Like Trees

 

11/24/24 Caran d'Ache Grafwood HB and Tombow Mono R 6B
in Field Notes Streetscapes sketchbook

Although it would be hubris to think I have anything in common with a genius like Leonardo DaVinci, I would like to believe that he and I share the same love of pure rendering – not drawing a “something” but finding appreciation and joy in simply observing and recording.

Making this study brought back all the Gage Academy classes I’ve taken over the years in the fundamentals of drawing – the cast shadow, the core shadow, the light rolling gently over a curved surface, the reflected light on the far side. The soft folds of a scarf are not very different from tree trunks and branches, for example, that I drew in classes with Suzanne Brooker, Kathleen Moore and Kristin Frost. These principles of rendering light on form are such a basic part of learning classical drawing skills that it’s hard to imagine DaVinci’s time when this kind of thinking was new. And yet, when I sit down to do this, it is new because even when I know it, I hardly ever think it.

Process note: One thing that’s super fun about these draped fabric studies is that they are, in fact, a lot like trees or other forms in nature: There’s no pressure related to achieving resemblance (as with portraiture), perspective (as with buildings or interiors), exact proportions, or other “hard stuff.” Of course, I still want the drawing to be realistic enough to be convincing. For example, gravity gives hanging fabric a certain weight that shows in the way the folds lie. But being able to focus only on light and shadow to achieve this realism is so enjoyable. I’m not sure I can think of any subject that is more relaxing to render than this.