How to Draw a Lily of the Valley

Also known as "Our Lady's Tears," lily of the valley is native to Asia and Europe. It can also be found in a limited number of woodland areas in North America. This special flower is popular for it's delicate scent and it's white bell-shaped blossoms that change to red-berries.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the above lily of the valley. You can draw this flower freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in gray. Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

1. Outline the Plant

Lightly sketch three leaves using curved lines. Give the right-hand edge of two of the leaves a slightly wavy edge. Over the center leaf, lightly sketch three curved stems. Draw each stem with a slight hook at the top.

2. Sketch the Flowers

Along each stem, lightly draw five or six circles to show where the bell-like flowers will go. Attach the circles to the stems with short, hooked lines.

3. Bells and Stems

Extend the bottoms of the circles into bell shapes. Show that some of the bells are tilted toward you by drawing an oval shape at the bottom of the circle.

Finish each stem by drawing a second line next to the first line.

4. Ruffled Bells

Add veins in each leaf with two curving lines down the center. Give the flower bells ruffled edges by drawing the bottom of each bell as a scalloped line.

Add a second scalloped line to show that the petals are turning up. For the bells that are tilted toward you, draw the bottom as a circle inside a scalloped circle. Draw tiny, tear-shaped centers in the bells that are the most tilted.

5. Details and Shading

Darken the back leaf using long lines that follow the curve of the leaf. Interrupt the lines where they meet the stems and flowers.

Shade the tips, centers, and bottoms of the other two leaves using long, curving lines. Shade the sides and tops of the bells with short lines.

If your lily of the valley drawing is ready to hang, continue to the next page to learn how to draw everyone's favorite fruit. In the next section learn how to draw grapes.

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