A bay leaf with its smooth edgeA long oval with an untoothed edge and one centre vein. Aromatic when crushed.
A European beech leaf, a plain ovalAn oval with an even or slightly scalloped edge and straight side veins, all parallel.
A ginkgo fan turning autumn yellowKnown for striking yellow autumn foliage. Keep a little green near the stalk.
A ginkgo leaf, a little fanVeins split and run out to the edge without ever joining into a net. Draw them as fine lines.
A heart-shaped lime leaf with its toothed rimDraw a heart, tilt it and add a fine-toothed edge. Its leaves are distinctly heart-shaped.
A holly leaf with a spine on every pointA scalloped edge with a sharp spine on each tooth. Some leaves have only one, at the tip.
A southern magnolia leaf, top and undersideDark green, stiff and leathery on top, often rusty-brown and fuzzy underneath. Show both.
A sweet chestnut leaf with its saw teethLong and narrow with bold pointed teeth, each at the end of a side vein.
An American elm leaf, its two sides unevenDouble-toothed edges and an oblique base: one side starts lower on the stalk.
Aspen leaves trembling on a branchNearly round with small rounded teeth. The flattened stalk is why they tremble in wind.
Leaf veins drawn without the leafDraw the veins alone, the finest last, and leave the gaps as paper.
Silver birch leaves hanging from a thin twigEach is roughly triangular with a double-toothed edge: big teeth with smaller teeth on them.
Show all 60 leaves (48 more)
Lobed 12
A fig leaf with deep lobesLarge, with three to five deep lobes. Draw the gaps between the lobes first.
A Japanese maple leaf, fingers spreadFive, seven or nine sharply pointed lobes. Draw the lines out from the centre first.
A London plane leafBroad, stiff and palm-lobed, much like a maple leaf. Stalk long and thick.
A sugar maple leaf in autumn colourFamous for bright autumn foliage. Blend red into orange from the edges in.
A sugar maple leaf with five lobesPalm-shaped with five lobes. Draw five lines out from the stalk, then the edges.
A tulip tree leaf held up by its stalkFour lobes, and the tip looks cut straight across. Draw the square top first.
An acorn cup resting on an oak leafWavy rounded lobes under an empty scaly cup.
An ivy leaf from a climbing stemLeaves on creeping and climbing stems have five lobes, like a small star.
An ivy leaf from a flowering stemLeaves on flowering stems are unlobed hearts. Draw it beside the five-lobed kind.
Sassafras leaves: mitten, three-lobed and ovalThree-lobed, two-lobed and unlobed leaves can all grow on the same branch.
Sweetgum leaves scattered like starsUsually five sharp pointed lobes. Draw several at different angles.
Three oak leaves in a bunchThree to six rounded lobes a side and a very short stalk. Draw each midrib first.
Leaflets 12
A Boston fern frond arching over a potSmall leaflets alternate either side of the midrib, not in pairs.
A dog rose leafFive to seven leaflets along a stalk. Draw the stalk as a line, then pairs.
A four-leaf clover pressed in a bookFour leaflets from one point, flat on a page. Draw the page lines behind it.
A horse chestnut leaf held up to the sunLight through the leaflets shows every vein darker than the green.
A horse chestnut leaf laid next to your handFive to seven leaflets from one point. The whole leaf can be far wider than a hand.
A horse chestnut leaf with a conker beside itFive to seven leaflets fanned out, and a glossy conker below.
A staghorn sumac leaf in autumnNine to thirty-one toothed leaflets on one long stalk, turning red, orange and yellow.
A staghorn sumac leaf still greenThe same long leaf in summer. The stalk and stems are covered in rusty hairs.
A white clover leafThree egg-shaped leaflets, often with a lighter or darker marking.
A young fern frond with its tip still coiledA tight spiral at the top, open leaflets below it.
An ash leaf with a leaflet at its tipSeven to thirteen toothed leaflets along one stalk, the odd one at the end.
Three clover leaves in a clumpLeaflets overlap; each stalk is long and thin.
Long and giant 12
A blade of grass bent overOne long narrow shape folding back on itself.
A eucalyptus leaf, long and lance-shapedAdult leaves are glossy green and lance-shaped. Curve the midrib slightly.
A giant water lily pad with a frog for scaleFloating pads up to 3 m across on a long stalk under the water.
A lotus leaf seen from above, veins spreadingVeins run from the middle to the edge like wheel spokes.
A lotus leaf with its stalk at the centreRound, with the stalk joined underneath in the middle. Water runs off its surface.
A mature monstera leaf, split and holedHoles and splits appear as the leaf matures. Draw the outline, then cut the holes in.
A single weeping willow leafNarrow, light green, finely toothed with a long pointed tip. Gold-yellow in autumn.
A snake plant in its pot, leaves fanning outStiff leaves growing straight up from a rosette at the base.
A snake plant leaf standing uprightStiff and upright, dark green with light grey-green bands across it.
A sprig of spearmintSmall leaves with serrated edges. Draw two or three pairs down the stem.
A willow twig hung with narrow leavesLeaves spiral round the twig. Let them droop.
A young monstera leaf with no holes yetYoung leaves are whole: a simple heart with a pointed tip.
Close up and together 12
A leaf curling at the edges as it driesThe edges roll up; show the underside where they turn.
A leaf floating on a puddleA soft reflection of the sky round it and a ripple at one edge.
A leaf folded along its middle veinOne half lit, one half in shadow, the fold as a sharp line.
A leaf rubbing turned into a drawingRub a leaf through paper with a crayon, then draw a bug on it.
A leaf seen edge-onOnly a curve and the stalk. It shows how thin a leaf is.
A leaf with one bite along its edgeDraw the bite as a scalloped curve. The veins stop at it.
A maple leaf in one unbroken lineOutline, midrib and side veins without lifting the pen.
A pile of fallen leavesDraw three or four in detail on top and suggest the rest.
A spiral of leaves round a stem seen from aboveEach leaf turns a little from the one below, like a staircase.
Leaves spaced one by one up a stemOne leaf, then the next on the other side, a little higher.
Opposite leaves climbing a stemPairs opposite each other, getting smaller toward the tip.
Three leaves overlappingThe front leaf's edge crosses the others. Shade the ones behind.
How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-09-24: 60 leaves to draw in five groups (simple edges, lobed, leaflets, long and giant, close up and together) at three levels, each with its shape to get right. Leaf shapes checked on Wikipedia on 2026-09-24, all under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/: Tilia_cordata, Fagus_sylvatica, Betula_pendula, Ilex_aquifolium, Populus_tremuloides, Ulmus_americana, Magnolia_grandiflora, Laurus_nobilis, Ginkgo_biloba, Castanea_sativa, Quercus_robur, Sugar_maple, Acer_palmatum, Liquidambar_styraciflua, Liriodendron_tulipifera, Sassafras_albidum, Ficus_carica, Hedera_helix, Platanus_×_hispanica, Aesculus_hippocastanum, Fraxinus_excelsior, Trifolium_repens, Rhus_typhina, Rosa_canina, Nephrolepis_exaltata, Salix_babylonica, Eucalyptus_globulus, Dracaena_trifasciata, Mentha_spicata, Monstera_deliciosa, Nelumbo_nucifera, Victoria_amazonica. Details not found there were left out. No item repeats a title from any other list on the site. Licence: own work
How it works
Easy leaf drawing starts with the outline: a heart, a fan, a star, a hand of leaflets. These 60 leaves each name the shape to get right, from a bay leaf to a giant water lily pad.
Read the full guide
Edge, lobes, then veins
Draw the outline first, then the midrib, then the side veins, each running to the edge or to a tooth. A sweet chestnut leaf with its saw teeth shows why: every tooth sits at the end of a vein.
Leaves drawing ideas beyond one leaf
Close up and together holds 12 that go further than a single leaf: three leaves overlapping, a pile of fallen leaves, a spiral of leaves round a stem seen from above.
Draw from a real leaf if you can. Press it under a book first so it lies flat.
Veins get thinner as they go out, so press lighter toward the edge.
Questions and answers
What is the easiest leaf to draw?
A bay leaf with its smooth edge, a heart-shaped lime leaf and a ginkgo leaf, a little fan, are each one simple outline. Easy holds 26.
How do I draw a maple leaf?
Draw five lines out from the stalk, then join their tips with pointed lobes. A sugar maple leaf has five lobes; a Japanese maple leaf has five, seven or nine, cut deeper.
What is an easy drawing of a leaf for a child?
A leaf rubbing turned into a drawing: rub a leaf through paper with a crayon, then add a bug on top. A four-leaf clover pressed in a book is another.