Learn how to draw a realistic beach scene with towels, chairs, umbrellas, balls, lifeguard towers, palm trees, and beachgoers with our quick and easy step-by-step tutorial for beginners.
Beaches the best place to be all year round. You can spend an hour walking along the sandy shoreline and another hour contemplating tides, waves, and changes in daylight.
For many people, the beach lifestyle is a synonym for healthy living.
But have you ever tried to draw your favorite beach? Have you ever tried to put on a sheet of paper what your eyes are seeing?
You don’t need to be a professional illustrator, portraitist, or visual artist to draw a simple beach – tropical, Mediterranean, or even polar – for hanging on your home or office wall.
Our method will help adults and kids create their first beach sketch with a medium-level detail that depicts a Hawaiian sand strip or a European white-sand shoreline.
Are you ready for the ultimate beach drawing? We’ve got two guides for you to choose from.
Drawing Materials
A sheet of A4 paper
A ruler
Three pencils (4B, 6B, and 8B)
An eraser
Brush markers or water color pens
Colored pencils
Drawing Instructions
Whether you’re using pencils or pens, turn your drawing paper sideways in landscape/horizontal mode/orientation.
Black-and-White Sketch
Let’s start by drawing a stunning black-and-white beach drawing using pencils only.
It’s a great way to practice with objects and art that requires trial-and-error before picking up a brush.
1. Use the ruler to draw the horizon line more or less in the center of the sheet;
2. If you’re interested, draw a few cloud outlines here and there;
3. Shade in the sky with a flat tone;
4. Smudge the tone flat;
5. Draw a soft tone in parts of each cloud;
6. Draw more clouds with the eraser;
7. Darken the horizon;
8. Draw some loose lines for the sea;
9. Draw a sharp and dark tide line;
10. Draw some smaller marks in the sea;
11. Shade in the sand with the side of a pencil point;
12. Smudge the sand smooth;
13. Darken the tide line;
14. Draw a dark line for the foreground silhouette;
15. Draw a palm tree;
16. Darken the foreground;
Full-Color Illustration
Are you happy with your first simple pencil drawing?
Now, here’s an easy beach drawing idea using color brush markers or color pens.
1. Grab a slim permanent and start by drawing a straight horizon line using a ruler;
2. Use a coin to draw the sun’s outline;
3. To add perspective, draw a long and curved tide line that goes from close to the horizon line on one side to the lower bottom on the opposite side;
4. Draw a mountain or island by extending a wavy, curved line from the middle of the horizon line to the edge of the drawing page;
5. Draw a few short and long lines on the sea to indicate swell or waves.
6. Add a palm tree to the top – left or right – corner of the drawing. Start with a simple tree trunk and then add leaves;
7. Draw a beach umbrella on the lower – left or right – corner of the drawing paper;
8. Draw a simple beach chair and then a ball or towel by the side;
9. Draw a sailboat in the distance;
10. Trace with a marker and color the beach scene;
