This is a quick six-step tutorial on how to draw a cactus. Now I’ve seen a lot of pixel art / Pokemon fans on the internet, and a lot of their fan art is kind of cool, but I’ve seen some terrible cacti.

This is not how you draw a cactus:

I will show you six steps on how to draw a better cactus like this:











Step 1: Start With Your Main Color

Cactuses or Cacti is green. That will be our main color.

Step 2: Add Your First Shade

Figure out where your light source will be. In this example, the light source is at the top. The shading will be drawn at the bottom. The first shade will be the darkest part of our cactus. Draw this shading on the bottom of the arms and a few lines on the trunk.

Step 3: Add Your Second Shade

The second shade will be a slightly lighter color than the first. Draw the second shading on the ribs of the cactus.

Step 4: Add Your First Highlights

The first highlights should also be on the ribs. Since the light source is at the top, the highlights should also be drawn on the crown.

Step 5: Add Your Second Highlights

The second highlights should be brighter than the first. Draw this on the crown overlapping some, if not all of the first highlights. In some cases, you may decide that it looks better to draw over your previous shades or highlights.

Step 6: Add The Pixeled Prickles

Don’t pick white. I’ve seen other artists do that too. We are not drawing a Christmas cactus here. Choose a color that is a greenish gray, but try not to pick a color that’s too bright.











Just for fun, I made a small GIF, showing each step:



via GIPHY

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