Plants · Free in the app
How to Draw a Pine Tree
An easy step-by-step drawing for kids and beginners: 8 steps, about 2 minutes, on paper.
- 8steps
- 2 minabout
- Colorat the end
Quick answer
Draw a pine tree in 8 steps: draw the top layer, draw the middle layer, draw the bottom layer, then carry on one line at a time and color it in. It takes about 2 minutes with a pencil or a pen.
- Steps: 8
- Time: about 2 minutes
- You need: paper, a pencil or a pen, something to color with
- From: the Plants path in Paper Coach
This pine tree is built from three triangles stacked on top of each other, each one wider than the last, on a small box trunk. If you can draw a slanted line, you can draw this tree. Coloring each layer a different green makes it look full and layered, like a real tree.
Step by step
Draw it in 8 steps
Each picture shows the lines so far: the faded ones are done, the dark ones are this step’s.
1Draw the top layer
The tip of the pine is a small triangle. Slant down to the left, down to the right, then join them.
2Draw the middle layer
Now a wider layer. Start on the flat line, a little way in, and slant out both ways. Close it underneath.
3Draw the bottom layer
One more layer, the widest of all. It hangs from the line above, the same way.
4Draw the trunk
The trunk is a short box under the middle. Two lines down and one across.
5Color the top layer
Color the top layer light green.
6Color the middle layer
Color the middle layer green.
7Color the bottom layer
Make the bottom layer dark green.
8Color the trunk
Color the trunk brown.
Tips
Draw a pine tree well
Tips for drawing a pine tree
- Keep the top triangle small, about the size of a thumbnail. Small at the top leaves room for the wider layers below.
- Make each layer clearly wider than the one above it. The bottom triangle should stick out past the middle one on both sides.
- Begin each new layer a little in from the corners of the flat line above, so the layers overlap and the tree looks connected.
- Draw the trunk right under the center of the bottom layer. Keep it narrow, about as wide as the top triangle's base.
- Color from light at the top to dark at the bottom. That change in green makes the layers easy to tell apart.
Common mistakes
- All three triangles come out the same width, so the tree looks like a tall stack instead of a cone. Let each layer slant out farther than the last. The bottom layer should be the widest part of the whole tree.
- The trunk is drawn too tall or too wide, and the tree looks like it is standing on a post. Keep the trunk short, about half the height of the top triangle, and narrow enough to sit well inside the bottom layer.
- The layers float apart with gaps between them. Start each new layer right on the flat bottom line of the one above, so the slanted lines touch it.
Make it your own
- Draw a small forest by making three or four pines side by side, some taller and some shorter.
- Add a fourth layer at the bottom, even wider, for a tall grown-up pine.
- Try coloring all three layers the same dark green for a darker tree, keeping the trunk brown.
- Draw a tiny pine next to a big one, using the same three triangles at half the size.
Done
Your finished pine tree
Color it in as you like: the colors here are only a start.
Print it
All the steps on one page
Save it, pin it or print it, and draw from the paper.
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Good to know
How do I make the triangles look even on both sides?
Put a light dot where the tip goes, right above the middle of the trunk. Slant both lines down from that dot, making them end at the same height.
Why does each layer start a little way in instead of at the corners?
Starting in from the corners makes the new layer tuck under the one above. The layers overlap like branches, so the tree looks like one piece.
How can I tell the three green layers apart?
Use light green on top, regular green in the middle and dark green on the bottom. The steady change from light to dark keeps each layer separate.
Is this a good first tree for a young child?
Yes. It uses only straight slanted lines and a small box. A child can draw one triangle while a parent draws the next, then trade.
How long does it take to draw a pine tree?
About 2 minutes for the lines, and a few more to color it in.
Can kids follow this guide?
Yes, children from about six can follow it on their own, and younger ones with a grown-up beside them.
What do I need?
Paper and a pencil or a pen, and crayons, markers or colored pencils for the colors. An eraser helps but isn’t needed.
Updated 2026-10-27
Draw it with Lina
Paper Coach shows each line of a pine tree being drawn, then waits while you draw it. This lesson is one of the free ones. 10 lessons on the Plants path, and more on every path.
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