An electric field is the region around a charged object within which another charged object experiences an attractive or repulsive force.
The direction of an electric field
We define the direction of an electric field at a point as the direction in which a small positive charge will move when placed at that point in the field.
This is why we draw the electric field lines of positively charged objects with arrows leaving (the positive point charge is pushed outwards):
We draw the electric field around a negatively charged object with arrows going towards the object (the positive point charge is pulled inwards):
Interactions between electric fields
Remember that field lines exit positive charges and enter negative charges (positive people give and negative people take).
Field between two unlike point charges
We draw the field from the negative and positive charges forming a new continuous field.
Field between two like point charges
We draw the field lines coming close to each other but never touching. Here is the drawing of the field between two positive point charges.
Field between parallel plates
When drawing the electric field between two parallel plates, we imagine a line of positive charges and another of negative charges and apply the usual rules of drawing field lines:
