How to Draw a Lake

Last Updated: November 20, 2022

Drawing a calm, peaceful lake is fairly simple. Much of the realism comes from using the right colors and strokes to create the right atmosphere for a lake setting.

Steps

1
Look at photographs of lakes for inspiration. See how their shapes are often nebulous and defined by the surrounding environment. Therefore, it doesn't really make sense to draw the shape of a lake.
2
Instead, decide how much space you'd like the lake to take up, and roughly what area it would encompass. Feel free to sketch these boundaries in pencil as a guide.

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3
Decide where you would like this lake to be set. Is it huddled amongst a forest of trees, or is it part of a marsh teeming with wildlife? Draw in the surrounding environment, as appropriate.
4
Lakes often are surrounded by water plants with thin blades. Draw a series of curved lines that start near one circular point and fan out towards the outside. One group of these blades represents one water plant, but the boundaries between each plant are often unclear, as they grow over each other.
5
Trees are great addition to lake scenes, so learn how to draw different types of trees with leaves. Start with this basic type or the the bonsai.
6
Draw animals! Birds (flying or stationery), frogs, bugs and insects are all great additions to make a lake scene lively.
7
Decide what time you would like your drawing to be set, and draw in the sky. If it's a sunrise or sunset, fill the sky with beautiful oranges, yellows, pinks, purples and reds. If it's the middle of the day, go with a crisp blue day with clouds.
8
Don't forget to add in the lake's reflection! Make sure the sky you picked and the surroundings are hazily reflected in the lake's waters. Reflections should be fainter and fuzzier than the actual thing, so use lighter strokes and pay less attention to detail for this part.

Community Q&A

Question

How should I color a lake?

Community Answer

There are lots of options! I would recommend using watercolors, specifically a mixture of aqua and turquoise. You could also use colored pencils, crayons, pastels, paints, etc. Use lots of shades of blue and blend them together! You could also try sprinkling some rock salt on the lake after painting for a ripple effect.
Question

How should I draw the ripples?

Thorn15

Community Answer

Get a shade that's a little darker than the one for the main body of water and draw very loose "C" and "S" shapes in the lake. On a little bit of the lake, highlight the edges of these shapes with white. Don't do this on the whole of your lake. If you use hills, like in the picture, then highlight the ripples on the side that has fewer/ lower hills.
Question

How do I draw just the lake?

Thorn15

Community Answer

Draw a complete, flat circle, as shown in step two. Position it anywhere you want on the page. Follow the guidelines for just the lake portion, perhaps adding some long bits of grass and reeds to the edge of the lake.