Macrophotographs of marijuana from photographer Erik Christiansen


How to draw a cannabis leaf: The basics

Step 1.

Start drawing with a vertical line.

How to draw hemp

Step 2

Divide it in half, then divide the top half into two more equal parts.

How to draw hemp

Step 3

Along the top mark, draw a horizontal line.

How to draw hemp

Step 4

From the bottom end of the vertical line, draw two lines at a 30° angle to the right and left, connecting them to the top horizontal line.

How to draw hemp

Drawing Tools

Drawing a hemp leaf can be created with one simple pencil, which is the basic imaging tool. You can also take several shades of green paint or a green colored pencil for coloring.

Crayon leaf drawing in pencil step by step

An eraser is effectively used to remove excess pencil marks on the drawing. As the cloth itself, on which the drawing will be created, you can use paper from a drawing album, drawing sheet or watercolor sheet.

A simple pencil

The pencil is a basic artist's tool that appeared in the 16th century. It was first mentioned in a manuscript work by the Swiss scholar K. Geisler. Around the same time a deposit of graphite was discovered on English soil. This material was sawn into pencil rods. However, they had two serious drawbacks: fingers quickly became dirty when using them and the rods broke.

For convenience they began to wrap the whole length with tape. As a pencil was being written off the band was gradually unwound. This was not the end of pencil improvement. In the middle of the 18th century, C. Faber invented a way to strengthen graphite by mixing its powder with antimony and resin. The result was a thick mass from which stronger graphite rods could be cast.

Czech scientist I. Hartmut at the end of the 18th century began to make cores from a mixture of graphite and clay. This mixture was fired in the fire before use. That is how graphite rods were made, which are almost completely similar to modern rods in their composition and production method. By varying the amount of clay added, cores of different hardness and softness could be produced.

Around the same time the Frenchman N. Contier began to glue rods into wooden cases. By the beginning of XIX century in many European countries large-scale production of pencils began. As a result a pencil became a perfect instrument. The drawings made with it have a slightly gray tone, with a slight shine, they lack an intense blackness.

Today there are plain pencils, colored pencils, and copying pencils. All of them are divided into several categories of hardness. Each category is designated by a letter and a number.

In foreign countries the letter "H" is used to denote pencil hardness, and softness is denoted by the letter "B". In our country Russian letters are used for similar marking: T - hardness and M - softness. The letter is usually accompanied by a number from 2 to 9. It means hardness or softness degree. The softest pencil is the one that has the form - "9B".

Hemp leaf drawing in pencil step by step

If the letter is the same and the figure is less then it means less soft pencil. For example, a "5B" tool is less soft than a "7B" tool. In this case, the first degree of softness is usually just marked with a separate letter "B", i.e. without unit. The same is true of hardness. Only in this case, the letter "H" is used instead of "B". Accordingly, if the graphite of the pencil is very hard, it will be marked "9B". If it is less hard, the number decreases.

For example, a pencil marked "6B" is harder than a pencil marked "4B". Differences in hardness and softness are very important to the artist. For academic drawings, medium soft pencils of B or HB are used. Then, gradually, the transition is made to softer tools - 2B, 3B.

In order not to make a mistake with the choice of a pencil for drawing, it is necessary to take into account the quality of the paper on which the drawing will be performed. Also, much depends directly on the creative goal that the artist has set for himself.

For example:

  • Quick sketches are most convenient to do with a soft graphite rod;
  • If you're making a long drawing on a piece of stationery, it's best to use pencils marked "H" or "HB" to start with;
  • if the surface of the paper is smooth, it is best to leave traces of a soft graphite rod on it;
  • for rough paper a pencil of medium softness will do: for example, 2B.

Colored pencils

Color pencils are made in the same way as plain pencils. Only here pigment is used which is mixed with clay filler and binder. To ensure smooth gliding, wax is also added to the mixture. Colored pencils can be purchased in a variety of colors and shapes.

They can be:

  • standard;
  • Water soluble;
  • thick;
  • thin;
  • hard;
  • soft.

Hemp leaf drawing in pencil step by step

Some of them leave sharp lines, others are softer. You can apply several colors to the same area of the surface at once to get different shades.

An unexpected effect can be achieved by using the same color group of these writing tools if you apply them in different sequences. The true artist will certainly conduct many creative experiments in order to find out what is the best order to create a particular tone.

Drawing charcoal

The analogue of a pencil is charcoal, designed for drawing. It lays well on any paper and is easy to remove from it. Charcoal is great for creating independent drawings. It can even be applied to a rough oil ground. You can make charcoal drawings yourself by using a tall jar for firing the rods. The rods are placed in it and covered with dry sand. The jar is closed with a lid, and then covered with clay.

Hemp leaf drawing in pencil step by step

A small hole is made in the lid. The best temperature for firing is a little less than 300oC. The duration of the firing process itself is about 4 hours. The smoke that comes out of the hole left behind determines when the firing should be finished. After this process, the jar should cool for 24 hours. Once it has cooled, the clay coating can be carefully removed and the sand removed.

Pastel

A hemp leaf (a pencil drawing can be black and white or colored) in color can be drawn with pastels. These are soft pencils of delicate colors and shades.

In their composition are present:

  • pressed pigments;
  • chalk;
  • kaolin;
  • white soot.

Hemp leaf drawing in pencil step by step

Distinctive features of pastels are matte and velvety colors.

Eraser

If it is necessary to remove a pencil mark left on the paper, an eraser will be required. These tools are also divided into several varieties, depending on what substances they contain. According to the basic classification, erasers are soft and hard. However, this does not mean that the soft one is required to remove marks left by the graphite of a soft pencil and the hard one by a hard pencil.

In fact, all soft erasers are designed to remove pencil lines, regardless of the softness or hardness of the latter. Not without reason such erasers are otherwise called pencil erasers. Hard erasers are for removing traces of ink. You should buy them if you are planning to draw with fountain pens. The role of filler in the manufacture of hard erasers is ground glass. In the case of a soft eraser it is crushed marble powder.

Hemp leaf drawing in pencil step by step

Also in soft erasers the role of filler is played by a special substance - factis. This is the name of the vegetable oil, which has been treated with sulfur. Before erasers were invented, traces of writing tools on paper were removed with bread. If for some reason it was not possible to prepare the eraser for the upcoming creative work, you can take this into account.

In general, pencil erasers are best suited for scrubbing drawings made with soft pencils 5B and 6B. If, however, graphite rods of other softness or hardness are used, it is better to use medium soft erasers.

Drawing a finishing contour and adding details

Step 1

Work on each petal in turn. On both sides of the central core we draw short, upward-facing lines that will be the veins. The result should be a pattern that looks like a fish skeleton.

Step 2

Connect the top ends of these lines and we have a finished leaf.

Step 3.

Continue drawing the cannabis leaf and do the same with the rest of the petals. Having finished with the leaf, finish drawing the stem.

Marijuana (32 pics)

Marijuana

1. Sunset Junction medical marijuana distribution center manager Tim Blakely shows marijuana sprouts May 11 in Los Angeles. The pharmacy was one of 25 plaintiffs in a case against the city of Los Angeles who fought to keep them open after city officials announced 439 marijuana dispensaries had to close. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Marijuana
2. Gardener Eli Rodriguez of the Teamsters union cuts down dead marijuana sprouts at Marjyn Investments' garden in Oakland, California, Sept. 20. The Teamsters organization added nearly 40 new members when it organized the first group of united marijuana gardeners. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Marijuana
3. A smoker rolls a joint on "hippie hill" in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on April 20. April 20 has become unofficial marijuana day, and in many parts of the U.S. marijuana enthusiasts have begun to gather in groups. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Marijuana

4. A man smokes at a demonstration for the legalization of marijuana in Mexico City Sept. 5. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Marijuana

5. Between 12,000 and 15,000 people release smoke at the same time at a 4:20 p.m. rally outside the University of Colorado in Boulder on April 20. (REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell)

Marijuana
6. A man holds a home-grown "bump" in Portland, Maine, Oct. 22. On July 9, 2010, pharmacies that sell marijuana for medical purposes were given the green light. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Marijuana
7. Marissa Dodd (left), a marijuana saleswoman, packs product at Dr. Reefer's Pharmacy April 20 in Boulder, Colo. Colorado is one of 14 states that are considering legalizing marijuana, and there has been a boom in the establishment of dispensaries where it is sold. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Marijuana
8. A customer enters a Sunset Junction pharmacy on May 11 in Los Angeles. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Marijuana
9. Police and firefighters inspect the scene of a firebomb explosion at a Montana Therapeutics marijuana dispensary May 10 in Billings, Montana. The fire was quickly extinguished and police launched an investigation. On Sept. 28, 2010, the city council extended its moratorium on new marijuana dispensaries. The city issued more than 80 licenses for existing outlets. (AP Photo/Billings Gazette, Billings Gazette)

Marijuana

10. Aspen police arrested a man in the lobby of a marijuana expo hotel April 18 in Aspen, Colorado. The man was apprehended by hotel security after seeing him carrying a large vessel of marijuana from the exhibit into the basement. Police then discovered that the man did not have a marijuana license and that he also had with him a brass knuckle, the carrying of which is illegal in Colorado. The marijuana was confiscated and destroyed. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Marijuana
11. A soldier plucks marijuana at an illegal plantation in the Sierra de Juarez in Tecate, northern Mexico, Sept. 21. Authorities discovered three illegal marijuana plantations Sept. 20 during an aerial patrol. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

Marijuana
12. A soldier stands over an altar camp during a marijuana eradication operation in the Sierra de Juarez in Ensenada, Mexico, Sept. 30. According to General Alfonso Duarte Mujica, soldiers destroyed 72 hectares of marijuana in Baja California in 2010. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

Marijuana
13. A police officer with two of the 14 wild bears that guarded illegal marijuana plantations after a July 30 raid on private property near Lake Christina, British Columbia. The bears were given dog food to deter thieves. However, feeding wild animals is illegal in Canada, and after the raid, authorities said the bears could be killed because they could be dangerous when they run out of food. This prompted thousands of people to sign petitions and join a Facebook group to save the bears. On August 31, authorities in British Columbia "pardoned" two dozen bears. (AFP/Getty Images)

Marijuana
14. A Mexican soldier arranges blocks of marijuana weighing a total of 46 tons before burning them at a military base in the border city of Tijuana on May 11. (REUTERS/Jorge Duenes)

Marijuana
15. A soldier walks through a cloud of smoke from burning marijuana at an illegal plantation in the Sierra de Juarez in Mexico Sept. 21. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

Marijuana
16. The corpse of a drug trafficker among branches after an operation by Mexican soldiers on a ranch near the town of Sabinas Hidalgo, 100 kilometers from Monterrey, Mexico, April 27. Soldiers freed 16 people, including a woman and her son, during an operation on a ranch occupied by mercenaries. The soldiers also confiscated machine guns, ammunition, four trucks and about 2 tons of marijuana. Two mercenaries were killed during the shootout. (REUTERS/Tomas Bravo)

Marijuana
17. A boy with no name, rescued from domestic violence, rests in a crib at a branch of the family center in Ciudad Juárez on Aug. 16. Neither the Mexican government nor various independent groups that study organized crime can keep track of the number of children dubbed "drug orphans" who have lost one or more parents to drug abuse. Social workers worry about the tens of thousands of children who grow up with permanent emotional trauma. The inscription on the cradle reads, "A boy without a name named Solis. (REUTERS/Claudia Daut)

Marijuana
18. Mexican soldiers stand in rows during the burning of 46 tons of marijuana at a military base in Tijuana on May 11. (REUTERS/Jorge Duenes)

Marijuana
19. Cpl. Jake Hoag interrogates a farmer who grows marijuana for a living while on patrol near Base Zeerbrügge Oct. 10 near Kayaki, Afghanistan . (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Marijuana
20. Len Goodman poses among marijuana plants near Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 15. He is one of 11 gardeners the state of New Mexico has allowed to produce marijuana for all 2,000 officially registered patients in need of medical marijuana. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Marijuana
21. Abundant Healing store vice president Drew Brown (left) holds out a check to one of his marijuana suppliers April 19 in Fort Collins, Colo. "Abundant Healing is one of many legal dispensaries in Colorado that sells marijuana to patients who have a doctor's special permit. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Marijuana
22. Douglas Hiatt speaks emotionally about the campaign to legalize marijuana on July 1 in Seattle, Washington. Hiatt is one of the leaders of the campaign. He says the campaign failed because 40-50,000 people signed the petition instead of the 241,000 needed. Document 1068 could have removed all penalties for possession, cultivation and sale of marijuana. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Marijuana
23. A police officer guards a marijuana destruction site in Panama City on Oct. 8. About 4.7 tons of cocaine, marijuana and heroin seized by police during various operations over the past month have been burned. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

Marijuana
24. A man smokes marijuana in a pipe during International Marijuana Legalization Day in Medellin, Colombia, May 8. (RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Marijuana
25. Medical marijuana is dried in Los Angeles on June 1. About 440 pharmacies selling medical marijuana were ordered to close June 7, 2010, nearly five months after authorities voted to close them. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

Marijuana
26. Dani Greene holds bags containing 1 gram each of medical marijuana. The photo was taken at a health center in Oakland, California, on Aug. 3, where until recently a program was operating that gave nearly 600 unemployed patients these sachets. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Marijuana
27. A marijuana collection in Davenport, Calif. on Oct. 12. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Marijuana
28. Nicholas Pooch smokes marijuana with a glass pipe May 21 at his store in Matlock, Wash. Pooch is allowed to use marijuana, but it became an issue during the determination of custody of his two sons, for whom he is fighting with his ex-wife. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Marijuana
29. Tim Blakely demonstrates marijuana through a magnifying glass reflecting overhead lights at a pharmacy in Los Angeles on May 11. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Marijuana
30. Crystal Hess speaks at a press conference about the launch of a new women's marijuana movement in Denver, Colorado, May 6. Many mothers ignore alcohol prohibition, and now marijuana legalization activists are trying to help mothers by arguing that medical marijuana is much safer than alcohol. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Marijuana
31. Lindsay Bradshaw, who is missing his spleen, kidney and parts of his stomach, intestines and pancreas, tries to escape the pain in several ways. He eats through a tube adapted to his pouch (left) and spends almost all of his time at home, where he has quick access to painkillers. The photo was taken July 21. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Jamie Francis)

Marijuana
32. Marijuana plants are piled up before being burned by soldiers in Sierra de Juarez, Ensenada, Mexico, Sept. 30. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

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