How to Draw an Onion
Ready to draw something culinary? If so, let’s get started with this tutorial on how to draw an onion using two simple methods.
How to Draw an Onion : Introduction
Just like apples, grapes, and other well-known fruits and vegetables, the onion is a frequent subject in many still lifes. The onion, like all other elements of this genre, carries its own symbolic meaning that the artist conveys when creating a still life.
But today we won’t go that far, instead, we will simply learn how to draw an onion using the most basic and straightforward methods, while at the same time gaining a deep and detailed understanding of how to draw this vegetable and remembering the process for good.
As always, for a more in-depth look at the topic, I’ve supplemented this tutorial with additional onion drawing instructions at the end of the article, where I show a completely different onion drawn in a completely different style.
Onion Drawing Tutorial
Materials
- Pencil
- Paper
- Eraser
- Coloring supplies
Time needed: 25 minutes
How to Draw an Onion
- Outline the onion body.
Sketch a circle or oval. This oval will represent the bulb of the onion. This base oval doesn’t have to be perfectly symmetrical, since real onions have slight irregularities. To make this shape smooth and polished, sketch it using very light lines first, then make the outlines darker.
- Draw the onion neck lines.
Now sketch two lines that slope upward from the oval, narrowing as they move toward the center. This simple shape is the neck of the onion. Think about how the onion skin naturally pulls toward the top. When you draw an onion in this way, you’re convey its organic shapes.
- Illustrate the trimmed top.
At the end of the lines you added, create a short zigzag or jagged line. This represents the rough, trimmed edge where the onion leaves were cut off. Real onion tops are never perfectly cut, so a little unevenness is good. Little irregular marks like this bring an otherwise simple sketch closer to something recognizable.
- Draw the onion shoots.
From the jagged top, extend two long, curved shapes upward. These represent the onion leaves or shoots. A common mistake is making them perfectly symmetrical, but I always encourage slight variation, one leaf bending a little more than the other looks natural.
- Sketch the texture at the base.
At the bottom of the onion, sketch a few short, curved lines. These represent the bottom texture of your onion and the folds of the skin. When you illustrate these small touches, place them slightly off-center so they don’t look like stripes.
- Draw the onion roots.
Now illustrate the root fibers at the very bottom with small vertical strokes. Keep them short and uneven, almost like little bristles. Try drawing a few onions side by side with varied root lengths as practice. This habit helps train you to sketch such organic objects with confidence.
- Add texture lines on the bulb.
Lightly draw long, vertical curved lines running from the top to the bottom of the onion. These show the texture of the onion skin. Keep them slightly uneven in spacing and length. These lines should convey form, not dominate it. They follow the roundness of the onion.
- Smooth the vegetable sketch.
Go over your onion sketch and refine the lines you want to keep. Erase any unnecessary guides or unnecessary marks and strokes. Make the edges smooth but don’t erase all irregularities, real onions always have slight bumps or uneven surfaces.
- Shade the bulb, roots, and leaves.
Shade the bulb of the onion in a soft beige or light brown tone, while keeping the sprouting leaves a rich green. You can add darker brown near the base where the roots are, and lighter highlights on the round surface to create shine.
Additional Content
For those times when you can’t be online, I’ve made a special, free PDF file of our onion drawing lesson. It’s short and to the point, with all the steps you need to sketch a perfect onion.
You can download it to any device or print it out for your art book, and use it whenever you like, even if you’re offline. So don’t let the lack of internet stop you from drawing and training your art skills!
Easy Onion Drawing Tutorial
Another useful variation to practice is this simple onion drawing. Unlike more detailed versions, this guide shows the basic rounded form of the onion and its characteristic surface lines. The shape is kept easy, with only most important details like the stem and roots included.
Illustrate a smooth oval shape for the base of the onion. Add a small, uneven extension at the top to represent the stem, keeping the outline slightly irregular so it looks natural. Sketch the roots at the bottom with short jagged lines.
From the top to the bottom, add several long, curved lines across the body of the onion. Let them follow the contour of the form, as this helps create volume. Trace the main lines neatly, erasing any construction marks. When coloring, use a light brown or beige shade for the outer skin and keep the stem slightly darker.
Conclusion
What a fantastic onion you’ve drawn! But don’t put away your art supplies just yet. There’s a whole bunch more to learn and draw on my website. If you enjoyed this, you’ll love the lesson on how to draw a cute bunny, or you can take your skills to the tropics and learn to draw a palm tree.
If you want to learn more about drawing food and cooking, be sure to check out my apple drawing tutorial, which has some similarities with this onion drawing tutorial. Also, try drawing a kitchen – a more complex and detailed object, which will also help you improve your understanding of composition.
Additionally, try my collection of food coloring pages, where your will find coloring of onions and other similar vegetables and fruits.
Make sure you follow me on social media, so you don’t miss out on any new and exciting lessons. Also, don’t forget to write your opinion about this tutorial in the comments, and tell me what of these two onion drawing tutorial you liked much.
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