Directed Drawing Apple Worksheet: Step-by-Step Guide

Object Drawing Lessons

Directed drawing breaks a picture into small, ordered steps so each mark is easy to place and check. This guide teaches you to draw an apple in six labeled boxes, then repeat the sequence on a blank practice row. You will use a simple convention: the apple body is a rounded shape wider at the top than the bottom, the stem sits in a small dip, and one leaf points outward. Letter styles and exact curves vary, so the rubric accepts any apple that follows the sequence and proportions. All measurements are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and pencil before starting.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Setting Up Your Step Boxes

Divide your paper into six equal boxes in two rows of three. A consistent hypothetical layout: on paper 21 cm wide and 18 cm tall, use 1 cm margins and 0.5 cm gaps between boxes. Three boxes 6 cm wide fit across (1 + 6 + 0.5 + 6 + 0.5 + 6 + 1 = 21 cm), and two boxes 7 cm tall fit down the page (1 + 7 + 0.5 + 7 + 1 = 16.5 cm, within 18 cm). Label them 1 to 6 in reading order. Keep a pencil, eraser, and a colored pencil if you want to add a single red or green tone after the outline is complete.

Place a small dot at the center of each box before drawing. This dot is a guide, not part of the apple. It helps you keep the apple the same size in every box so the sequence is easy to compare.

1. Measure your paper and mark six boxes with a ruler; label them 1 through 6.
2. Place a center dot in each box using light pencil pressure.
3. Keep the finished reference apple visible beside box 6 for self-checking.

The Six Directed Steps

Each step adds one simple shape. Draw lightly so you can erase a guide dot or adjust a curve without smudging. The apple body is not a perfect circle: it is slightly wider near the top and narrows toward the base, with a small dip where the stem enters.

Step 1: draw a wide, shallow curve like a smile for the top of the apple. Step 2: add two short side curves that slope outward and down from the ends of the top curve. Step 3: close the bottom with a rounded curve that is narrower than the top. Step 4: draw a short stem rising from the center dip. Step 5: add one leaf attached to the stem, pointing to the right. Step 6: erase the center dot and add a small highlight curve on the upper left of the body.

1. Box 1: draw the top curve, a shallow smile about 4 cm wide (hypothetical; about two-thirds of a 6 cm box).
2. Box 2: add two side curves sloping outward and down from the top curve ends.
3. Box 3: close the bottom with a narrower rounded curve.
4. Box 4: draw a short stem from the center dip, about 1 cm long.
5. Box 5: attach one leaf to the stem, pointing right.
6. Box 6: erase the guide dot and add a small highlight curve on the upper left.

Practice Row and Self-Check

Below the six boxes, draw a blank practice row of three empty boxes. Repeat the six-step sequence in each box without looking at the previous box until you finish. Then compare your practice apples to the finished reference and to the rubric.

Check three things: the top curve is wider than the bottom curve, the stem sits in the center dip, and the leaf attaches to the stem rather than floating. If a curve is too narrow, erase and redraw that single step rather than starting over.

1. Draw three empty practice boxes below the sequence.
2. Repeat steps 1 through 6 in each practice box from memory.
3. Compare each practice apple to the reference and rubric, then fix one step at a time.

Adding Tone Without Shading Practice

This task is directed drawing, not shading practice. If you want color, use one flat colored pencil layer inside the outline after all six steps are complete. Do not add cross-contour lines or blended shading; keep the focus on the sequenced outline and proportions.

A single highlight curve in box 6 is enough to suggest the apple's roundness. Keep it short and place it on the upper left, opposite the leaf, so the drawing stays balanced.

1. Finish all six outline steps before adding any color.
2. Apply one flat color layer inside the outline if desired.
3. Keep the highlight curve short and on the upper left.

Worked example

Draw an apple in six labeled boxes using the directed steps, then check it against the rubric.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Drawing the apple body as a perfect circle. Make the top curve wider than the bottom curve and add a small center dip for the stem.
• Letting the leaf float away from the stem. Attach the leaf base directly to the stem line, then curve the leaf outward.
• Skipping the center dot and drawing the apple too large for the box. Place the dot first and keep the widest part of the apple about two-thirds of the box width (about 4 cm in a 6 cm box).
• Erasing the whole apple when one curve is off. Erase only the incorrect step and redraw that single curve using the guide dot.

Self-check rubric

• All six steps appear in order in labeled boxes.
• The apple body is wider at the top than at the bottom.
• The stem sits in a small center dip.
• The leaf attaches to the stem and points outward.
• The guide dot is erased and the outline is clear.
• Valid alternatives: different curve shapes, leaf angles, or a single flat color layer are accepted.

Questions and answers