How to Draw Badlands — Free Practice Sheets

Badlands are easier to draw when you treat them as a set of landform clues rather than a single outline. A flat-topped butte, horizontal layers, gullies running down the slopes, and stepped ridges in the foreground all signal erosion. This guide explains how to build those features in order, then how to check your drawing against a reference sheet without expecting a pixel-perfect match.

Start with the butte silhouette

Begin with the central butte because it anchors the whole scene. Draw a flat top first, then bring the sides down nearly vertically. Keep the top level rather than rounded; the flat cap is one of the strongest visual signals of a badlands landform.

Once the silhouette is in place, add horizontal lines across the butte to suggest layered strata. Space them roughly evenly, but allow slight variation so the layers look natural rather than mechanical. These lines should follow the shape of the butte, staying horizontal across the flat top and continuing down the sides.

1. Draw the flat top and vertical sides of the central butte, adding horizontal lines for layered strata.
2. Sketch radiating ridge lines down the butte's slopes to show erosion gullies.
3. Add stepped, wavy contour lines in the foreground to form terraced eroded ridges.
4. Outline the distant flat horizon lines on both sides to complete the badlands setting.

Add erosion gullies and terraced foreground

Erosion gullies are the lines that run down the slopes, spreading outward from the upper part of the butte. Draw them as radiating ridges rather than random scratches. They should fan out as they descend, which makes the slope read as worn away by water.

In the foreground, use stepped, wavy contour lines to build terraced ridges. Each step should sit slightly lower than the one behind it, creating a sense of layered ground. Keep the waves gentle and repeated so the foreground reads as eroded terrain rather than a flat plane.

1. Fan gully lines outward from the upper butte toward the base.
2. Vary gully spacing slightly to avoid a rigid pattern.
3. Build foreground terraces as stepped, wavy lines that descend toward the viewer.
4. Check that foreground lines do not cross the butte silhouette.

Finish the horizon and check proportions

Complete the setting with distant flat horizon lines on both sides of the butte. These lines should sit lower than the butte top and stay relatively straight, giving the scene depth without competing with the central form.

When comparing with a reference sheet, judge visible features and proportions rather than exact line placement. A correct drawing preserves the flat-topped butte, horizontal strata, radiating gullies, and terraced foreground ridges. Different line weights, spacing, and foreground shapes can still be valid.

1. Draw distant horizon lines on both sides, lower than the butte top.
2. Compare your drawing with the full reference sheet.
3. Check each key feature: flat top, horizontal layers, radiating gullies, stepped foreground.
4. Adjust proportions where a feature is missing or misplaced.

Check your work

• The central butte has a flat top and nearly vertical sides.
• Horizontal layered strata are visible across the butte.
• Gully lines radiate outward down the slopes.
• Foreground ridges are stepped and wavy, suggesting terraces.
• Distant horizon lines sit lower than the butte top on both sides.
• Proportions keep the butte dominant without crowding the foreground.

Worked example

badlands: Trace the reference outline, then practise the contour independently. Compare with the separate full reference sheet.

Common mistakes

• Drawing the butte top as rounded or pointed. Flatten the top and keep the sides nearly vertical so the butte reads as a capped landform.
• Making gully lines parallel instead of radiating. Fan the lines outward from the upper slope so they spread as they descend.
• Treating the foreground as a flat plane. Use stepped, wavy lines that descend toward the viewer to suggest terraced erosion.

Questions and answers