud of your hibiscus plant.

Step 8: Paint washes of your lightest color

As you begin painting with watercolor you will be using a technique called wet-on-dry. Essentially that means you are putting paint on your paintbrush and then painting directly onto the dry surface of the page. This is a good way to start because you have more control over the areas you are painting color.

I started by painting very soft washes of rose pink over the petals of the hibiscus flowers.

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Step 9: Layers of washes to darker areas of the flowers

Continue to paint layers of washes on top of one another to build up depth and deepen shadow areas. As you can see, I used a deep blue over some shadow areas to add interest and depth to the petals.

Step 10: Washes of green on the stems and the leaves

Paint light washes of green on the stem.

Step 11: Final Details

Lastly I painted an orange wash over the stamens and also painted the tips of the hairs with yellow. I chose to use these colors so that the stamen stood out against the background of the petals.

Remember the following when you draw a hibiscus flower…

Stand Back

Make sure to stand back regularly to observe how your drawing is developing. It is also important that you give yourself mental and visual breaks so that you can continue to draw accurately.

Sharp Pencil

Remember to keep your pencil sharp. This is important because often we get so engrossed in our drawing that we forget that a sharp pencil helps with fine lines and details.

Play & Experiment

It is a good idea to always have a scrap piece of paper nearby, in order to test out your shapes and shading techniques while you draw a hibiscus flower.

Other ways to use a Hibiscus Drawing

Once you have practiced how to draw a hibiscus flower you can use this skill for hibiscus flower tattoos, hibiscus painting printables, hibiscus flower crafts, or even as a coloring page! Many people really enjoy creating their own personal coloring page to use as a meditative tool!

List of materials and supplies needed to do your own Hibiscus Flower Drawing

The Best Painting and Drawing Supplies for Artists

2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B Pencil

Kneadable Eraser

Scrap piece of paper for testing colors

300gsm Watercolor Paper

If you want to add a wash to your drawing you should definitely do your drawing on a good-quality, heavy paper that doesn’t buckle.

Soft Bristle Round or Filbert Brush

Watercolor pans or tubes

I am currently using the Windsor and Newton Watercolor Pan. The colors are rich and the tray itself is portable and easy to use.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve made it through our comprehensive hibiscus flower drawing tutorial. By now, you should have a beautiful drawing and a better understanding of how to use a curved line to add depth and dimension, as well as how to draw the third petals for a more realistic hibiscus.

Remember, practice is the key to improvement. So, keep using these techniques to draw a hibiscus flower, and soon you’ll be creating stunning floral art with ease. Thank you for joining us, and happy drawing!

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