How to Draw Trees in Winter


Rob Dudley explains why bare branches provide landscape artists with the perfect opportunity to study the twisting forms of trees before they blossom in the spring

How to draw trees in winter

From bird watching to storm chasing, hobbies that are based on the wonders of the natural world abound. I would like to introduce another: tree watching. The benefits for artists are many, not least of which is that trees are considerably more stationary than birds or clouds, making them easier to study.

Trees are a very common feature of the landscape and so familiar that most of us think we know what they look like. It is only when we come to include them in a composition that we are suddenly faced with the realisation that we've not actually looked directly at them. Sometimes trees blend so well into the landscape that we fail to take proper notice of them. In paintings this can easily result in them appearing as amorphous, silhouetted green blobs. Tree watching, then, is a hobby for all landscape artists!

The basic idea is to go beyond popping out for a quick sketching session. A really simple starting point would be to choose one very local tree, either in your garden, a local park or lining a city road.

It is not essential to identify the species of tree, but rather to accurately observe and record its characteristics. Follow the tree through the year, watching it as it changes according to the time of day, the weather and the seasons. Get in the habit of having a sketchbook and camera constantly to hand because sudden changes in light can result in stunning effects. Within minutes, a tree's appearance can change from a flat silhouette to a glowing, animated form full of interesting twists and turns. It is exciting, inspiring stuff.

If you begin tree watching with a deciduous tree, you will be off to the best start possible. We are more familiar with the human form than we are with trees, yet few would deny the benefits of life drawing when it comes to painting a clothed figure. Painting a nude tree gives the same benefits.

How to draw trees in winter

A greater understanding of the form and structure of trees will allow you to create more convincing representations – and key to this is observing and recording the structural form without the visual distraction of full summer foliage. It is so much easier to paint a tree when one understands how it grows.

With the sun low in the sky during the winter, long raking shadows are common and this can throw trunks, boughs and branches into sharp relief, highlighting a tree's twisting structure that for much of the year is shrouded from view. A carefully placed shadow on a branch not only provides impact but also adds depth to the tree.

For many years now I have sketched with pens from the Faber-Castell Pitt range. Not only do they accept a wash if required (as they are waterproof), but they also allow me to quickly get down the essential structure and shape of a tree. The pens can produce a range of tones through crosshatching that can add to the texture and interest of the finished sketch. I prefer to work in a hardbacked sketchpad – the paper should have a slight tooth to it and be sufficiently heavy for the pen not to bleed through.

Another advantage of beginning with a skeletal tree in winter is the freedom from having to deal with all those greens. Through focusing on form and structure you will inevitably begin to notice the myriad colours inherent in trees. Trunks are not always brown: greys, browns, blues, yellows, oranges, reds and even purples are all there. Commenting on his purple trees in a televised interview, David Hockney pointed out that all these colours are there, you just have to look hard enough to see them. You may choose never to paint a green tree again, but if you do, at least your problems will be simplified, as you will have so many of its other characteristics in hand.

As you continue to study your tree throughout the year your work will soon reveal the benefits of tree watching. Of course, there is no need to restrict yourself to just one tree. Try watching a whole stand or even a small wood. With pens, sketchbooks and a camera at the ready, it's off and out, looking for interesting new trees to sketch or revisiting old favourites.

Rob is available for demonstrations and workshops for art groups. www.moortoseaarts.co.uk

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