How to Draw a Desert Step by Step (Easy for Kids & Beginners)
Feb 24, 2026
How to draw desert scenery in a simple way? Monkey Pen’s step-by-step guide teaches desert scenery art using easy tricks.
Step 1: First let’s draw a cactus tree. For that, create a bean shape.
Step 2: Add a hook-like design right next to the bean-shaped thing.
Step 3: Draw a thin, narrow bean beside the hook.
Step 4: Now extend a vertical line down from each bean.
Step 5: Add one more bean on the right with a thick vertical line below.
Step 6: Draw a small curve and a tiny curve to show a small cactus growing on the ground.
Step 7: Include the ground surface with a straight line followed by a series of gentle curves.
Step 8: Add a few more cacti on the right that look round.
Step 9: Add patterns for the main stem, using vertical lines that run parallel to each other. Inside small cacti branches, fill with curved vertical lines that are parallel, too.
Step 10: Include prickly thorns on the cacti with tiny dash-like lines outside the vertical lines and the outline.
Step 11: Draw a ball-shaped cactus on the right side of the big one above the ground surface. Add tiny dots inside and over its surface.
Step 12: Add one more ball cactus that is half of the other cacti’s size. Above the half-sized ball cacti, draw a series of inverted Vs that look like a flower design.
Step 13: To show the ground surface behind the cacti, draw uneven lines near the bottom of the right and left side cacti.
Step 14: Draw a straight line, nearly touching the top of the cacti’s heads, for the ground surface that is a little farther.
Step 15: Above this new ground surface, create wavy lines to show some vegetation.
Step 16: Draw the dune that looks like a curved half-square followed by slanting lines on either side.
Step 17: Draw a half-dune on the right side using a slanting line, followed by a half-square.
Step 18: Draw a slanting line touching the first sand dune to show some sand dune is on the other side that is not shown here.
Step 19: Draw a small dune as illustrated in step 16.
Step 20: Add vertical lines extending down from the dune’s top surface. Also draw tiny half-curves with a straight line below, everywhere within the space between the dunes and the cacti’s ground surface.
Step 21: A radiant desert scenery artwork is over.
Desert Scenery Drawing: Discover the Quiet Magic of the Desert
When people think of deserts, they always imagine empty sand. But deserts are filled with shapes, colors, and surprising life. That’s the reason artists enjoy creating desert scenery art and desert scenery paintings.
A desert scenery drawing can appear calm, open, and beautiful. The wide land and clear sky turn deserts into one of the easiest landscapes for beginners to explore when learning how to draw a desert scene, and they can also try how to draw an island scenery to practice another scenic landscape.
Before beginning any desert scene drawing, it helps to learn what makes deserts captivating.
The Desert Is Not Just Sand
A surprising fact: Most deserts are not completely sandy. Many are rocky or covered with dry soil.
Here are some curious desert facts children may enjoy:
• Only about one-fifth of deserts contain large sand dunes.
• Some deserts go up to 50°C in the daytime.
• At night, the temperature can fall rapidly.
• Certain cactus plants can grow more than 12 metres tall.
These natural features are always seen in desert scenery art and make a drawing of a desert scene appear more realistic.
Look Closely: The Desert Is Full of Simple Shapes
Artists like deserts because the shapes are simple to understand.
While creating a desert scene drawing, you may see these common forms:
• Sand dunes that appear like gentle waves
• Tall cactus plants with round arms
• Flat land stretching far into the distance
• Rocky hills or mountains
Due to these simple shapes, the majority of the beginners find desert scene drawing easy compared to other landscapes.
The Desert Is a World of Warm Colors
A desert may look plain from distance, but it actually has a lot of beautiful colors.
Artists always use these tones in desert scenery paintings:
• Sandy yellow
• Light brown and beige
• Warm orange
• Reddish rocks
• Deep blue skies
Sunrise and sunset make some of the most beautiful desert scenery, with glowing golden light across the sand.
Tiny Creatures That Belong in Desert Art
Even though deserts seem to be quiet, many animals live there. Adding them can make drawing a desert scene more real.
Animals always seen in desert scenery drawings include:
• Camels
• Lizards
• Desert foxes
• Snakes
• Small birds flying across the sky
These creatures survive by keeping cool and saving water.
Why Artists Love Desert Landscapes
Artists always choose deserts while learning how to draw a desert scene, as the landscape teaches main art ideas.
Deserts help young artists practice:
• Observing light and shadows
• Drawing wide open spaces
• Using warm color palettes
• Understanding simple natural forms
This turns drawing a desert scene into both a relaxing and a creative activity.
A Quiet Landscape That Inspires Creativity
A desert scenery drawing reveals that beauty does not always require many details. With dunes, sunlight, and a wide sky, even simple desert scenery art can appear stunning.
For young artists, exploring beautiful desert scenery is a wonderful way to practice observation and imagination while enjoying the peaceful charm of the desert.
Want more nature landscape drawings? Scroll through free easy-to-draw sketches from Monkey Pen’s library. If you are keen to learn step-by-step drawing, download and print our free worksheets that come with every drawing, including step by step drawing for kids to make learning easy and fun.
