AuthorTopic: [WIP]Trees related  (Read 32933 times)

Offline micintexp

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Re: [WIP]Trees related

Reply #90 on: December 21, 2009, 10:16:36 pm

Offline Squiggly_P

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Re: [WIP]Trees related

Reply #91 on: December 24, 2009, 02:20:07 am
I think what you need is just some solid drawing study.  I know you're drawing a lot, but you're not trying to draw what you see, you're trying to draw the idea.

Trees are a really difficult subject in general, and for someone who still doesn't have a grasp on 3D space, perspective or a decent visual vocabulary, trying to draw trees is going to be a lot more frustrating.  You seem to be looking for some method that will take care of all of your future tree-drawing problems, but there is no hard and fast rule for drawing anything.  There's no "right way".  All the advice in the world won't matter if you can't use it properly.

I don't want to discourage.  I totally support you in your studies and practice.  I just think you would learn a lot faster if you remove as many things as possible and focus on one skill at a time, whether it be perspective, light and shadow, anatomy, positive / negative space and silhouette...  Trees basically force you to know a lot of stuff in order to be able to competently visualize one, unless you go for a really really stylized approach, and even then it's best to know as much as you can.

If you really are totally focused and determined to draw trees, then start studying trees.  SERIOUSLY study them.  Get a blank book or paper you can draw and take notes on, go outside (or onto google images, if it's too cold right now :P) and draw some trees from reference as closely to the reference as possible.  Don't stylize anything.  Draw whole trees, draw what the individual leaves look like, draw closeups of the bark, the seeds, knots, branches and everything.  Take notes on what kind of tree you're drawing, the different parts of the tree, etc, but draw them all specifically.  Don't generalize them.  Draw THAT exact tree.  Not 'a maple tree' or 'a pine tree' but that exact pine tree in your back yard, or that maple tree down the road.  Pay attention to how thick the branches are at the trunk, and how thick they are near the end.  look at how they bend.  Look at the angle they're at, and how many other branches sprout from them.  Then do a bunch more.  You'll end up with a huge amount of tree vocabulary in your head that you can later use to draw and pixel whatever sort of tree you want.

Draw some still life stuff as well.  Doesn't have to be fruit or anything.  Just get some stuff you have lying around and put one or two things in a nice, lit area (a windowsill or table where there's good sunlight coming in is a good place) and draw that.  As was also suggested, getting a book or two would help a lot.  Replies here aren't going to help you nearly as much as a solid book, like the Loomis books or "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain".  Ask for them for christmas (if you celebrate it) or your birthday.

Anyway, keep working and posting.  I wish I could help more with the tree thing specifically, but I don't really know what sort of advice anyone could give that would make it 'click' without overwhelming you with stuff.  Doing still life and other stuff is my suggestion, but that doesn't mean you can't work on the trees or whatever else you want.  Just start laying a foundation.  Trial and error can only take you so far.