How to Draw a Rose - Simple and Realistic

In this article, I'll show you how to draw a rose that's easy to draw and realistic.

Let's get started!

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How Do You Draw a Rose?

For this tutorial, we're going to draw the rose from the photo below.

To draw it I used a graphite pencil for the sketch and a few alcohol markers to color it in. 

I used Winsor & Newton Promarkers in the following colors: Salmon Pink (R547), Lipstick Pink (R576), Red (R666), Burgundy (R424), Saddle Brown (O345), Pear Green (Y635), Pesto (Y923), Cool Grey 5 (CG5), and Black (XB).

I also used a white and a black Derwent Coloursoft colored pencil to add some highlights and details at the end. 

And used Canson Illustration Manga paper to draw on which works really well for alcohol markers.

Step 1: Sketch the Basic Shapes of the Rose

To sketch the rose I first identified the basic shapes of the rose. It's kind of hexagonal-shaped with a line connecting the left and the right corners. The stem consists of 2 straight lines starting just to the right of the center and going down and a bit further to the right.

Next, we're going to expand on these basic shapes by breaking them up into more shapes and I marked the center of the rose. I also added the basic shape of the leaf on the stem.

Step 2: Sketch the Petals

Now it's time to refine the sketch and add all the petals.

I started by sketching in the bigger petals more towards the bottom as they seemed easier to start with and to sketch. 

I then added more and more petals and worked my way around the top, while avoiding the dense center for now.

Next, I sketched the petals in the center of the flower. These are way close together and smaller than the ones we've already drawn which makes them a bit more difficult. But don't worry too much about it. It doesn't have to look 100% like the photo. It just needs to give off the illusion of petals. 

I slowly started sketching the edges of each of the petals I could see (I definitely skipped a few as there were so many to sketch) until it looked done.

Step 3: Refine the Stem

Next up we're going to refine the stem.

I refined the shape of the leaf on the right of the stem to be more organic and I added some bits (don't know what they are or what they're called...) on the other side of the stem.

Step 4: Color the Petals

Now that the sketch is done it's time to start coloring. But before we do that you'll need to erase your sketch lightly to make the sketch lines not show through the markers when it's done.

A kneaded eraser is perfect for doing this. You just roll it across your sketch and it will lighten it evenly.

Once you've done that, we're going to color the flower part of the rose. I like to start with the lightest colors and work my way toward the darker tones. 

I started by coloring the lightest parts with Salmon Pink.

Then I colored the rest of the flower with Lipstick Pink. I also used Salmon Pink to blend the edges between the light and darker pink/red shades.

Next, I colored the darker parts with Red.

I then added more depth to the darkest parts by coloring them Burgundy.

And to add even more depth and contrast I used Cool Grey 5 and a little bit of Black for the really dark parts. Don't overuse the black, it gets really dark very fast... (I definitely didn't make that mistake just now...)

Step 6: Color the Stem

Now that the flower is colored, it's time to color the stem too.

I started by coloring the stem with Saddle Brown.

Then I colored the stem and the leaf with Pear Green and I darkened half of it with Pesto.

And to create more depth I used Cool Grey 5 to darken half of the stem and some parts of the leaf.

Step 7: Add some Details with Colored Pencils

Your rose drawing is fully colored now, but to make it that little bit better we're going to add some white highlights and a few deeper shadows with a white and a black colored pencil.

I mostly used the white colored pencil to add highlights on the edges of the petals, especially in the center.

And I used the black colored pencil to add some black lines on the part that connects the stem to the leaf and on that other bit to the left of it. I also added a center line on the leaf itself and I lightly shaded some parts to make them darker.

And You're Rose Drawing is Done!

You've now successfully drawn a realistic rose!!! (Hopefully).

I would love to see how your drawing turned out, so if you decide to post it on Instagram make sure to tag me (@luukminkman).

I hope this tutorial was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions or things I should explain more/better by leaving a comment below.

Luuk Minkman

Full-Time Artist Specialized in Automotive Art

I'm an artist and I draw realistic cars with alcohol markers and colored pencils. I have been doing so for a decade. I'm sharing everything I know about drawing on this blog. On here, you can find all you need to know to learn how you can draw realistic cars and other subjects yourself. Stay updated by following me on Instagram.