Friday, April 10, 2020

Fleeting

4/5/20 cherry tree, Maple Leaf neighborhood

The sakura across the street was past its prime, and the wind and rain had shaken down a flurry of petals, but I still enjoyed seeing it every day from our bedroom window. I wanted one more try at capturing both its fleeting beauty and its unruly shape. For most of my life, my brain was stuck on the notion that trees are supposed to be taller than they are wide. It wasn’t until I started sketching them that I noticed how many are the other way around.

Color notes: After sketching on Dibble Avenue, I decided that the two pencils I had picked out for my palette of spring optimism back in pre-pandemic times (it feels like eons ago) just weren’t right. I’ve switched to Caran d’Ache Supracolor Salmon Pink (071) and Raspberry Red (270). Like the other two, these are a bit too warm for cherry blossoms, but I like the way they go together. 


Salmon Pink (071) and Raspberry Red (270)

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful sketch. I love how soft the colors are in the blossoms. Really captured the effect of the blossoms! How is Urban Sketching going to look going forward? Being a Senior it looks like some time before older people are going to want to go out and “mingle”.

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    1. Thank you, Cathy! I imagine Urban Sketchers will return to normal at some point, but it remains to be seen when that can happen. We have been told that Washington State will likely remain in "sheltering in place" mode through at least May.

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  2. I like how you used the texture of the pencil on the paper to represent some of the blossoms. This looks great...even if it is past its prime.

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    Replies
    1. I used a Stillman & Birn Beta for this, which has a great texture for things like foliage and blossoms!

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