This simple step-by-step tutorial will show you how to draw an orange with a stem and leaf, then add the peel texture and color the finished fruit in nine clear steps.

Nine-step orange drawing tutorial showing the fruit, stem, leaf, peel texture, and colors.

Prepare to Draw an Orange

In this tutorial, you will draw a whole orange step by step. Practicing how to draw fruit will help you work with simple shapes and small natural details.

An orange is a citrus fruit with a nearly circular shape and a textured peel. Its flesh is divided into juicy sections, and some varieties contain small seeds.

Orange trees are evergreen citrus trees. Their fruit is commonly eaten fresh or used to make juice.

Orange Drawing Tutorial

Pencil
Paper
Eraser
Coloring supplies

Time needed: 25 minutes

How to draw an orange step by step

Outline the orange.
Draw a large circle to form the main outline of the orange. Leave enough room above and to the left of the fruit for the stem and leaf that you will add in the following steps.
Draw the orange stem.
At the top of the fruit, draw a short narrow stem with two slightly curved lines. Connect the lines at the upper end and place the base directly against the orange outline.
Add the base of the stem.
Sketch several short curved lines around the bottom of the stem. These small lines form the attachment point where the stem meets the peel of the citrus fruit.
Sketch the orange leaf center.
Extend two long curved lines to the left of the stem and let them meet at a pointed tip. Add a straighter line between them to mark the central vein of the leaf.
Complete the citrus leaf.
Use two curved lines to complete the outer edges of the leaf. Join them at the pointed end and connect the opposite side to the stem of the orange.
Clean up the orange sketch.
Erase the parts of the fruit outline hidden behind the leaf and stem. Remove any remaining construction marks so the orange drawing has clean, continuous contours.
Add texture to the orange peel.
Place many tiny dots near the outer edge of the fruit and scatter a few across the center. Vary the spacing slightly to suggest the natural texture of an orange peel.
Draw the veins on the leaf.
Draw several thin curved veins extending outward from the central line of the leaf. Space these short lines along each side and follow the direction of the leaf edges.
Color the orange drawing.
Color the peel light orange and fill the leaf with a muted green shade. Use a darker green for the veins and stem, leaving the narrow highlight on the stem uncolored.

Orange Drawing Printables

You can download the PDF file prepared for this tutorial. It contains a shortened version of the instructions and additional practice materials that you can print and use whenever you are ready to draw again.

Download Orange Printables

Conclusion

Now you have completed the orange drawing and added the small details that make the peel and leaf look more natural. This simple fruit is useful for practicing clean outlines and texture.

For another citrus subject, try drawing a lemon. Its basic shape is similar, but the pointed ends will give you a slightly different outline to practice.

You can also continue by drawing an apple with a stem and leaf. After that, combine several familiar shapes by sketching a fruit bowl.