11/1/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Canson XL 140 lb. paper |
Although we still have quite a few trees showing off their
autumn colors, most are past their prime, and many are already displaying tree
pattern baldness. I’ve always heard that the best time of year to learn to draw
and paint trees is when they are bare because their true shape becomes visible. With
that in mind, one of my sketching goals this winter is to sketch as many bare
trees as I can (most likely from my car). Since today was downright balmy
(mid-50s) compared to earlier in the week, I figured I might as well get a jump
on winter and went out looking for a couple of those balding maples near Green Lake. I
saw way more leaves on the ground under them than on their branches.
It was probably my last outdoor sketching opportunity for a
while: A big rainstorm is headed our way this weekend, and it’s supposed to
remain most of the week. I bet I’ll have a lot more bald trees to choose from soon.
Nice sketch and it is true that you see the true shape of the tree that way...but I hate when the color is gone. We are expecting strong winds tomorrow which will probably knock a lot of the leaves off our trees too and I will be sketching bald trees. Enjoy! I'm sure you have your indoor locations ready.
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