How Can I Draw Windmill?

Windmills have been used for centuries as a way to harness the power of the wind. Historians believe they originated in Persia as early as the 7th century CE. Their defining feature is large “sails” attached to a main shaft. As the wind blows and turns the sails, it rotates the shaft. This rotational energy can be used for grinding grain, pumping water, or generating electricity. Windmills were an important source of power before the Industrial Revolution. The Dutch refined windmill designs and popularized their use in Europe. Today, modern wind turbines generate clean renewable energy around the world. Though obsolete for industrial use, old-fashioned windmills remain an iconic symbol and are preserved or recreated to celebrate their history.

Table of Contents

Materials Needed

To draw a windmill, you will need some basic art supplies like paper, pencils, erasers, rulers, and coloring items. Choose a heavy paper like cardstock or Bristol board so it can withstand erasing and blending. Sketch pencils like 2B or 4B will provide dark lines that are easy to see. You’ll also need kneaded and plastic erasers for fixing mistakes and improving your sketch. Metal rulers with a beveled edge can make straight lines for the windmill’s tower and base. Colored pencils, markers, or paints will allow you to add color when you’re done with the outline. Watercolors work well for landscapes, while colored pencils or markers can add detail to the windmill itself. Adjustable lamps and drawing boards help make the process easier, too. Having the right art materials before you start will make sketching a windmill much simpler.

Some good basic supplies to have on hand include (cite: https://artprojectsforkids.org/how-to-draw-a-windmill/):

Paper plate, uncoated (the super cheap kind found at your grocer or Costco)
Black Sharpie marker
Watercolor paints

Paintbrushes
Paper towels or rag

Sketch the Windmill Base

The first step in drawing a windmill is sketching out the base. This provides a foundation for the rest of the structure. Most windmill bases are square or hexagonal in shape. To start, lightly draw a four-sided square or six-sided hexagon with a pencil. Make it large enough to support the tower and sails you’ll add later. The size of the base determines the overall scale of your windmill drawing. For a small windmill, a 2-3 inch base is sufficient. For a larger detailed windmill, you may want a 4-6 inch base. Use a ruler to ensure the lines are straight and the angles meet correctly. Having an even, symmetrical base makes the rest of the windmill drawing easier. Once you’re satisfied with the shape and size of the windmill base, you can move onto constructing the tower.

Add the Windmill Tower

The next step is to draw the tall, narrow tower that the windmill cap and sails will sit upon. Begin by drawing a narrow cylinder above the circular base. Make it approximately 3-4 times taller than the base is wide. Keep the width slim and consistent from top to bottom.https://www.pinterest.com/pin/scenery-drawig–329255422765667031/ Use straight lines when outlining the cylinder shape. You can make the tower as tall as you like, just keep in mind the height will impact the overall size of your windmill drawing. The taller the tower, the larger your illustration will be.

As you sketch the tower, be sure to keep the lines straight and parallel. Having an even cylindrical shape will give your windmill a more realistic structural look. If desired, you can slightly taper or angle the top of the tower. But in general, a straight vertical tower works well for a basic windmill drawing.

Draw the Windmill Cap

The windmill cap is the cone-shaped roof that sits atop the windmill tower. To draw the cap:

Start by drawing a triangle with the base matching the width of the tower. Make sure the triangle is positioned centered above the tower.

Next, add a curved line on each lower corner of the triangle to round out the shape into a cone. The cap should taper up into a point at the top.

Draw a circle at the very top of the cone to indicate the point. Shade in the circle to make it stand out.

Erase any rough lines and darken the key lines of the cap shape. Add details like ridges around the cap if desired.

The windmill cap helps protect the inner workings while also allowing the sails to turn unimpeded. Making it a rounded cone shape sheds rainwater and allows the wind to flow smoothly over the sails.

For reference, see steps 3 and 4 in this windmill drawing tutorial: https://easydrawforkids.com/how-to-draw-a-windmill/

Add Windmill Sails

A key component of any windmill drawing are the sails. The sails are what capture the wind energy and enable the windmill to turn. Most windmills have 4 sails extending out from the cap in a cross pattern. However, some windmills can have more sails, typically ranging from 5-8 sails.

When drawing your windmill sails, first start by sketching 4 sail shapes coming out from the windmill cap. The sails should be long rectangles stretching out a good distance from the cap. Make sure to space the 4 sails evenly around the cap. You can then optionally add more sails if desired, keeping them evenly spaced.

According to Wikipedia, multiple-sailed mills with 5, 6 or 8 sails were commonly built in Great Britain [1]. So feel free to experiment with more than 4 sails if you want a more complex windmill design.

Make sure to leave the sails white initially. You can add details and shading to them later on. The key is first getting their overall shape and layout correct extending out from the windmill cap.

Add Details

To add more complexity and realism to your windmill drawing, consider drawing in details like windows, doors, and textures on materials like wood and metal. According to https://iheartcraftythings.com/windmill-drawing.html you can draw windows and a door on the windmill base. Windows can help bring life and a sense of scale to the windmill. For the door, make sure it is sized appropriately and looks functional.

You can also add wood grain texture to the windmill tower and sails to give them a more realistic, weathered look. Consider using techniques like crosshatching or controlled scribbling to indicate the texture of wood. For metal parts like the windmill cap, practice drawing the look of weathered, rusted metal.

Well-executed details like windows, doors and realistic textures will elevate your windmill drawing. The details will make the windmill seem like a functional, inhabitated structure rather than a flat, cartoonish drawing.

Incorporate Scenery

The scenery around a windmill drawing helps bring the image to life and provide context. Many classic windmill drawings incorporate grass, sky, and landscape features around the windmill. For example, grass can be drawn around the windmill’s base with patches of flowers or bushes (source). The sky often contains clouds, birds flying, or a bright sun overlooking the windmill. Gentle hills, trees, or a path leading up to the windmill can convey a peaceful pastoral landscape (source). Don’t forget to draw the windmill’s shadow on the grass. With simple scenery elements like grass, sky, and landscape, you can create charming windmill drawings with character and place the windmill in its natural environment.

Add Shading

Shading is an essential technique for creating the illusion of form and depth in a drawing. By strategically applying areas of light and shadow, you can make a flat, 2D drawing appear more 3-dimensional. When shading your windmill drawing, consider the light source and how light and shadows naturally fall on the structure. Areas that are facing the light source directly will be lightest, while areas that are not lit directly will appear darker in shadow.

For the windmill, it helps to envision the light source as coming from above to replicate daylight. The top and upper sides of the windmill cap and tower will be lit. As you move down the structure, more surfaces fall into shadow. Add darker shading to the underside of the cap, lower parts of the tower, and bottom of the base.[1] The shading helps separate the forms from each other and creates the look of a solid, 3D object.

Use a range of tones, from light grey to black, to illustrate the shift from light to shadow. Techniques like cross-hatching using a pencil are useful for smoothly blending tones. Take your time with the shading and don’t be afraid to go dark in the shadowed areas. The contrast between light and dark areas will add dimensionality and interest.

Final Touchups

Once you have finished the initial drawing, take some time to refine and polish the illustration. Carefully look over the lines and erase any stray marks or sketchiness. Go over the main outlines and interior details with a pen or marker to make them stand out. Add any finishing touches like birds flying in the sky, clouds, or people standing near the windmill.

As a final step, carefully erase any remaining pencil lines so your inked drawing stands out. Make sure to preserve the lighter shading you’ve added. Sign your name and date the drawing once you are fully satisfied with it. Taking the time to refine and finalize your windmill drawing will result in a polished, professional-looking piece of artwork.

Some ideas for final touchups include: