This tutorial will show you how to draw a candy Apple in just eight steps. It includes a line drawing, shading, and coloring examples.
Candy apples aren’t just for anime or manga, they are also a common item at festivals that have them. This example is drawn in cel-shaded (no gradients), which is very typical of anime.
It is recommended to draw on paper using a pencil. You will need to erase some of the lines that were used in the previous steps.
Step 1: Make a simple construction drawing of the Candy Apple
Start by drawing a horizontal straight line. This will ensure that both halves are equal in width. The line can be extended quite far to cover the stick’s visible length.
Next, draw the outer shape (as a circle) of the apple. Place it close to the top of the vertical line, so you have enough space for the stick.
Step 2: Outline the top
The apple will form a flat, round surface at its bottom when it is covered in the caramel.
This flat portion will be found at the top of the apple if it is flipped upside-down, as shown in the following example.
To show the area properly, you can add another section to your construction drawing.
Draw a horizontal line, so place the middle of the surface. Next, draw an oval around that (the circled view from an angle). The oval’s bottom should be slightly higher than its top to show perspective. This is an important detail to remember, even though it is difficult to see in this tutorial.
More information on the perspective drawing can be found here:
Tutorial for Beginning Artists and How It Relates To 3dvkarts
Step 3 – Draw an Apple
Based on the previous two steps, draw the actual outline for the apple. While you can delete any lines later, it is best to keep the horizontal center line and the oval (shown here in blue).
Step 4 – Draw a Stick
Add the stick that candy apples are usually placed on to the bottom of the apple. As a guide, you can use the vertical line from the previous step.
The stick will be drawn only partially in this instance, but you’ll see an example with its full length at the tutorial’s end. How to draw Ultra Instinct Goku from Dragon Ball FighterZ
Step 5: Draw the upper part of the wrapper
Clear plastic wrap is often used to wrap candy apples. These wraps come in many shapes, but the basic shape is similar to this example.
To show that the wrap has bends and folds, make it slightly uneven. It should be narrower at the bottom, as this is where it will be tied.
Step 6 – Draw the lower part of the wrapper & folds
Add the wrapper below the stick. Then, add the bit that sticks out at the bottom. As shown in the example, draw this with multiple folds.
After that, draw some folds in the wrapper’s upper portion.
Once you are satisfied with your work, you can use a thicker black marker or a pencil to trace over the lines. Keep the outline of your wrapper light (as shown in this example). This will make the wrapper appear lighter and more transparent.
Step 7 – Color
The wrapper and the little tie can be colored red.
You will need to highlight the apple’s edges and sides (using the outline of an oval) when coloring it. You can also leave a larger area towards the top of one side.
If you are drawing on paper, you should first outline the highlights using a red pencil. This will ensure that you don’t color over them. You can also add highlights to a digital drawing.
The highlights can be left white, but you can lighten the highlights on the opposite side to the main highlight (highlights on right). This is because most highlights are created by the main source of light, while others are created by light reflecting from other objects. Therefore, they won’t be as bright.
The apple will look smoother and more reflective if it has lots of highlights.
Step 8 – Finish the Candy Apple Drawing with Shading
Add some basic shading to the candy apples to finish the drawing. The light source will be from the upper left, so shadows will form along the bottom.
A small area of darkness can be added to the top. This will allow the transparent coating to show through and create a little dark area as apples curl inwards at their bottoms.
Then add a shadow just below the flat top of the apple. This will create a bit more of a ledge and will cast a shadow beneath it. The shadow should curve around the bottom and transition to a large shadow on its side. After that, add a thin layer of darker shading to the large shadow on the side. However, make sure you leave enough space between the shade and the apple’s side. When shading, be careful not to overshadow the highlights.
You can also darken the upper portion of the stick by adding the apple’s shadow.
You can see above an example of the apple with its full-length stick.
Conclusion
A candy apple is a common item in anime and manga that features a festival. Festivals are also very common in anime, especially in the “Slice of Life”.
This tutorial demonstrates how to draw one. It also teaches you good drawing techniques and how to maintain a style appropriate for anime and manga.
