Apples Leaves & Trees

I’ve done some demo sketch treatments of leaves and trees on the whiteboard, so you’ll see that way below, for your interest.

THURSDAY MARCH 7 ’13

A bright sunny day this Thursday.

Already our 6th week of this term.

We simply had to have apples as a sketch still life today – all the way from the Blue Mts, and the same apples sketched over 3 days.

We’re doing trees in the park, so it seems a good idea to have green leaves as a 2nd sketch still life. In everybody completed 2 sketches so I could show them both.

There are many ways to treat trees and foliage in sketching, so a few tips are useful.

It was so lovely in Gilbert Park, seated or standing, eyeing a tree or two to sketch.

Again all the sketches are showing good composition, and enticing us into the main focus.

We then pop over the road to Belgrave Cartel Cafe and spread out in the back room, for lunch and some discussions on perspective. Some were trying out room sketches and discovering things are not always as they seem. We have a cute one of some of the other sketchers too.

Love to see people testing themselves and learning.

Makes a big difference when you know where all the lines vanish to.

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FRIDAY MARCH 8 ’13

A blue and sunny Friday.

We have my new copy of James Richard’s Sketchbook, really designed for architects and similar but our sketchers are fascinated.

They love the progress sketches where he starts the first of 4 or so buildings by showing the eye level and building from that to a finished line and watercolour work.

We are doing plants and trees this week so the sketches of tree varieties were of great interest too.

In fact many of the sketches interested them and if anything wasn’t their ‘thing’ it was passed over.

Our apple and plant sketches are all a delight.

We were in Gilbert Park next, and finding a spot which appealed.

Some chose pathways lined with foliage, and others the old bird aviary long abandoned but a challenging 6 sided shape with a peaked roof.

Eye levels were on our minds.

Lunch at Belgrave Cartel meant time to complete work and see what others had achieved.

People are now exploring some of the techniques we’ve been looking into.

The chinagraph white pencil, sketching in paint only and Annie did a very fast brushpen sketch of a screaming red Vespa she couldn’t resist.

A nice variety of work today

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SATURDAY MARCH 9 ’13

This is a seriously hot blue day. One never knows.

A few people missing in action today, but we got on with the task at hand and spread out a bit more.

The leaves of the plants are connected to a stem, even though you cannot always see that.

The same thing happens to trees. The leaves all come to a branch which comes into a trunk.

For sketching purposes I suggest keeping things lighter on the outer edges, more colour in the centre or where your main focus is. Darker at the base where things are seated.

Our Gilbert Park sketches are all entirely different but showing good composition, leading us in.

We look for shadows on pathways and open grass areas to bring us in too.

Lunchtime means we can take a table at Belgrave Cartel and have either the breakfast or lunch menu.

We all enjoy the coffee, and homemade baked beans are looking good. Katherine thinks her mushrooms on rye are the nicest she’s tried, and my two poached eggs are a treat.

We love the eclectic decor of the backroom, with it’s faded Op shop paintings the standard lamps and chandeliers which all go together without question.

A very good week and we look forward to another challenge next time.

©ErinHill2013