Urban Trees

8/8/15 San Diego

Often I sketch trees as a hazy green background to whatever is the main subject of my sketch, especially if they are in the distance, because they aren’t critical to whatever “story” the sketch is telling. But sometimes trees are important to the story, especially when I travel, because they often convey information about the location.

Although I’m not necessarily interested in drawing trees to the degree of detail and accuracy that a naturalist might, I think trees are under-regarded by many urban sketchers. I’ve seen trees in sketches that have been dismissed as generic green blobs or architectural symbols to give the general sense that some kind of trees were there, but that seems like a missed opportunity. If I can learn to sketch trees with enough realism to indicate the species, even if I can’t identify it, I think it can go a long way in hinting about the location.

The other day, you saw the Monterey Cypress that I sketched on my last morning before flying home from the California Coast. I tried my best to depict it realistically because its shape is almost as iconic as styles of California architecture. I would like someone from northern California to scan my sketch online and say, “Hey, that’s a Cypress! I wonder if she’s in Monterey…”

5/21/18 Alameda, CA

8/30/19 Bloomington, MN

11/13/15 Kyoto

10/11/18 Green Lake, Seattle