Short answer
Start with a boxy block, not a circle. Split it into planes with straight lines, keep the top plane light, shade the side away from the light, and put the darkest dark in the cast shadow right where the rock meets the ground. Add cracks last.
A boulder in four steps
Step 1 of 4
A simple block
Sketch a lopsided block with straight sides, wider at the base than at the top. Avoid a circle or an oval; rocks are faceted.
Step 2 of 4
Find the planes
Firm up the outline with angular changes of direction. Draw lines that split the block into a top plane and two side planes meeting at a corner.
Step 3 of 4
Shadow plane and cast shadow
Light from the left: hatch the right hand planes mid gray. Draw the cast shadow on the ground to the right, darker than the shadow plane, tight against the base.
Step 4 of 4
Cracks and ground
Add a few cracks that follow the planes, a ground line, one small rock nearby and grass tufts against the base so the boulder sits in the scene.
Blue lines: added in that step. Gray: already drawn.
Pebbles, boulders and cliffs
- Pebbles: small rounded shapes with a dark shadow underneath each one. Scatter them in groups, larger ones nearer.
- Boulder fields: overlap boulders so each one partly hides the next. Shade every one with the same light direction.
- Cliffs: big vertical planes broken by horizontal ledges. The undersides of ledges are the darkest; the tops catch light. See the dark cliffs in the waterfall lesson.
- Shore rocks: wet stone near the waterline is darker than dry stone above it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Rounded potato shapes. Use straight lines that change direction.
- No cast shadow. Without it, rocks float.
- Cracks everywhere. Three well placed cracks beat thirty random ones.
- Even shading. A rock needs at least two clearly different planes.
More: plane based shading in value, and rocks in a full scene in simple landscapes.
Questions people ask
How do you draw rocks easily?
Draw an irregular box shape with straight sides, add one or two lines that split it into a top and a side, and shade the side. A dark wedge of shadow underneath sits it on the ground.
How do you draw rocks in water?
Draw the rock the same way, then cut it off with a horizontal waterline. Add a short reflection straight below and a ring of small ripples or white foam where the water meets the stone.
How do I make rocks look different from each other?
Vary their size, angle and how blocky or rounded they are, and group them in odd numbers with one large, a few medium and many small.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Product lines and listings change; check the details before you buy.