DRAW A TREE

A single tree will have many hundreds of leaves, in a glance you see them all, well all that are facing you. It can be confusing: how do I draw that thing which is one and many at the same time?

As well as looking, you need some kind of pattern to help you. I often think to draw you need to organise what you see in your head, sort of take it apart and re-assemble it.

You see detail, it is what our eyes are good at, but to draw something complex or manifold, if that's the word, you need to simplify it into stages.

1. Start with the idea of a tree, a bit like a lollipop. The direction of the light usually coming from above, will determine the shadow/shading.

2. A real tree will of course have more shape, a leafy shape.

It is worth getting familiar with a sort of made up template for a tree. then applying what you understand to a real tree.

3. When looking at a real tree it may be helpful to imagine it wrapped in cellophane see the simplified overall shape.

4. Then note that it is divided into a number of smaller shapes, a bit like a man carrying lots of  cloud shaped balloons. Each shape is a bunch of leaves on the network of twigs on a single branch, but these smaller shapes add up to a single tree shape. 

5. These shapes have a light side, usually the top and a shady underside, and they will often overlap, the light top of one bit meeting the shade of the bit behind and above. 

6. You may want to add a suggestion of leafy-ness to your marks.

 Now some artists like leafy looking trees,others like to simplify  into blocks of light and shade, do look at different artists, this helps you see that there is a style for you, remember you don't have to draw every leaf- you are not a human photocopier or camera; we have machines for that, you can work in a way that suits your skill level and artistic preferences.  Or if you are like me, sometimes you are a bit lazy and want to do things simply other times you want the challenge of looking harder and focusing with all your powers.

 Here are two  efforts of mine the first is more textured with a suggestion of leaves, but not losing the structure, the second I have  focused on the structure described in shape, light and shade.