Silverpoint

A tree from masses

Four stages of a tree: the whole silhouette, then three to five big clumps, then a light side and shadow side on each clump, then leaf texture only along edges1 · SILHOUETTE2 · CLUMPS3 · LIGHT/SHADOW4 · EDGE MARKSEach clump is a sphere with its own light side, shadow side and cast shadow onto theclump below.Never draw a leaf. Draw masses that catch light, then let the edges say "leaves".
FigureBuilding a tree from masses
FoundationMass

A tree from masses

Copy Prout's tree study, then draw a real tree the same way

Build a summer tree in four stages: silhouette, clumps, light and shadow on each clump, edge texture last.

Difficulty
Time
about 1 h
You draw with
2B, 4B, 6B
Building a tree from massesTexture lives at the edgeErasers as drawing toolsLight on form

Why this one

  • Unit 3 of the program: Mass: the Corot Half.
  • Two trees that read as masses with light on them, with texture only at their edges and not a single leaf drawn.

From your kit

The whole kit →
  1. 1Grafwood 2B, 4B, 6B 2B, 4B, 6B for the darks, on their sides for mass. Long points from the Blackwing on everything up to B.
  2. 2Pitt Matt 8B to 12B for the big tone passages: matt, so the dark mass reads as tone, not shine.
  3. 3Kneaded eraser (warm it) and the clean Mono Zero lift the lights out of the mass; the Mono Zero for sky holes and lit edges.
  4. 4Alpha sketchbook 9 x 6 draw at the book's size and keep the proportions; date the page.
In general, this study asks for
  • Drawing pad
  • 2B, 4B, 6B
  • Kneaded eraser
  • A real tree in leaf, or a photo

Watch first

All videos →

Shadow shapes as flat masses first. Shown on a portrait, but the principle is identical for a tree or a tower.

YouTube
Subtractive drawing: symmetry and value in charcoalNathan Orosco · Laying a charcoal ground and lifting the lights out, the late-Corot method.How to draw landscapes, trees, grass, foliage, water, using graphite pencilsSmoothie77 · Trees as masses in graphite, with the edge texture where it belongs.

The plan

4 stages · ~65 min
  1. 1

    Read Prout's tree

    20 min

    Study the Prout tree study. It is a sketchbook page, so it shows the method naked: a lobed silhouette, three or four clumps, scribbled texture only at the edges, the inside left as tone, a firm trunk. Point to each clump.

    Sketchbook: Tree Study, Prout, 1814
    Cleveland Museum of Art

    Prout, Sketchbook: Tree Study, 1814. graphite.

    Prout, Sketchbook: Tree Study, 1814, graphite.

    The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert N. Bier, London

    Checklist0 / 1
  2. 2

    Copy it in four stages

    20 min

    Stage one: the whole silhouette, lightly, one lobed shape plus the trunk's position. Stage two: divide into three to five clumps. Stage three: a lit top and a shadowed underside on each clump; lower clumps darker. Stage four: broken scribble along the outer edges of the lit clumps only. Thirty minutes.

    Four stages of a tree: the whole silhouette, then three to five big clumps, then a light side and shadow side on each clump, then leaf texture only along edges1 · SILHOUETTE2 · CLUMPS3 · LIGHT/SHADOW4 · EDGE MARKSEach clump is a sphere with its own light side, shadow side and cast shadow onto theclump below.Never draw a leaf. Draw masses that catch light, then let the edges say "leaves".
    FigureSilhouette, clumps, light and shadow, edge texture.
    Checklist0 / 1
  3. 3

    A real tree

    20 min

    Same four stages from life or your photo. Squint for the silhouette and the clumps; open your eyes only for stage four. Lift two or three lights from the clump tops with the kneaded eraser instead of leaving them white.

    Checklist0 / 1
  4. 4

    Self-check

    5 min

    Tick each item honestly. If one is a no, the session is not finished; go back to that step.

    Checklist0 / 4

What it should look like

  • Two trees that read as masses with light on them, with texture only at their edges and not a single leaf drawn.

Where it goes wrong

  • Scribble across the whole canopy. Texture felt like progress. Erase back to flat clumps. Texture only on the outer edge of the lit clumps.
  • A round, symmetrical silhouette. The symbol for tree. Draw the silhouette by the sky shapes around it.

Log this session

Start the clock when you pick up the pencil. Stop it when you put it down. Log it. Every session counts toward the box.

00:00of ~60 min

Status

How did it go?

Up nextProut's sketchbook: Tree Study