6 Steps for Drawing a Four-Leaf Clover From Your Mind

6 simple steps to drawing a four-leaf clover from your imagination

Happy Spring and the first weekend of April!

I'm so glad to bring to you a video about my four-leaf clover! I felt so inspired to draw this little clover after I found three four-leaf clovers on a walk! My kids were with me, looking ardently for their four-leaf clover. I was just as surprised as them when I found one after another. I guess the four-leaf gene was alive and well in that clover patch. 😆

Here are some fun facts about clovers!

Four-leafed clovers are the result of a genetic mutation in the plant. This mutation is most common in white clovers. There are 68,475 protein-coding genes in white clovers. That's a lot of genes! This is why you will come across white clover plants that are of different colors, shapes, and colored patterns across the leaves.

While most people consider clover a weed on their lawn, it can be very beneficial to grass and the environment. The clover plant helps grass retain moisture, which means it needs less watering. Clover is also a weed suppressant, leading to less variety of other weeds popping up and decreasing the need for herbicides. Also, important bugs in our ecosystem, such as butterflies and bees, love clover! It's a key part of their survival.

I hope you enjoyed that botanical lesson. 🙃 Now for the art!

FIRST STEP

We set up our space. It was a really cold day when I sat down to draw this. I made sure to have a comfy sweater on and I lit some candles to warm up the vibe. It's little habits like candles, a warm drink, and some good music that tell my mind we're getting ready to make something. Habits are an important part of creativity. Waiting for motivation may keep you waiting for a long time. But setting up little trigger habits gets your mind in the mood for making stuff.

Making sure you have all of your gear on hand is helpful too. Nothing knocks you out of creative bliss like searching for your favorite eraser or that specific pencil that gives your strokes the right touch. Do your future self the extra favor and get all of these out before you sit down to create. You'll thank yourself!

Here's the list of supplies I used:

♦ Strathmore 140-305 Watercolor Paper - https://amzn.to/3qVYDWg

♦ Pentel Mechanical Pencil Orenz 0.2mm - https://amzn.to/3wZKTxU

♦ Staedtler 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil (925 25-05) - https://amzn.to/3DA8giP

♦ uni Kuru toga Advance Pencil, 0.5mm - https://amzn.to/3uPfXxr

♦ Tombow Mono Zero Eraser Round 2.3mm. - https://amzn.to/36URy1o ♦ Pentel Sharp Mechanical Pencil, 0.5mm - https://amzn.to/3DBgU09 ♦ Bellofy Mechanical Pencils Set - https://amzn.to/3K3I2Yp ♦ 12 PCS Blending Stumps and Paper Art Blenders - https://amzn.to/3iZBIFk

SECOND STEP

Create the outline of the clover, give the leaves a subtle ripple along the edges, decide where you're going to lay the stem, and set the composition. Don't skip this step. The last thing you want is to start blocking in leaves and realize that they're not settling right.

THIRD STEP

Block in the shadows. Now there is a huge variety of white clover. I decided to make sure that mine featured the white pattern around the middle of each leaf. You can choose if you want to make yours more muted by smoothing out the white details more with a paper stump or even making the white details more defined. It's all up to you and the look you want to give your clover.

During this step, it's really important to keep your lighting in mind. Keeping the lighting consistent is key to making your clover, or any of your art, feel more realistic and believable, that feeling when you know it's just right.

FOURTH STEP

This is the detail prep step. If you do this step, the next layer of details will pop. If you want to keep more of a rugged look to your clover, go ahead and move to step five.

Erase around the clover, cleaning up stray lines. Keep the highlights sharp and clean. We take a pencil stump and smooth out our shading. Take extra care on the stem to not over blend and shade the shadows, which will lead to a flatter stem. Keep a light touch to maintain the stems cylinder shape.

FIFTH STEP

Here we add the darker, finer details to the leaves, adding focus and depth to certain areas. The more detail you add to a certain part, the more it will be in focus. I gave a more moderate and well-rounded amount of detail to the clover with less detail and sharpness on the stem.

Lil Tip: keep your strokes moving in the general direction of the leaf and this will give it a more consistent feel.

SIXTH STEP

We're adding the under-shadow, just like it's laying there on the paper. I use a darker lead for this step, something smooth and creamy as it goes across the watercolor paper. This is where you have to recall the lighting position you chose and make sure it all lines up, keeping the shadow distance the same across the clover.

I also do a little more touchup in this phase. You can clean up the highlights or clear away any stray lines. Polish it a bit. I also smooth around the shadow with a paper stump, giving it a little blur into the paper.

At the bottom of the drawing, I decided to list the type of clover and its Latin name, as well as add my name and date. You can leave those out if you prefer just the clover. You can add them in a different direction down the side of the drawing or up top.

And that's it!

So tell me, what are some of your creative habits for getting in the zone?

Did you draw a clover? Please let me know! Head over to my Instagram, @_gepennington, and use the hashtag #drawwithge so I can see it!

And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter for monthly updates. SHOP LAUNCH COMING SOON! There will be the little clover for sale. Please be subscribed so you don't miss out!

Thank you for being here!

💛 ge

disclosure: None of the supplies used in the creation of this artwork and video are sponsored. These items were acquired through my art business. I only showcase products that I use regularly and love. The links listed are affiliate links. I'll earn a small commission from purchases made through my links. Every little bit supports my artwork and video creation but there is no obligation to use the links listed. However, it is through these means that I can continue to offer an ad-free blog. Thank you for your understanding and support!