This is a free how-to-draw worksheet and art lesson for drawing a picture of a watermill.
WATERMILLS
Watermills are a nostalgic thing of a past time. The river moves the wheel and causes the mill to turn inside the building. You do not see them very often except where they have been preserved as a historical site. Often the buildings are old and wooden and maybe a little rundown, so if your drawing has problems with straight lines or getting the perspective correct it is ok because it is telling the story of an old watermill.
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PRINTING
The image file below is a JPEG and should print on most devices without problems. If you run into trouble making it print see the HOW TO PRINT tab for some suggestions. I have put a link below to a file that is upgraded to PDF which should work if you have problems.
THIS WORKSHEET
This worksheet took about a week to create I started with inspiration from a calendar and sketched it a few times adding elements and taking elements out of the picture. It takes several drafts of a picture to get the ideas and composition right, so do not get discouraged if your picture does not turn out perfect on the first try, just tell yourself it is a rough draft that you can use for reference when you do the next and final drawing.
PRINT THE WORKSHEET
If you have trouble making the worksheet below print or are printing on A-4 sized paper then CLICK HERE to visit my how-to-print page for some suggestions.
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| Free How to Draw the Watermill by the Pond Worksheet and Art Lesson |
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Below is a link that has been upgraded to PDF format that may work better on some devices.
CLICK HERE for the file in PDF.
PROJECT NOTES.
Start by drawing lightly so you can erase later.
Normally, when you begin be sure to NOT put the point of interest in the exact center because that is boring.
However, this is not a normal landscape but like a portrait of the watermill so it is excusable to center the structure.
The horizon where the sky meets the treetops. it is high up in the picture. Just draw it like a wavey line at first, you will come back to it later.
Use basic shapes to outline the watermill. If you have problems drawing the wheel use the lid from a jar and trace around it. (it is not cheating it is using a tool).
Use more basic shapes to add details like windows.
Outline rows of trees in the background. Give them some interest and random shapes so they do not look like rows of broccoli.
Outline the shrubbery around the pond They are half circles one behind the other. Outline the fence in the foreground. It is basically a bunch of long rectangles but make them crooked so it looks old. Our fence is not solid but has an opening so the viewer won't feel there is something keeping them out of the picture.
What makes this an interesting picture is all the different textures. As you are adding the details keep focusing on the textures.
The roof has rows of shingles. Draw some light guidelines across so they stay even. Draw the singles at the same angle as the angle of the roof. Do not draw every single one, Make them random and interesting.
The sides of the buildings have wood planks but the planks on the one building are verticle and on the other horizontal. Draw guidelines first and then go back and give them a rough look. There is a stone foundation that has a texture of lots of short lines at right angles.
Add the texture of the leaves. The shrubs in the foreground have larger leaves shown as dashes or fat squiggles, in the middle ground as thinner dashes, and in the distance as dots. The leaves around the fence are shaped like the letter "V." Some leaves point one way and some another.
Take your time as you give the leafy textures and the wood a rough look.
The far trees are lighter use smaller textures and lighter touches. The trees close by are darker so use a darker texture and a heavier touch.
Use only a few wavey lines for the water. Don't overdo the water so it stays shiny.
Add shadows, but do not overdo it. Keep the shadows all on one side since the sun is on the other.
Happy sketching!
(c) Adron 2/5/21
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