Another tree thread about my trees.

[DracoDragon42]

So, I have been trying to figure out trees for a while now, and I think I finally got it. My brother says the trunk looks weird, but I don't really see it. Also, is there a way that I could further detail the leaves, I tried, but it just made them look weird.Please tell me what you think, or any edits are great. Thank you!

[Pusty]

Looks nice but I think the leaves looks kinda off.
I think the trunk looks a bit noisy may be wrong tho.

[Friend]

i agree with pusty.  the trunk looks good but could be cleaned up and AA simplified.

the leaves look like a different style.  also i personally dont like how it is one mass.  it also seems way too small.  most full grown trees have several large masses that overhang. note the leaf size to trunk size in trees..  which kind of tree is yours?





color might also be improved down the road but for now id focus on the silhouette of the entire tree after messing with the leaves

[Ambivorous]

I'm not a fan of AA, and I don't want to say anything is wrong with the shape of your tree, because I have no idea what kind of tree it is, what your reference images are or what you're using it for.
I just tackled your lightsource issue.



Arrows to show where the lightsource is coming from, circles to denote clumps of leaves and red areas on the trunk should not see any direct sunlight.
Everything facing upwards gets to be light, and where the angle of a tree would bounce light from the sun to the viewers eyes I used the lightest colours. Kinda.

Don't know what else to say. Questions?

[DracoDragon42]

So I took all of your advice and came up with this:


what I did:
-I took out the brightest color on the trunk, and edited another color
-I tried to map out the branches, because if I do that, I think that it will be easier to make the leaves look good
-I changed the shading on the trunk

I don't know what to do with the leaves, because I don't understand how they grow on a tree.

Edit:
I shaded the branches because why not.

[Decroded]

branches are literally just there so you have a structure to paint a canopy of leaves onto.
its a waste of time shading branches that will be covered in leaves and shadowed.
in fact its counter-productive because what you've done here is made an overall flat shape with a bump giving the impression of a sponge sticker.
Spoiler

branches are too short and stumpy.
increase ur canvas to free ur mind.
loosen ur lines, extend branches out and experiment with curves.
branches get slowly thinner as they extend out.
consider 3d space where some branches come forward (use light colour) while others are behind (use dark).
make several rough iterations and compare which ones look good (use layers if u have them).

[Glak]

I don't know what to do with the leaves, because I don't understand how they grow on a tree.

Do you live somewhere without trees?  If not, go look at one.  The best way to see how they connect to the tree is to lie down with your head touching the trunk.  Then look straight up.

[DracoDragon42]

So, Here is what I have done:



I think I am doing it right this time, i'm going to shade the leaves later today, but it might need to be bigger.

[Decroded]

Look how big the canopy is compared to the trunk in Friend's reference.
While you don't have to stick to that scale it is fairly typical and the canopy of your tree is so small it really stands out as strange.

[Friend]

Look how big the canopy is compared to the trunk in Friend's reference.
While you don't have to stick to that scale it is fairly typical and the canopy of your tree is so small it really stands out as strange.

yeah, what Decroded said.  I think the small canopy makes it look more like a midget tree that is like 3 feet.  it's winter, you should be able to go outside and see how trees are proportioned.  edit- dont know why i didnt think about where you live xD that was ditzy