How to Draw a Tropical Rainforest: 2 Easy Ways (With Expert Tips)

Learn how to sketch trees and animals into your rainforest scene

Ever wanted to transport yourself to a beautiful rainforest filled with lush greenery, exotic animals, and captivating waterfalls? Well, today you can! We’ll walk you through two different rainforest drawing tutorials—one tutorial to draw a stunning rainforest background, and a second tutorial to draw a bustling jungle filled with animals. Plus, we’ve included expert tips and techniques from a team of professional artists!

Section 1 of 3:

How to Draw a Simple Rainforest Background

  1. Step 1 Orient your paper in a landscape position and visualize four quadrants.
    For this drawing, you’ll need a piece of standard white printer paper. Place it in front of you so that it’s in a landscape orientation (i.e., the short sides of the paper are on the left and right). Then, before you start drawing, visualize your paper as being divided into four invisible quadrants or squares: one as the top-left corner, one as the top-right corner, one as the bottom-left corner, and one as the bottom-right corner. This is the terminology we’ll use to explain what goes where throughout these steps!

    Meet the wikiHow Experts

    Kelly Medford is a professional artist who has studied classical painting, drawing, and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy.

    Claire Wentzel is an award-winning artist and strategic creative consultant who specializes in mixed media participatory art, brand messaging, and building organizational culture.

    Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a professional painter who specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals.

    Laura M. Johnson is a professional mural artist who has over five years of experience in the industry and has worked professionally across venture capital, communications, the arts, and beyond.

  2. Step 2 Sketch a sloping line and a slanted rectangle in the bottom-left corner.
    Take a pencil and lightly sketch a sloping line that starts at the left side of the paper, curves over the bottom-left corner, and ends at the bottom edge of the paper. This will be a small “hill” in your rainforest. Then, draw a slanted rectangle from the middle of your hill to the left edge of the paper. This will be a tree that’s growing out of your hill but that continues out of frame.[1]
    Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Sketch the outline of several trees in the top-left portion of your paper.
    Now, it’s time to lightly sketch about five trees in the top-left section. Right above the hill you just drew, draw two vertical parallel lines that extend all the way to the top of the paper. Draw another tree, just like the one you just drew, a few spaces to the right. Then, to the right of this most recent tree, draw a cluster of three trees all together; however, make sure to make these new trees smaller and shorter so that they look like they’re further away.[2]
    • Don’t worry about these trees or lines being perfect—trees are irregular in nature, anyway! Plus, you’ll have a chance to make them look cleaner once you go over them with color.
  4. Step 4 Sketch the outline of some land, rocks, and bushes around the trees.
    At the base of the first tree (right above your first hill), lightly sketch a medium-sized, circular boulder and some bushes. Then, draw a swooping line around the base of all your trees—this is the outline of the land or riverbank that all of your trees are standing on. The top of this line should just curve around your rightmost cluster of three trees, while the bottom of the line should land just above the bottom of the first hill you drew.[3]
  5. Step 5 Sketch a curved line to create the other side of the river.
    The line you just drew represents the left side of the riverbank. Now, draw another line to create the opposite side of the river. Your new line should be closer to the right side of the page, depending on how large you want your river to be. It should feature irregular curves and slopes, just like the shape of a real-life river.[4] Most importantly, make sure that the two outlining lines of the river are closer together toward the top of the page, but gradually widen to be further apart at the bottom of the page.
    • This creates perspective to make the river scene look more realistic.[5]
    • The second line, or rightmost edge of the riverbank, should end in the bottom-right corner of the page.
  6. Step 6 Fill in the right side of the riverbank with trees and grass.
    Just like you did on the left side of the bank, you want to fill the right side with natural elements like trees, grass, and bushes. You can make this part completely your own, or you can follow our visual example! We recommend drawing pairs of parallel lines—some slanted, some straight—to create about 7-8 trees on the right side of the river. Then, sketch the outline of a bush at the base of one or two trees, as well as some small clusters of vertical lines to create grass.[6]
  7. Step 7 Sketch some rocks and wavy lines in the river.
    Move your pencil to the “river,” or the blank section in between your two central lines. In the center and bottom portions of the river, randomly draw in some irregular circles and ovals to create rocks in the river. Around these circles and ovals, draw some squiggly vertical lines to imitate the flow of water around the rocks.[7]
  8. Step 8 Color the riverbanks and most of the background with light green.
    Grab a light green crayon, colored pencil, or other drawing utensil. Then, use your light green utensil to fill in both sides of the riverbank completely. Then, continue to color all of the blank spaces between your trees, as well as the background above where the river begins (i.e., above where the two lines that create the river connect at the top. Once you’ve finished this step, the only white spaces should be inside the river and inside the tree outlines.[8]
    • If you’ve used a pastel crayon or another smudgeable drawing implement, use your finger to smudge out all of the green and create a smoother, more realistic look.
  9. Step 9 Use a dark brown colored pencil to outline and fill in the trees.
    With a dark brown colored pencil (or crayon), retrace the outline of all of your trees. Then, fill in each tree with the brown color. Use long, straight strokes up and down the tree trunk in order to create the appearance of bark.[9]
    • Optionally, use varying degrees of pressure to create lighter and darker shades of brown within each tree trunk.
    • Consider where the light would be coming from in your picture and where it would hit each tree—those areas of the tree should, realistically, be lighter than the other sections.
    • “Notice the light and shadows in trees and how the light and shadow graduate, not only from top to bottom but also from one side to another,” instructs professional artist Kelly Medford.[10]
  10. Step 10 Use a darker green to draw some leafy sections on your trees.
    Take a darker green coloring utensil and draw tiny leaves around the sides of each tree trunk. Organize these leaves in regular clusters on each side of the trees.[11]
    • For more dimension, you can also layer this darker green with the lighter green you used for the forest floor and background.
    • “One key piece of advice,” offers Medford, “is that we don’t see individual leaves from afar, so think of leaves as masses.”[12]
    • “If you can’t count it, you can’t paint it,” adds professional artist Laura M. Johnson. “In other words, if you’re painting a tree, you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to paint every individual leaf you see.”[13]
  11. Step 11 Color each side of the riverbank and add grass with the darker green color.
    Now, go back over the riverbanks (or the forest floor) with your darker green colored pencil or crayon. This is done to add dimension and a more realistic quality to your drawing. Cover the light green flooring completely with dark green, then smudge it out as much as possible with your finger or a paper towel.[14]
    • Then, use your dark green colored pencil to draw some grass clusters around the base of each tree. To do this, draw groups of short, sharp, vertical lines. Optionally, you can slightly smudge these grass sections with your finger to make them look more realistic.
    • Finally, outline where your riverbanks meet the river’s edge with your dark green colored pencil or crayon. Repeat these steps on the hill in the forefront of your drawing (which is the first thing you drew).[15]
    • As you color in your drawing, keep in mind that “as things get further away, they get less detailed or less sharp. There’s not as much contrast, so you wouldn’t see black or white [as clearly] as things get further away from you,” explains artist Jeanine Hattas Wilson.[16]
    • For that reason, adds award-winning artist and strategic creative consultant Claire Wentzel, “you always want to have your darkest darks and lightest lights in the foreground, because the background is away from you. So, the details and the contrast should be less than in the front.”[17]
  12. Step 12 Use dark brown and black colored pencils or crayons to draw stones on each bank.
    Use a black colored pencil or crayon to randomly draw some irregular ovals around the different trees and along the banks of the river. Fill in each oval with brown, then outline it again with black to create a more dimensional, rock-like appearance.[18]
  13. Step 13 Color in the river with a light blue crayon or color pencil.
    Take a light blue colored pencil or crayon and fill in the sides of the river, where the river meets the bank (as well as the bottom/top of the page). Continue to fill in the entire river.[19] Around the center cluster of rocks, draw exclusively vertical lines in order to create the appearance of a waterfall. Below that section, where the other group of rocks is, return to more irregular, free-flowing lines to make it look like a small pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall.[20]
    • Go back over the vertical lines around your center rocks with a darker blue colored pencil or crayon. This will emphasize the appearance of downward-falling water.
    • For a more realistic look, combine your blue shades with some strokes of brown, green, and/or yellow. You can also add more dimension to the entire river by combining layers of light and dark blue.
  14. Step 14 Fill in your river rocks with black and dark brown colored pencils or crayons.
    Fill in each river rock with a brown coloring utensil. Then, outline them with a black coloring utensil, adding shading as needed to create a dimensional-looking rock.[21]
    • That’s your last step! Enjoy your beautiful rainforest scene!
    15. Advertisement
Section 2 of 3:

How to Draw a Rainforest Jungle with Animals

  1. Step 1 Use a Sharpie to outline a large tree on the left side of your paper.
    Place your paper in landscape orientation (i.e., with the long sides of the page at the top and bottom). Then, use a Sharpie (or black marker) to outline a large tree on the left side of your paper, but make it look like the tree is growing out of frame, past the top and left sides of the paper. Draw two squiggly triangles for the roots, as well as some irregular lines to create scraggly branches coming off the tree.[22]
    • Then, draw two sets of parallel, diagonal lines onto the trunk of your tree. These should resemble a vine wrapping around the tree trunk.
    • Don’t worry about making any of your lines perfectly straight or steady—nature is imperfect!
  2. Step 2 With your Sharpie,...
    With your Sharpie, draw the outline of a waterfall with two cloud-shaped water forms. Take your Sharpie and, starting at the right side of your tree, draw a horizontal line that extends about 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) to the right.[23] Then, curve this line downward and extend it about 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm) in a vertical, downward direction toward the bottom of your page. Stop at this point, then draw a cloud-shaped object with the left side starting at your line and the right side ending about 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm) to the right. Then, continue your initial line downward for another 4–5 inches (10–13 cm).[24]
    • Draw another, slightly larger cloud-shaped object.[25] These cloud-shaped objects represent the movement of rushing water in your waterfall.
    • Below that, draw a swooping line (like a river) until you reach the bottom edge of the paper.[26]
    • Finally, draw lines that match all the lines you just drew, but on the opposite side of your cloud-shaped objects. This will create the shape of your waterfall. At the top, draw a horizontal line to connect the right side of your waterfall outline to the first horizontal line that you drew.[27]
    • If your lines intersect with any tree branches, stop and continue them on the other side of the branch so that the waterfall appears to be behind the tree.
  3. Step 3 Draw a bush and some leaves around the base of your first tree.
    Returning to the tree on the left side of your page, use your Sharpie to draw a cloud-shaped bush emerging from the base of the tree, between where the roots are and where the trunk begins. Draw a couple of leaves coming out of this bush—you can do a standard oval-shaped leaf with a vertical line running through the center, a squiggly leaf, or a combination of the two![28] Check out our visual example above for a better idea of what your leaves could look like.
  4. Step 4 Draw a second and third tree on the right side of the waterfall.
    First, use your Sharpie to draw a squiggly horizontal line along the top edge of your paper. Place it right above your waterfall, with the left side of your line connecting to the branches of your first tree.[29] Slightly to the right, draw another squiggly cloud shape that connects with the first squiggly line—this is the foliage (or the leaves) on your tree. From there, draw three vertical branches from the top edge of your page. Have these irregular, scraggly branches converge into a single tree trunk.[30]
    • Outline this trunk with two parallel, irregular lines all the way to the “forest floor,” or about where your larger cloud-shaped water splash sits.[31]
    • Like you did with the first tree, add some pairs of curving lines to create the appearance of vines wrapping around the tree trunk and branches. You can also sketch some bushes or leaves around the base of the tree—just have fun with it![32]
    • Then, draw a third tree on the right side of the page. Follow all of the same steps you did to draw your first and third trees. Make sure to add the scraggly branches, vines around the trunk, and bushes and leaves around the base.[33]
    • Once you’ve drawn all three trees, add more branches and cloud-shaped foliage to the tops of the trees in order to fill out their shapes and make them look more like they’re sitting in a large forest or jungle!
    EXPERT TIP
    Kelly Medford

    Kelly Medford

    Professional Artist
    Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
    Kelly Medford
    Kelly Medford
    Professional Artist

    Each tree has its own way of branching. The best way to study trees is to start by looking for the overall mass, kind of like the shape of a head when drawing a portrait, and filling it in from there.

  5. Step 5 Extend the right side of the waterfall in a downward sloping line.
    To connect the waterfall with the rest of the forest, find the line that creates the top of the waterfall—or the “cliff” that the water is descending from. Then, use your Sharpie to extend that line in a scraggly, irregular, and downward slope toward the right side of the page. If your line meets any other trees, leaves, or other objects, stop the line and continue it behind those objects. End the line when it reaches the trunk of the tree on the right side of the page.[34]
    • Before moving on, find the section of the line you just drew that sits between the second and third tree. Sketch a squiggly, cloud-shaped object that “emerges” from this line. This will create the illusion that there’s more forest behind the waterfall and cliff![35]
  6. Step 6 Retrace your lines with black and color in your waterfall and sky with blue.
    Take an extra-thick black Sharpie or marker and retrace all of your lines. This is technically optional, but it will make your drawing look sharper and more polished. Then, use any black Sharpie or marker to draw some vertical, squiggly lines down your waterfall—that’s to represent the water! Use a blue-colored pencil, crayon, or paint to fill in the waterfall itself (but don’t fill in the cloud-shaped water bubbles). Finally, fill in the sky with the same shade of blue—the sky is the section above the waterfall cliff and behind the trees.[36]
  7. Step 7 Use brown to color in your trees and green to color the leaves, vines, and bushes.
    Use brown paint, a brown colored pencil, or a brown crayon to color in all of your tree trunks and branches.[37] Then, use any shade (or shades!) of green that you like to color in your vines, leaves, bushes, and the foliage sections of your trees.[38]
  8. Step 8 Use orange and brown shades to color in your cliff, hills, and forest floor.
    For the cliff and hills that your waterfall sits on, use a warm shade of brown, burnt orange, or reddish-brown. It doesn’t matter much, as long as it looks like a natural, earthy color and isn’t the exact same shade of brown as your trees. When you find your shade, use it to color in the cliff areas around the waterfall and the large hill that’s sloping toward the right side of the picture.[39]
    • Now, take an orange colored pencil, orange marker, or orange paint and color in the forest floor, or all of the ground under the trees and on either side of the waterfall.[40]
  9. Step 9 Use a darker shade of brown to add detailing to your cliffs and tree trunks.
    Apply a dark brown colored pencil or crayon to the sides and edges of your cliffs, tree trunks, and tree branches. This represents the “shadows” in your rainforest, creating a more dimensional and realistic look for your drawing.[41]
  10. Step 10 Decorate your rainforest with animals, like frogs, monkeys, birds, snakes, etc.
    Now comes the best part—adding in some lively rainforest animals! If you want animals in your rainforest drawing, here are some tutorials to draw a whole bunch of animals you might want to include, like a spider, butterfly, monkey, praying mantis, parrot, or snake. But we’ll also give you some steps here to draw one of our favorite rainforest animals: a frog!
    • Draw a large, rounded C-shape that’s sitting on its side—almost like a very curved smiley face![42]
    • Then, to connect the two ends of the “C,” draw a line made up of two irregular, connected semicircles—this is the outline of the frog’s head and eyes.[43]
    • Draw a circle inside each semicircle, another filled-in circle inside each of these circles, and a slight smiley face at the bottom of the face. [44]
    • From either side of the frog’s “chin,” draw a curving line that moves downward. Curve the ends of these lines outward, like a bell, before curving them sharply inward to create the frog’s feet.[45]
    • Connect these two feet with a small curved line (the frog’s stomach), and draw a large circle in the middle of the frog’s stomach or body.[46]
    • Draw another curved line coming out of each of the frog’s feet. Curve this line upward so that it meets the side of the frog’s body, resulting in an almost goldfish-like shape (but it’s really the frog’s leg!).[47]
    • Color the frog in with different shades of green, or with whatever colors you want your frog to be!

    Tip: The dark background of your rainforest drawing could make it hard to see your animals when they're drawn on top. Try drawing your animals on a plain piece of paper, then cutting them out and gluing (or taping) them onto your rainforest background.

    11. Advertisement
Section 3 of 3:

More Nature Scene Art Tutorials

  1. Want to draw some more beautiful nature scenes? We’ve got you! Below, find more step-by-step art tutorials to draw stunning landscapes and objects that you might find in nature:

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Submit
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

Draw a Forest
How to
Draw a Forest
A Beginner’s Guide to Drawing Trees: Pine, Palm, & More
Draw a Detailed Tree
How to
Draw a Detailed Tree
Draw a Beach Scene
How to
Draw a Beach Scene
Paint Two Pines in the Snow
How to
Paint Two Pines in the Snow
Draw a Waterfall
How to
Draw a Waterfall
Paint Watercolor Landscapes
How to
Paint Watercolor Landscapes
Draw a Map of an Imaginary Place
How to
Draw a Map of an Imaginary Place
Painting Ideas for Beginners40+ Beginner Painting Ideas That Are Easy & Fun
How to
Draw in 3D
Draw
How to
Draw for Beginners: A Step-By-Step Guide
Draw a School
How to
Make a School Drawing (Easy Step-by-Step Guide)
Draw a Classic Umbrella
How to
Draw a Classic Umbrella
Draw Real Things
How to
Draw Real Things
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=5
  2. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=18
  3. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=36
  4. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=49
  5. ↑ https://siba.edu/perspective-drawing-realism-defined/
  6. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=53
  7. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=79
  8. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=97
  9. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=181
  1. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=289
  3. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ Laura M. Johnson. Professional Artist. Expert Interview
  5. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=327
  6. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=560
  7. ↑ Jeanine Hattas Wilson. Artist. Expert Interview
  8. ↑ Claire Wentzel. Award-Winning Artist and Strategic Creative Consultant. Expert Interview
  9. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=372
  10. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=566
  11. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=605
  12. ↑ https://youtu.be/AK6OcZAHvX4?t=674
  13. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=47
  14. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=62
  15. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=63
  16. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=65
  17. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=68
  18. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=70
  19. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=72
  20. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=82
  21. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=86
  22. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=87
  23. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=98
  24. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=132
  25. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=141
  26. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=141
  27. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=141
  28. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=234
  29. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=251
  30. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=283
  31. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=283
  32. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQOTI2RFX3s?t=295
  33. ↑ https://youtu.be/NEvEpwYJSoA?t=11
  34. ↑ https://youtu.be/NEvEpwYJSoA?t=16
  35. ↑ https://youtu.be/NEvEpwYJSoA?t=26
  36. ↑ https://youtu.be/NEvEpwYJSoA?t=36
  37. ↑ https://youtu.be/NEvEpwYJSoA?t=63
  38. ↑ https://youtu.be/NEvEpwYJSoA?t=54

About This Article

Kelly Medford
Co-authored by:
Kelly Medford
Professional Artist
This article was co-authored by Kelly Medford and by wikiHow staff writer, Sophie Burkholder, BA. Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
1 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: December 11, 2025
Views: 688
Categories: Drawing Landscapes and Scenery
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 688 times.

Did this article help you?

Advertisement