This mindful citrus drawing exercise is not about drawing natural fruit. Instead, it’s about using the relaxing power of coloring to have some creative me-time.
One of my followers asked if I could do an exercise with citrus fruit, and of course, I said ‘yes.’
I know that there are people who can draw super-realistic citrus fruit that you can’t even distinguish from the real thing. I’m not one of those people.
For me drawing is about something completely different, namely the process itself. It’s a therapeutic exercise. And that’s the way I always approach my exercises; how can I make the process as enjoyable and relaxing as possible?
So for this exercise, we’ll focus on coloring because coloring is calming. The repetitive motion of your hand and the focus you need to color within the lines can make you forget all your worries for a while. After that, it’s just you and your drawing. The rest doesn’t matter.
It’s so satisfying to add layer after layer and see your drawing getting more vibrant. So go slow and enjoy the process. There’s no need to draw realistically to have fun.
I hope you have some well-deserved creative me-time with this exercise!
Have fun with this mindful citrus drawing exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried this one; I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Watercolor paper 300gr (Fabriano), colored pencils (Faber-Castell Polychromos, Bruynzeel, Winsor & Newton), helix circle maker (not pictured), mechanical pencil (Pentel) (not pictured), washi tape.
Alternative supply suggestions:
You can use whatever material you have for this exercise, such as markers, crayons, watercolors, etc.
You don’t need a circle maker to do this exercise. Any round object will do.
Instructions:
Step 1
Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to clear your head. Then, add washi tape around the borders to create a frame around your drawing if you like.
Grab a circle maker or a round object and draw a few circles.
Step 2
Erase your pencil lines so you can only see a vague outline. Choose a color you like or that makes you feel good. Draw a small circle in the middle of your circle. This will be the center of your citrus fruit. Next, we’ll draw rounded triangles that point toward the center. They don’t need to be perfect and can differ in size. Make a circle of these triangle pieces and leave a tiny bit of space between the pieces. Then, trace the outline of your big circle with your chosen color.
Step 3
Now it’s time to color your citrus fruit. Start with the color you chose in step 2 and slowly add color to your triangle pieces. It will probably be very light initially, and that’s ok. Just enjoy coloring. Choose a slightly darker shade than your previous one and go over your first layer with this second color. Also, trace the outline of your fruit with this second one.
Now grab your first color again and add another layer to the inside of our citrus fruit. Repeat this with the second color. Keep adding layers. You can also add a third, slightly darker color to the mix. Continue adding layers until you’re satisfied with the vibrancy of your color.
Now we can add details. Draw a few wobbly lines in your triangles, representing the veins. You can even grab a white gel pen to add some accents.
Step 4
Repeat steps 1-3 for your other citrus fruit as well. But, again, go slow and enjoy the relaxing motion of your hand as you’re coloring.
Slowly remove your washi tape. Keep it parallel to your paper when you remove it to prevent tearing.
Now this mindful citrus drawing exercise is done! I hope you had fun.
If you liked this exercise, you might also like my mindful neurographic coloring exercise.