Spotted on My Sketchabout

4/3/16 ink, colored pencils

Last October on a surprisingly beautiful afternoon, I remember walking through my neighborhood making small sketches of the variety of maple leaves just within a couple-block radius of my house. In the fall, the brilliant colors motivate me to observe and sketch trees more often, but it occurred to me today that I should appreciate the reappearance of leaves just as much. (In fact, I should appreciate them even more, since spring signals the return of outdoor sketching weather, and nothing makes me happier!)

With that appreciation in mind, I went out for a short sketchabout this afternoon. Again, within a two-block radius, I found three types of trees whose tightly clustered leaves or blossoms at this time of year I had never noticed before. I know the green one is a maple, and the spikey red one may be a Japanese maple. I’m clueless about the blossom.

I’m not much of a nature journaler; if I were, I’d take the time to identify these leaves as part of my sketching. Instead, I simply enjoy the moment – the sun, the breeze, observing these leaves just long enough to sketch them.