Not Quite Leaves

4/1/14 Platinum Carbon ink, Kuretake brush pen, watercolor,
Zig marker, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Everywhere I look, I’m starting to see bits of pale green on trees. They aren’t quite leaves yet, but they’re not buds anymore, either – they’re more like tiny clusters of pre-leaves. (I’m sure there’s a technical name for this stage, but I like the term pre-leaf.) Last October I sketched this same traffic circle maple when it was in its full fall glory. Soon it will be so full of leaves that I won’t be able to see its limbs anymore, so when I passed by it today, I decided it would be a good time to catch it in this delightful state – full of promise.

I’m not going to miss sketching trees in their bareness, but I’ve come to appreciate what they’ve taught me about the shapes of trees. In fact, I’ve learned that every season has something new to teach. It’s been more than a year – four complete seasons – since I declared that trees were a sketching nemesis. I’ve since called a truce, not because I’ve conquered them (they will probably remain a challenge for as long as I sketch), but because it’s impossible to have an enemy that gives me so much joy.

Technical note: In January when I sketched this same tree completely leafless, I had said that my Sailor pen was made for sketching bare limbs. But after sketching bare trees all winter, I’m now declaring that my Kuretake Fountain Brush Pen is ideal for sketching tree limbs. I don’t think I can get this kind of line with any other sketching instrument in my vast arsenal.

Another technical note: The last couple of times that I’ve opened up my watercolor box, I’ve found mold growing on my blob of DS Quinacridone Sienna. I’ve never seen mold on any other paint, and in the year or so that I’ve kept Quin Sienna in my kit continuously, I’ve never seen mold on it – until now. I don’t think I’m treating the paints any differently than before, and they almost always get a chance to dry out between uses. Have you seen this happen? Any suggestions?