Trees: Study of several trees

I decided to make two studies -

Study 1- Fleet Forest. I used A3 paper as my support and soft pastel sticks and pencil as my medium

What technique did you use to distinguish one species of tree from another?

In part the main tree shapes distinguished one species from another, but apart from this I used different types of marks to suggest different bark textures. For example the bark of the silver birch in the middle shows horizontal marks across the trunk, with light, silvery coverage around it and dark marks from the peeling bark. This contrasts with the other trees surrounding it which are mostly dark brown with zigzag vertical patterns.

How did you convey the mass of foliage and the space between them?

For the mass of foliage I mainly used orange pastel, and tried to give a suggestion of grass with some dark brown to give depth to the landscape. I’m not sure it was very successful but I was concerned about the 2 hours time limit given.

How did you handle the light on different parts of the tree?

Although I was trying to be careful to isolate the light parts on the trees it was very difficult to avoid contamination from the other colours, and difficult to clean with a putty rubber. I used very light yellow and white pastel to try to try to repair it but not very successfully, and I wish I had used masking fluid at the beginning.

Did you manage to select and simplify?

Yes I think I did manage to simplify the tree, branches and foliage to some extent, and I also managed to portray the icy cold wintery day it was.

What I could have done better?

I could have done a better job of defining the trees by using pen and ink and watercolour as my medium instead of pastel. I don’t think I did a very good job as it looks too messy - I wasn’t relaxed and got very stressed with the two hours time constraint, and I think that shows in the work.

Study 2 - Sheffield Park. I used my A4 sketchbook and Sharpie markers

I’ve wanted to have a go at portraying the beauty of Sheffield Park in autumn for some time. Last time I was there I took some pictures with the intention of one day painting this beautiful place. The autumn colours in the trees and bushes were magnificent, and I did a drawing in my sketch book using Sharpie markers.

What technique did you use to distinguish one species of tree from another?

For each type of tree and bush I used different sizes and shapes of mark, emphasised by different greens and darker colours.

How did you convey the mass of foliage and the space between them?

The space between foliage is normally in shadow, and I used dark brown or dark grey markers to give a sense of depth and distance, with some of the marks spikey and some more rounded.

How did you handle the light on different parts of the tree?

The day was overcast, with little sunshine falling on the trees. I used mainly yellow and red for the foliage of the bushes and left the water and the sky white.

Did you manage to select and simplify?

I think I did manage to simplify the marks to depict the shapes of the trees and bushes.

What I could have done better?

The main thing that bothers me is the reflection of the trees on the left hand side, which doesn’t look quite believable. However, there is a sense of depth, the reflections of the trees on the lake in the middle are believable, and overall, considering the unusual medium I used, I am quite happy with the result.