Project 2 Exercise 3: 

A study of several trees

This exercise suggests that I don't get stuck with details. Try to work in broad tonal areas. Look for strong contrast in light or dark or intense areas of colour. This drawing should suggest form and mass. 

As it its spring, the trees I studied for this drawing were surrounded by areas of Bluebells which is what I found so attractive. 

I started with a charcoal stick and I plotted in the shapes of the trees. 

I decided to differentiate between the light and the dark areas by using a yellow watercolour to highlight where the light hits the trees and a grey to highlight the darker side of the trees. 

Behind the trees that were in the foreground there are a mass of others that are too far away for me to see in detail. I decided to mark this in with yellow strokes, they catch the light so I am therefore able to see their narrow shape: 

Using only a black biro I then moved onto an apple orchard. Here there are several old trees that line a track. The track is grass and mud. Each tree has fully grown apples. Some of the trees have grown at an angle. The shadows across the track help guide me to quickly sketch in the idea of several trees, just by shading in the shadow. : 

Reflection: 

What techniques did you use to distinguish one species of tree to another?
In both plots of land, the trees looked to be of the same species, with very similar colouring, textures and shapes. 

How did you convey the mass of foliage and the spaces between? 
The woodland is in Bluebell season, as much as I avoided any finer detail in this drawing, I did use a purple wash across the woodland ground to show the areas of the Bluebell. 

Working at eye level, I concentrated on drawing in the shapes of the tree trunks, however above me and in the distance I could see the green of the leaves of the tree, this becomes more the further into the distance I can see. I have added in these areas with green watercolour. 

In my biro sketch the trees are full of leaves and apples. The apples I drew in as circular shapes with darker patches to their skin. The leaves were daunting as there are so very many. I scribbled shapes in and shaded a few to make darker areas. 

How did you handle light on the different parts of the tree? 
As I was focused on capturing the form of the trees, I decided to use two colours to map out the light and darker tones of the trees. A yellow watercolour for the light and a grey watercolour for the darker tones. 

In my biro skech I was able to shade in shadows on the ground to imply darker areas. 

On the trunks themselves I used cross hatching to add texture and also build up the dark tones. 

Did you manage to select and simplify? 
Yes I feel I did. There are many, many trees in this woodland however to simplify the drawing, I focused on the several trees in the foreground and I concentrated on capturing their form. For the trees in the distance, I used yellow strokes to plot them in. 

In the biro sketch I was able to add shadows down the track that give the idea of a track laden with apple trees without me detailing each one. 

Research: 

Vincent Van Gogh. Pollard Trees. 1884. Pencil and ink pen on wove pencil. 

This drawing shows a wealth of detail with thousands of lines and marks. 

Van Gogh has captured the shape and texture of the trunks, drawing in their round masses and many winter branches. 

There are several trees in this scene and Van Gogh has applied texture to all of them, even the trees in the distance. They are all beautifully marked in with the same thought and process - line. 

What fascinates me the most is that Van Gogh has spent as much time working on the texture of the grass as he has the trees. Each blade has been drawn in, I can see how the grass moves in different directions throughout this scene. 

Without the use of colour, I can see every detail. This drawing is full of life and movement.