How to Draw a Partly Open Rose — Step by Step
Draw a half-opened rose with small center folds, wrapped in a middle group of petals, broad outer petals. Draw short stem, two leaves and some shadows.
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What you’ll learn: Draw a recognizable rose. The center should be small and folded around a visible opening, the middle be a wrapping ‘cup’ shape, and the outer petals very broad. Draw it in a shallow three-quarter view, and use light from above left and slightly in front.
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Plan the rose cup and shallow turn
Add a broad rounded flower cup lightly to the page, include a small shallow opening in the upper half of the cup and draw an axis down the center of the cup to the base. Leave plenty of space below the bloom for a short stem and two leaves.
We are working with a single bloom that spans a little less than half the width of the paper, with clear margins. The central cup is larger from side to side than it is from top to bottom. The rounded upper edge of the cup has fairly even and fairly soft curves. The lower edge narrows toward a rounded base. There is more space below the center of the bloom than above it. The opening in the upper half of the cup is somewhat tilted. Make it about a third of the cup width, with roughly a quarter to two fifths also workable, and about twice as wide as it is deep. Leave room beside it for larger petals. A light axis follows the line of the center of the opening downward to the base of the cup. A loose stem guide extends down into the space below the bloom.
Why this works
Using an oval means we can see some of the interior of the rose and the cup at the bottom of the rose shows its depth. This sketch describes a rose that has been drawn from above and to the side of the flower. Remember, a very small opening in the center of the rose makes it look closed, whereas a very large opening in the center of the rose leaves no room for the large, wrapped up groups of faces that are usually found in a rose drawing. These guides are just that – they reserve space for you.
Construct the folded center
Keep the light opening and axis guides visible while drawing the folded faces in a compact group around the small open gap in the center. The rear edge of the folded faces should stop at the front face of the wrapped face.
For the center of the rose, make a short rear curve with softly changing shape and add an offset inner fold which turns down to the front. In front of those folds the broad, wrapping face of the center is drawn and a small light opening is left above it. Keep that opening visible instead of closing the center into an egg. Two to three main folds are sufficient to make up the center of the rose. The faces should taper down and the edge of the rear surface should stop when it meets the front surface of the fold. The folded groups of faces should be approximately the width of the opening guide, no wider than two fifths of the total width of the flower’s cup. Their height can approximate their width and then the rest of the flower’s cup is left below and to the sides of the center to be used by the two larger groups of faces. After drawing the folded center of the rose, the opening and axis guides are erased and any small visible line that gets touched by the eraser is repaired. The broad cup guide is left for the larger faces of the petals.
Why this works
A rose center consists of a small cluster of folded surfaces. The short rim, the downward side and the stopped edge of the surfaces all tell you that you are looking at more than just another loop of a spiral. The top gap shows you that you are viewing into the flower, and the front facing surface of the folds gives the center depth. The surfaces can all be of unequal size.
Wrap the middle petal group
Add the side petals and a bigger front petal to form a cupped flower. The petals should stay inside the cup guide. Erase the center edges that the new front face covers.
Create a curved middle rim behind one of the sides of the center, and a different curved rim on the opposite side of the center. Draw the visible sides of these rims down toward the same base of the flower cup, forming two of the side petals. Add a third petal in the form of a broad middle petal in front. This will form the main body of the flower. This should be about twice the width of the center, and occupy roughly the middle two thirds of the cup width, with a margin for the outer petals. Keep the small center opening exposed. The depth of the far rims should be less than that of the front face of the flower. Where the front petal covers up a lower edge of one of the center’s lower folds, erase that part of the earlier edge and re-draw the new edge as it meets the front petal.
Why this works
In this case, each of the middle petals of the rose are curving walls that are drawn around the original folds of the center. Each side edge of the petal will stop at the front rim of the rose, indicating which wall is nearest to the viewer. These wider folds and deeper front face will cause the original small center to take on a cupped appearance. If the ends of the rims of these middle petals appear to be pointing to another opening, then they are starting to look like the petals of a second flower.
Open a few broad outer petals
Open broad petals around the sides and front of the cup, with a short rear rim behind them. Add a small turned lip to one outer petal and erase the remaining cup guide.
Add a short petal behind the upper rims of the cup, as well as two broad side petals, one to each side, and a low front petal. All of these new faces are to be much broader than individual center folds. A side petal would roughly span the width of the entire folded center. Let the front petal extend across the lower portion of the cup and fill most of it, while still keeping the middle rims and the small center visible above it. Use soft changes in direction for the edges of the petals, rather than sharp corners. Turn the side petals inwards to the underside of the flower, and erase the lower edges of them where they are hidden by the new front face. A short curve can be added to turn one lip outwards. Join this to the rim of the right outer petal and let it fade after a short distance, before it circles the flower. Erase the cup guide and restore any visible edge caught by the eraser.
Why this works
The outer faces are wide enough to contrast with the folded center. The center, the two middle rim sides and the inside of the outer faces are all all shown. The front lower petal is wide enough to cover lower edges of the side faces in order to create smooth faces in the front view. A small turned lip is used in order to show a bend in the petals. Repeated parallel rings would make the flower look like stacked ribbons, so keep the turned lip small.
Attach the sepals, stem and leaves
Sepals: Gather a few narrow pointed ones under the flower cup. Stem: Draw a small rounded connection beneath them, then a short slender stem. Leaves: Draw two leaves of oval shape with pointed tips at the end of the stalks. Each leaf’s length is about a third to just under half the bloom’s width. Draw a main vein running down the leaf from the stalk to the tip of the leaf.
Draw several thin pointed sepals as a cluster at the base of the flower. Connect them up to a small rounded base, and then draw two closely spaced stem edges following the light stem direction guide down from the base of the flower. The length of the stem down from the flower can be slightly less than the height of the flower. Vary the height of the stalks of the two leaves. Draw the leaves so that each leaf's length is about a third to just under half the width of the bloom. Make them oval with the widest part in the middle, tapering to a point at the base and tip. Use simple edges for the leaves. Add a few subtle variations to the contours if desired. The main feature of the leaves is a single prominent vein running down the center of the leaf from the leaf stalk to the tip of the leaf. Stop any hidden stem or stalk lines at the edge of form in front of it. Once the stem and both leaves are attached, erase the stem direction guide and restore only any small visible contour touched by the eraser.
Why this works
These small sepals will form a sort of collar around the stem and explain the change from flower to stem. The leaves are stiffer and more pointed than the petals of the flower. The stalks and the main vein along the visible leaf blade will point towards the tip of the leaf. Simple edges are sufficient and some variation in contour may be used, but it should remain simple.
Shade the folds without losing them
With light from above left and slightly in front, add light and medium values to a few turning faces, add small dark fold shadows, and add a shaded panel to the face of each leaf. Make sure the opening of the flower and the light petal faces are visible.
Begin lightly on a few center faces, then work outward to the broader petals. Draw gentle pencil strokes from each rim toward its own base, keeping the opening and broad light areas pale. The front face of the rose turns away from the light towards its lower right. Start adding dark accents to the center of the rose, starting with a small dark accent just below a folded rim. Leave a light strip beside the accent. Add short shadows where a middle or outer petal covers a surface. These contact shadows should be small and local. Imagine the whole surface of the covered petal as you add strokes to follow its surface, lifting the pencil at the foreground edge rather than trying to bend around it. Add very light tone to each broad leaf face and a slightly stronger panel along its lower or rightward turn. Retain a long light band. Add a faint right side tone to the stem. Most petals and surrounding paper should remain light; a few uneven strokes can describe the same turns.
Why this works
There are many ways to show surface direction, light and overlap. A surface that is turned away from the light should show broad gentle tones, a rim covering another surface should show a small dark shadow, a concave fold will look to catch light differently from a bulging outer surface. Small darks are used to deepen the rose but lots of light are used to show the folds.
A few useful checks
- The center mass might have to be reduced a bit in order to allow the petals to cover the cup sufficiently. The center opening should be about a third of the total width of the bloom and should be placed to leave plenty of space on either side of the opening for the larger petals.
- To show the separate center folds, open up a small space above a front facing fold, and stop the rear edge where the front fold covers it.
- All your edges should point down to the same underside, and you choose one front edge at each join.
- A dark band of shadow around every petal can make a rose look stacked. Try to keep the strongest shadows short and place them close to the folds in the petals. The areas between the folds should be lighter than the areas around the folds.
Try a small change
Optional: make another small sketch of just the cup, center folds and the large outer petals. Open the flower the opposite way but still have all the groups gathered into one flower.
You have established a rose made up of connected groups of petals and used small shadows to depict depth. Use these same methods for another different edged and opened rose.
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