A backyard tent made from a sheet and a clotheslineThe sheet hangs over the line and is pinned out at the corners with stones. A pillow shows inside.
A bell tent round its single center poleOne pole in the middle holds up the canvas. Guy ropes run from the top of the wall to a ring of pegs.
A bivouac built of branches and fernsA frame of branches covered with leaves and ferns. Lay the covering in rows, like shingles.
A dome tent's two poles crossing at the topThe basic dome has two poles that cross at the peak. Each bends from one corner to the opposite one.
A plain tarp slung over a rope as a shelterA fly can be strung on a rope as a shelter all by itself. Two slopes, one ridge line, four pegs.
A tarp roof strung over a camping hammockIn wet weather a tarp is hung above the hammock. Draw it as a shallow roof on one tight line.
A tent in steady rain, its fly shiningThe fly is a tent's outer layer. Rain runs down it in lines and drips from the lowest edge.
A tent on a wooden platform among fernsThe platform is a low deck of planks. Set the tent square on it with two steps at the front.
A tent peg and a taut guy line, close upA peg is a spike, mostly with a hook or a hole at the top. The line runs tight from it, out of the picture.
A tunnel tent held up by three archesThe popular kinds are small tunnel and dome tents. A tunnel is a line of arches with fabric over them.
An A-frame tent pitched between two treesThe ridge design is an upside-down V. Tie one door flap back to show the dark triangle inside.
Five tent shapes in a row, like a chartGeodesic, dome, tunnel, ridge and pyramid. Keep them the same height so the shapes are easy to compare.
Looking out through a half-open tent zipperA dark frame with a curved zipper line. Through the open half there is grass, a boot and bright sky.
Pitching camp: flat fabric and scattered polesFlat fabric with one corner raised. Scatter the folded pole sections like dropped straws.
Sandals and sneakers lined up outside a tentOne big pair and one small pair, toes pointing in. The closed zipper curves up behind them.
Campfire and cooking 15
A bag of marshmallows torn open, one rolling awayA soft pillow of a bag, torn at one corner. One marshmallow has rolled out toward the fire ring.
A billy pot on a stick above the flamesA billycan is a light metal pot shaped like a small bucket, used to boil water over a campfire.
A camp stove with one pot coming to a boilA gas cartridge, a burner and a pot. Steam lifts the lid on one side.
A cast iron Dutch oven beside the embersA thick-walled pot with a tight lid, usually cast iron. Draw it heavy: short, wide and black.
A cold fire ring: stones, ash and stick endsThe ring keeps a fire in one place. Cold, it is a pale circle with a few black ends pointing in.
A frying pan balanced on two logsThe pan bridges the gap and the coals glow below it. Tilt the handle toward you.
A kettle on a tripod over the fireThree poles tied at the top, a chain from the knot and a kettle at the end of the chain.
A log cabin fire lay from straight aboveSticks laid in a square, two one way and two across, layer on layer. From above it is a grid.
A ring of campers glowing orange on one sideOnly the side facing the fire is lit. Backs and the ground behind them fall away into the dark.
A row of mugs steaming on a logFour mugs of different heights. Each wisp of steam leans the same way in the breeze.
A s'more pulled apartGraham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate. The marshmallow stretches into strings between the halves.
A woodpile sorted into tinder, kindling and logsThree heaps by size: fine tinder, small sticks for kindling, then logs. Leave a gap between the heaps.
Embers drifting up past the treetopsBright specks on wandering paths, thick near the fire and thinning out. Leave them as bare paper.
Hot dogs on forked sticksTwo prongs, two sausages, and the stick long enough to keep the hand well out of the picture.
Two fire lays side by side: a cone and a squareIn the teepee lay the sticks lean together in a cone. In the log cabin lay they are stacked in a square.
Gear 15
A camp chair with a mug in its armrestCrossed legs make an X on each side. The fabric seat sags between the four corners.
A camp lantern: wire handle, glass globeThe flame burns inside a glass globe. Draw the wire frame round the glass and the loop to carry it by.
A coil of rope and three tent pegsThe coil is a stack of ovals tied round the middle. Lay the pegs in a fan beside it.
A compass lying on a folded mapThe needle turns toward magnetic north. North is 0 degrees and the numbers climb clockwise.
A cooler with its lid upAn insulated box with thick walls. Show the thickness at the rim and the ice inside as broken shapes.
A framed backpack packed to the topA frame shifts the load from the shoulders to the hips, so draw the hip belt as well as the straps.
A headlamp on its stretchy strapA small lamp on a band worn round the head. Add a short cone of light to show it is on.
A mummy sleeping bag laid out flatA mummy bag is named for its hood. Draw the hood as a rounded top and run the zipper down one side.
A nesting mess kit, one tin inside anotherThe tins come as a set, one slightly larger, so they nest. Show the small one half lifted out.
A rolled sleeping bag and its strapA spiral at the end and a fat cylinder behind it, squeezed in the middle by the strap.
A sleeping pad half unrolledA light pad that goes under a sleeping bag. One end lies flat and the other is still a spiral.
A spork on a tin plateA spoon with short fork points cut into its tip. The plate is a wide ellipse with a rim.
A water canteen on a shoulder strapA flat round bottle with a screw cap. The strap loops away and back.
An enamel mug with a chipped rimEnamel is a glassy coat on metal. A straight cup, a C handle and one dark chip where the metal shows.
Boots drying upside down on two sticksPush two sticks in the ground and hang a boot on each, soles to the sky and laces dangling.
Camp scenes 15
A cairn of five stones beside a trailA cairn is a pile of stones made by people. Balance five, the biggest at the bottom.
A canoe pulled up on a gravel shoreA canoe is narrow, open on top and pointed at both ends. Lay the paddles inside it.
A night walk with one flashlight beamA cone of light on the path, tree trunks at its edges and nothing at all beyond them.
A picnic table set for breakfast under treesA table with a bench along each side. Leaf shadows fall across the top in patches.
A raccoon peering round a tent cornerHalf a masked face and one paw on the fabric. A food bag sits just out of reach.
A sky of stars above black pine topsThe trees are one black band with a jagged top. Everything above is dots of different sizes.
A trail blaze painted on a tree trunkA blaze is a sign left to mark the route. Draw one painted mark at eye height on rough bark.
A trailhead signboard with the route painted on itA board on two posts with a wavy line for the trail and a mark for where you stand.
The Big Dipper above one small tentSeven bright stars: four make the bowl and three make the handle.
Camp at dusk: figures round a small bright fireThe sky is still pale and the ground is already dark. The fire is the only warm color.
Morning mist on a lake, seen from the tentThe far shore is a pale band with no detail. Only the nearest reeds are dark and sharp.
Packing up: a tent folded in half on wet grassA pale rectangle of flattened grass shows where the tent stood. The poles lie bundled beside it.
Shadow puppets thrown onto the side of a tentA flashlight inside throws a rabbit or a bird onto the fabric. Seen from outside it is a dark shape.
Sunrise through trunks, long shadows over the tentsEvery shadow points straight at you, away from the low sun. The tents catch light on one side only.
Wet socks on a line between two treesThe line sags in the middle under the weight. Every sock drips one drop.
How it works
These camping drawing ideas are the campsite itself: tents and shelters, the fire and what cooks on it, gear, and scenes from dusk to sunrise. Tent types and fire lays carry their usual names.
Read the full guide
A tent is a triangle or a dome
A ridge tent is an upside-down V and a dome is half a ball, so start with those two shapes. Add guy lines running out to pegs and the tent sits on the ground. At night, light it from inside and make it brighter than the sky.
Stack the wood before the flame
A teepee lay leans the sticks into a cone. A log cabin lay stacks them in a square. Draw either one first, then the flames, tallest in the middle.
Draw firelight by shading everything else. The paper left white is the glow.
A tight guy line is ruled. A slack one curves.
Questions and answers
What is an easy camping drawing to start with?
An enamel mug with a chipped rim is a cylinder and a handle. The Big Dipper above one small tent is seven dots and a triangle. Easy, under More filters, has more.
How do you draw a campfire?
Draw the wood first, leaning into a cone or stacked in a square. Add the flames as tall overlapping teardrops, biggest in the middle. Finish with a ring of stones and a few sparks above.
How do you draw a tent step by step?
For a ridge tent, draw a triangle for the door end and a long slanted rectangle for the side. Split the door down the middle, tie one flap back and run lines out to pegs.
What kinds of tent can I draw?
Ridge, dome, tunnel and bell tents are all in Tents and shelters, with a hammock under a tarp and a shelter built of branches. Five tent shapes in a row, like a chart puts them side by side.