Friday, March 17, 2023

30 Trees in 30 Days

3/14/23 Green Lake

During the One Week 100 People challenge when I was also sketching lots of trees for Kathleen Moore’s class, I quipped that perhaps I should initiate a One Week 100 Trees challenge. As sketch subjects, they are similar: Ubiquitous, unique and challenging, yet trees do have one big benefit over people – they don’t move. How hard could it be?

As I was again lamenting the lateness of spring, Facebook showed me some sketches I had made in prior years during the same time period – blossoming pink trees! This year, we are nowhere close to pink trees; our exceptionally long, cold winter has put them way behind schedule.

3/13/23 Maple Leaf neighborhood

That did it: After sketching a tree one cold, drizzly morning, I impulsively declared that it was my first of 30 trees for the “30 Trees in 30 Days” challenge! (A hundred seemed excessive, even for a tree lover like me.) To qualify as a challenge, all I need is a hashtag, right? It turns out that #30trees30days already exists!  Not many had used the hashtag, though, so I was about to change that.

The rules are simple: Sketch 30 trees in 30 days. Start anytime, in any medium, size and style. Sketching from photos is OK, but from life is always better. The purpose is mainly to appreciate the beauty of all trees in all seasons – bare or fully leafed; green, red or pink. Trees are everywhere for both urban sketchers and nature journalers. Meanwhile, we all get practice sketching this challenging subject.

I began March 13, and I’m hoping that by the time my 30 days are up, I really will be sketching pink!

Join me anytime!

3/14/23 Maple Leaf neighborhood

4 comments:

  1. I think I'll have to give this a try! This is a great time of year for daily sketching outdoors--I'm looking forward to plein airpril, too. And I like your cmy tree sketch, it has a nice flow to it!

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    1. Happy to hear you're going to give it a try! This transitional time is ideal because you'll be able to catch bare trees as well as some leafing and blossoming trees.

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  2. Interesting that your pink is late. I was just musing that I haven't seen any Bradford pears in bloom. I am sure I saw them blooming last year in February (though I haven't looked through all my sketchbooks to find the proof). I intended to start my 30 trees yesterday when I unexpectedly had to walk SANS DOGS!! I was intent on sketching the very unusual Larch trees that I have drawn before. I hurried to the site, and they were both chopped down!! I was so disheartened that it was hard to think of another tree, but then I heard an unfamiliar bird and I went SQUIRREL! I will try again tomorrow. Anne HwH

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    1. Oh no, the trees were gone?? I've experienced something similar, and that is so disheartening! We all take for granted that trees will be around "next time" ... but maybe not.

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