Monday, October 3, 2011

American sycamore ~ how many ways to draw a leaf?

On the left, a leaf drawn with pen scribbles; on the right, the same leaf drawn with a mechanical pencil.
I like sycamore leaves because they're quite large, and as they dry they create interesting shapes that are a challenge to sketch or paint.  Sometimes I like to experiment with different ways of drawing the same subject, and a sycamore leaf is the perfect subject.  This practice helps my future sketching because it gives me ways to compare ease of media as well as the mood and texture they create.  You can see from the examples that each leaf has a different character, depending on the technique I used.

The leaf at the top left has a free and casual feeling; I used random, rather large scribbles to build up the planes and masses.  The leaf sketched in pencil (top right) has a much softer feeling - this particular pencil allows for fine lines and a gradation of grays.  Notice how the pencil lines follow the curve of the leaf between the veins, and how each line has continuity in direction, totally unlike the scribble texture.

The leaf in the bottom example (left) has an ink outline with stippled dots describing the shadows and masses.  This lends a more formal feeling to the drawing, and is often used for botanical illustrations because the dots reproduce well and can indicate a lot of detail.  This particular drawing doesn’t contain much detail, because of the size of the dots relative to the size of the subject.  Imagine if you were to make a large drawing with many dots, and how descriptive it could be!  Needless to say, this method is time-consuming and not a good choice for sketching in the field, although it can have its purposes. 


The next leaf is also in ink, but with hatching and cross-hatching to show form and value.  This technique can mimic old ink engravings if the lines are very parallel and evenly spaced, or be more free if the lines are more haphazard (like mine).  Each technique is unique, and can be combined to create even more interesting lines. 


Left, an inked outline with stippling in pen; right, the same pen but with cross-hatching.
I hope this exercise has been helpful, or spurred some new thoughts about alternate ways of making lines.  You might want to think about using them with unconventional media as well as the traditional standbys I used.  Next post: more about sycamore leaves!

You can click on the images to view larger.  Thanks for visiting!

7 comments:

  1. You have been a busy girl. I love sycamore trees. Their leaves are so big and cheerful looking waving in the wind. You be this makes me want to go out, pick one up and sketch it.

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  2. Very interesting leaves--At our previous house, we had two sycamore trees in the back yard. Beautiful trees, but messy! The leaves make nice subjects for drawing, that's for sure.

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  3. Hi Lisa - I love your description of these trees! I actually did these a while ago, but I've picked up some leaves recently to paint. Go get some!

    Thanks Kathy - they are messy, but so interesting looking with those big leaves and camo bark. The leaves always seem to shrink into unique shapes as they dry.

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  4. Agreed: sycamores are wonderful. I miss the one from my folks' place, especially the bark. Your suggested exercise makes my fingers itch to get hold of some interesting something -- sycamore or otherwise -- and try these techniques side by side. Pen and pencil already go every where with me, so I'm ready. Thanks!

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  5. Suspinz, with pen and pencil and paper at hand, I know you'll find something fascinating to study and draw today! You go, girl!

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  6. Thank you so much for posting this. I have a project in 2D Design to cross hatch and I have had a tremendous problem with the pattern to use on the leaves. Now I have some ideas on how to proceed and how to bring the leaves to life.

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  7. You are so welcome, Jennifer! I'm glad my scribblings could help with your problem. We all learn from each other! I learn new things every day...

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