Short answer
Draw two overlapping hills, a path that gets narrower as it climbs, and one tree bigger than the other. Shade only the nearest hill. Overlap, shrinking size and one dark area are what make even a simple drawing look deep.
Draw it in four steps
Step 1 of 4
Horizon and two hills
Draw a light horizon line, then two hills as long, lazy S curves. Let the near hill sit lower on the page and overlap the far one.
Step 2 of 4
A path that narrows
Draw a path as two lines that start wide at the bottom edge of the page and wind up the hill, getting closer together until they meet near the far hill. The narrowing is what makes the path look long.
Step 3 of 4
Sun and trees
Add a sun as a simple circle, a large round tree on the near hill and a much smaller one on the far hill. Same shape, different size: the small one reads as far away.
Step 4 of 4
Shade the near hill
Hatch the near hill with light diagonal lines, leaving the path white. Darken the side of the big tree away from the sun. Add three or four grass tufts at the very front.
Blue lines: added in that step. Gray: already drawn.
Eight simple landscape ideas
Each uses the same moves: overlap, shrinking size, one dark area. Draw each one as small as a postcard.
- Lake between hills. Two hills, a flat oval of water between them, the hills mirrored in it. Lesson: water.
- Mountain and pines. One triangle of a peak, three pines of different sizes in front. Lesson: mountains.
- Road to the horizon. Two straight lines meeting at one point on the horizon, fence posts shrinking beside it. Lesson: perspective.
- Lone tree in a field. One tree on the lower third, a flat horizon, a big sky with two clouds. Lesson: trees.
- Sunset silhouette. Hills and trees filled solid dark against a blank sky.
- Beach. A straight horizon for the sea, a curved line for the shore, a few rocks at the front. Lesson: rocks.
- Clouds over flat land. A low horizon and three cumulus clouds getting smaller toward it. Lesson: clouds.
- Layered ridges. Four wavy lines across the page, each shaded darker than the one behind. Lesson: atmospheric perspective.
Tips that make simple drawings work
- Do not center the horizon. Put it a third of the way up or down.
- Odd numbers. One, three or five trees look more natural than two or four.
- Vary sizes. No two hills or trees the same size.
- Stop early. A simple drawing loses its charm when it gets busy.
When these feel easy, try the full step by step landscape or a random prompt.
Questions people ask
What is the easiest landscape to draw?
Rolling hills with a path. It needs only curved lines, has no straight perspective to get wrong, and the narrowing path does the work of showing distance.
How do I make an easy landscape look better?
Shade the nearest hill, leave the far one light, and make one tree clearly bigger than the other. Those three choices add more than any amount of detail.
Can kids do this lesson?
Yes. The steps use only curves and simple shapes. Younger children can skip the shading or color the layers in instead.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Product lines and listings change; check the details before you buy.