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how to draw a flame

How to draw a flame - a free flame drawing guide
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Draw a colorful flame with pencil and markers, learning shapes, layering, shading, and blending to create glowing fire effects. Practice steady strokes.

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Photos of colorful flame drawings

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Step-by-step guide to draw a colorful flame

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How to Draw Flames Step by Step Easy for Beginners/Kids - Simple Flame Drawing Tutorial

What you need
Colouring materials (coloured pencils or crayons), eraser, markers, paper, pencil, scrap paper

Step 1

Gather your materials and sit at a clear flat workspace.

Step 2

Place your paper vertically so the flame will look tall and natural.

Step 3

Practice steady short flicking strokes on the scrap paper for one to two minutes.

Step 4

Lightly draw a large teardrop shape on the paper with your pencil for the outer flame.

Step 5

Draw two smaller teardrop tongues inside the outer shape so they sit nested toward the tip.

Step 6

Add a few small flicks and points at the top edges to make sharp flame tips.

Step 7

Choose three to five colours and lay them out from lightest to darkest on the scrap paper.

Step 8

Colour the very centre of the flame with the lightest colour using small steady strokes.

Step 9

Leave a tiny white dot at the very centre by not colouring that spot to act as a bright highlight.

Step 10

Apply the next darker colour around the light centre with short overlapping strokes to blend the edge.

Step 11

Put the darkest colour along the outer edge and on the tip flicks with quick flicking strokes to create contrast.

Step 12

Use your pencil to add gentle soft shading where colours meet using light back-and-forth strokes to smooth transitions.

Step 13

Share a photo of your finished glowing flame on DIY.org.

Final steps

You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!

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Help!?

What can I use if I don't have the colored pencils or the exact 'three to five colours' called for in the instructions?

Use crayons, markers, or watered-down watercolor paints arranged lightest to darkest on your scrap paper and follow the same short flicking strokes and tiny white highlight step.

My flicking strokes look messy and the colours aren't blending—what troubleshooting steps should I try?

Practice the steady short flicking strokes on scrap paper for another minute, apply the next darker colour with short overlapping strokes, and smooth joins with the pencil's light back-and-forth shading as instructed.

How can I adapt this activity for a preschooler versus an older child or teen?

For younger kids simplify by drawing one large teardrop and letting them fill it with one or two colours using crayons, while older kids can add the two nested teardrop tongues, extra sharp flicked tips, and refined pencil shading from the steps.

What are easy ways to enhance or personalize the finished flame before sharing it on DIY.org?

Add a dark background wash behind the vertically placed paper to boost glow contrast, include extra tiny white highlights with a gel pen, and sign and date the corner before photographing.

Watch videos on how to draw a colorful flame

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How to Draw Fire 🔥 | Easy Flame Drawing Tutorial for Beginners

4 Videos

Facts about drawing techniques and color blending

✏️ Pencil grades matter: H pencils make lighter lines while B pencils are softer and darker for rich shading.

🔥 A flame's color can tell its temperature — blue flames are usually hotter than yellow or orange ones.

🖊️ Alcohol-based markers blend smoothly by layering colors, so testing combos on scrap paper helps avoid surprises.

🎨 Artists often draw a bright white or yellow core and then add orange and red layers to make a flame look like it's glowing.

💪 Steady, confident strokes give cleaner flame shapes — practice slow, relaxed lines and short controlled motions.

How do I draw a colorful flame step-by-step with pencil and markers?

Start by lightly sketching the flame’s outer shape with a pencil—use teardrop and wavy curves. Add inner flame layers (smaller teardrops) to show depth. Block main colors: yellows in the center, oranges mid, reds outer. Use colored pencils for shading and markers for bold areas. Layer colors, blend edges with a blender pencil or light marker strokes, add highlights with a white gel pen, and finish with steady, confident strokes.

What materials do I need to draw a colorful flame with pencils and markers?

You’ll need a sharp HB pencil and eraser for sketching; colored pencils (yellows, oranges, reds, and blending tones); alcohol or water-based markers for saturated color; a colorless blender or blending stump; white gel pen for highlights; marker-friendly heavyweight paper (90–150gsm or marker paper); fine-liner for optional outlines; a ruler and scrap paper. Optional: pastel or watercolor crayons for glow effects and masking tape to secure your paper.

What ages is this flame drawing activity suitable for?

Suitable for ages 6 and up. Younger children (ages 4–6) can practice simple teardrop shapes and basic coloring with supervision and washable markers. Ages 7–11 can learn layering, basic shading, and controlled marker strokes. Tweens and teens can work on blending techniques, color choices, and realistic glow effects. Match complexity to a child's fine motor skills and supervise use of alcohol markers or sharp tools.

What are the benefits, variations, and safety tips for drawing colorful flames?

Benefits: drawing flames builds shape recognition, hand–eye coordination, layering skills, and color blending. It teaches patience and steady strokes, improving fine motor control. Variations: try neon markers for a glowing look, add a dark background for contrast, or use watercolors for softer blends. Safety tip: use washable markers with young kids and ventilate when using alcohol markers. Encourage experimentation and praise effort over perfection.
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how to draw a flame. Activities for Kids.