paint or sketch trees: challenge
Close up of tree bark, Marqueyssac, France. photo: Vivien BlackburnRather than another update on the seascapes I've decided to run another challenge in response to feedback from the trees post.
Feedback from people said they got a lot out of the skies challenge and I'm sure you will out of this one :>)
click the image on the left to link to the original post on trees
and you can check all posts with the tag 'trees' here
The challenge is to produce sketches of trees done from life.
- These can be: close ups, extreme close ups, whole tree, part of tree, distant views - whatever you want.
- Style: anything goes - photorealism to impressionism but with underlying observation
- Medium: your choice, anything goes :>) oil paints, acrylics, watercolours, mixed media, charcoal, graphite, coloured pencils, pen, oil pastels, pastels, pastel pencils ....... etc etc etc
- Timescale: we'll finish at the end of July and I'll post links to your blogs then - please leave your links in the comments as with the skies challenge
- The character of trees - they are so individual, consider the way it grows, the dynamic way the branches reach for the sky, the way winds may have shaped it or it clings to rocks or hillside
- Look at the texture of the bark, smooth, rough, flaking, damaged, patterned
- The colours - which are rarely simply brown - look for the greys and greens and in some cases ambers, blue greys, off whites and more
- Close ups as well as views of whole trees - look at the bark
- Look at the pattern of branches and the negative spaces
- Remember that branches come towards you as well as sideways
- Look at where it joins the ground - roots showing ?? base buried in tall grasses?? look how it melts into its surroundings without a line beneath it
Anyone up for this? Let me know? I'd really like to get lots of people joining in with lots of different images and ways of looking at the subject.
Comments
And I sure have no shortage of trees where I live. :) So yes, I'm in!
http://ieneja.notlong.com
A great challenge: I have a closeup of bark that I've been wanting to try for a couple of years ... Maybe now's the time.
Jeanette exactly!
Harry that's a quick start :>) with some really great work - it's on it's way to a draft post of all links
Laura great :>) close ups are fascinating
Lindsay great :>)
Sydney great :>) and an old cedar would be fascinating to draw
All you need to do is leave the address from the top bar in your comment Jean and I'll simply copy it to the blog post I do and make it link to your blog. You simply double click on the title of the post you do, so that the address line at the top leads directly to the post, rather than simply to your blog (later people wouldn't find your trees then)
sorry about the Scottish monsoon! I lived for a while on the east coast and went to school at Forres - the mountains picked up the worst of the rain before it got to us :>)
Early Tree Sketches
Kelly and Carolann you are very welcome :>)
I see you do monoprints EH - I like doing them too,
Tree No3
Vivien, do you want us to link to this post every time we post a new tree or is that too much?:
yes Robyn - I just keep adding the links to my draft post as we go so I don't miss anyone
At the end those who have done a series may find it better to sum them up into one post on their blog, if they want, and I can link to that. But I think it's nice to keep adding the links here in the meantime :>)
http://jeanspaintings.blogspot.com/2009/06/tree-sketches.html
http://africantapestry.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/trees-in-ink/
(Now why can't I get this link direct?? It normally works?) sorry Vivien.
Ronell
Tree No 4
http://illustratedlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/old-larch.html
http://illustratedlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/pond.html
and apricot tree - wow to me in the Uk that's nicely exotic Robyn :>)
Jeanette and Robyn I've listed them on the draft post and now I'm off to take a look :>)
Group of trees
It will be listed in the draft post, ready to publish at the end of July :>)
Don Maier
The idea is to post images on the Plein Air Thread - or your own blog or Flickr - and then post a link here in the comments.
At the end of the month I'm going to do a post with links to all the participants blogs/sites/wherever they posted :>)
I did this with skies previously and it was fun.
http://marissalminsgallery.com/marissalmins3_op_800x798_op_580x5781.jpg
Maris Salmins
http://marissalminsgallery.com/marissalmins3_op_800x798_op_580x5781.jpg
Maris Salmins
http://aestheticwork.blogspot.com/2009/07/tree-as-symbol-of-tenacity.html
Thanks again for the push! Definitely need to do more trees --
Here is a link to my trees! Thanks again for offering a great challenge :)
http://www.creatingnaturejournals.com/2009/07/for-love-of-trees.html
Can you tell I love these beings? :)
http://flatsoundofwoodenclogs.blogspot.com/