A Study of Trees (Continued)

King of Anvil Rock - This is the project I have been working on for a few weeks.  I have completed the shading on the tree trunk and added some additional shading to the leaves. There is a bit more to do in the upper right corner of the picture.  I also added a bit more rock, but I still have a long way to go to complete it.


I have not spent as much time as I would have liked on this piece since I have so many other projects I have started. I guess I have too many ideas to keep up with all of them.  Since this one is finally getting close to being finished, It is my hope to have it completed before the end of the month.  I need a couple of pieces to hang in a medical building during the month of December.  

A Study of Trees (Continued)

Here is a scan of the tree I am currently working on.  When I work on my drawings I usually move around the page instead of working on any one section.  Working on any part too long will make the task seem a bit hopeless.  There are a lot of leaves and just as many tiny spaces between them.  

On this picture, I have drawn in all of the leaves and blackened in the tiny spaces between each of them.   Today I just finished putting all of the veins in the individual leaves and have started to do the final shading on some of the sections.  This can be a very tedious task which I enjoy very much.  I work mostly by feel when it comes to shading.  When I look at the picture I can see where the shading should go to give it more dimension or depth.  Typically when I start a picture I have no final product in mind, I just let it grow into whatever it will.

I am still not sure how this will look in the end.  The tree may stay as it is with the smooth bark or may become very textured.  All of that will be determined by the tree I guess.  Personally, I like the 'knot' knowing.  Bad tree joke.

A Study of Trees (Continued)

As you can tell, I really love trees. Here are two which were drawn about a year apart.  They have a similar theme, tree on a rocky hillside, but are very different.  

The one above was the most recent and much more detail was put into the rocks than the one below.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, when I first began drawing trees I typically did not put any leaves in front of the trunk.  This one has a few leaves in front of the trunk and has leaves scattered throughout the branches.  The branches remind me of a very intricate knot.  As I was working on it one person asked me if I knew anything about fractals.  Apparently they had taken a math class on the subject and the branches reminded them of what they had studied.  I am familiar with the subject, but have never studied it; however math is something I enjoy.

The tree above is also the first tree which has a very elaborate root system.  I wanted this drawing to have the feel of being able to see both above and below ground at the same time.  Personally, I like the way it turned out.

As I draw more and more trees, I like to make them more realistic, but with a touch of fantasy.  What is the point in doing art if you cannot have some fun with it?