How to Draw an Easter Egg Tree

What is an Easter egg tree? The Ostereierbaum, German for Easter egg tree, is an ancient tradition in the countries of Germany, Austria, and other European nations. It has also migrated to other parts of the world, such as the United States.

The exact origins of the Easter egg tree have been lost with the passage of time, but the egg has been, since antiquity, a symbol of life and fertility for many religions. This is true of the ancient religions of Europe, which often incorporated plants in worship.

Easter egg trees consist of real or plastic eggs tied to the branches of living trees. Not only are trees decorated in this way for the Easter holiday, but also for Christmas, May Day, and the summer solstice - all important dates to the ancient religions.

Any type of tree may be used. One famous tree, for example, called the "Saalfelder Ostereierbaum," is an apple tree. This tree has been decorated yearly since 1965. In recent years, it has held as many as 10,000 eggs. The eggs on this tree are real eggs from which the yolk and egg white has been removed. Bushes such as lilac are often used.

1. ​​​​​​​Begin by drawing two long, curved lines in a vertical orientation. These lines form the trunk of the tree. Use a series of short, curved lines to enclose the bottom of the trunk, forming roots. Notice that the roots are marked by points where the lines connect.

2. ​​Draw a "V" shaped line between the long, curved lines of the trunk. The lines of the "V" should be parallel to the curved lines, outlining narrow branches. Then, use a connected series of curved lines to begin the cloud-like leaves of the tree.

3. ​​Enclose the leaf bunches using additional curved lines. Then, extend a pair of curved lines upward, forming another branch. Draw a small "V" shaped line between the curved lines, forking the branch.

4. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Draw a pair of curved lines extending outward from the trunk of the tree. Draw a small "V" to fork the branch at the end. Then, employ a series of curved lines to enclose another cloud-like bunch of leaves.

5.​ ​Extend additional pairs of lines to form branches on the opposite side of the tree. Use a connected series of curved lines to delicately enclose cloud-like leaves at the end of each branch.

​6. ​​​​Stripe your tree's trunk with diagonal curved lines. Add the texture of leaves using narrow "U" shaped lines. Fill in with additional branches and leaf clusters where needed.

​7. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Draw the eggs. For each, draw an oval. If hanging below the tree, draw a set of narrowly spaced parallel lines from the egg to the branch or leaves. This indicates the string.

​8. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Decorate the eggs with combinations of stripes, lines, circles, and zigzags.

9. ​Draw several sets of short, curved lines, meeting in jagged points, beneath the tree. These indicate shaggy grass.

​10. ​​​​​Color you tree. What color will it be? Color it green and brown like a real tree, or make it fanciful with rainbow colors. The choice is yours.

​​Would you like to learn to draw an entire forest? Check out our selection of plant drawing guides for more fun tree drawing tutorials.