When a person first picks up a pencil to draw a forest, he is faced with a problem: how to draw a huge number of small details? As a child, I asked a similar question to my teacher: "How should I draw trees correctly - draw all the leaves or not?" To which he replied with a smile: “Of course not!” How, then, to draw a forest correctly?
1. Transfer of space and perspective in the drawing of the forest.
When artists paint interiors or city streets, then everything is clear with perspective. Rectangular, simple geometric shapes easily fit into a perspective reduction. Here it is easy to outline the horizon line and bring all sides of the buildings to the vanishing point. But how is the space organized in the forest, where it is filled with all sorts of branches, snags, foliage ... In the illustration, I specially drew a diagram of five planes, reminiscent of a room. It's easier to imagine space for a novice artist. Further, against this background distribute trees. Trees have trunks and a crown, where the forms are far from simple geometric ones. They are "clumsy" because they have many bends and kinks, and are also replete with details such as bark, small branches, etc. But, despite these "difficulties", they also subordinate linear perspective, just like rectangles. The trunks of trees in the foreground are larger, in the second - smaller, etc. In addition, one tree covers another or one branch covers part of another branch. The trees in the foreground are so large that they do not fit in the sheet and go beyond it. Thus, the viewer finds himself inside the forest, and is not an observer from the side when the forest is built as a wall near him.
In the illustrations, I gave an example from my drawings, where the forest is drawn "from the side" and "from the inside." Therefore, you need to remember that different angles and points of view are possible. I.I. Shishkin liked to paint the forest, "placing" the viewer inside.
2. Generalization of small details into masses of large, medium and small sizes.
In the drawing of the forest, of course, you can select individual leaves, focusing on the compositional center. I devoted a separate article to this issue, which you can read. However, more often the artist has to generalize. It is generalization that is always more difficult for beginners than drawing details. But it is necessary. So what should be generalized and how? You need to generalize individual leaves and branches that form groups or masses. These groups should not be made the same size. Everything in nature is dynamic. Therefore, the drawing must be dynamic, and this is achieved through the transfer of rhythm. Rhythm is created when the artist does not make "sameness" in the drawing. Therefore, the masses of foliage will different in size- large, medium, small. But the rhythm will be transmitted not only in size, but also degree of generalization. We generalize some masses of branches and leaves, literally blurring the image. For example, it is appropriate in the background. And we generalize some groups not so much: in them one can distinguish a kind of foliage that forms a “clumsy” texture. Well, separate groups in the foreground, of course, will contain details: carefully traced leaves and branches. However, they will belong this group. But, separately located trees, branches, leaves need to be detailed with care. If there are too many such objects in the drawing, they will look "glued" to the drawing, and will not part a single whole, which will cause the effect of "cartoonism" and unnaturalness.
3. Volume in natural forms.
It is, of course, easier to convey the volume of a cylinder or a ball when we draw a still life. But in the forest, there are no such forms. At first sight. But if you look closely, then basis the shape of tree trunks lies all the same cylinder. IN basis intricate forms of foliage groups - ball. IN basis paths in the forest - tetrahedral corridor shape. And so on. realizing natural forms are easier for the artist to generalize and convey volume. Chiaroscuro can be seen on tree trunks, on masses of foliage and individual leaves, on the entire crown of a tree, and even on a whole group of many trees. As an example, I have illustrated chiaroscuro on a tree trunk. Although its shape is based on a cylinder, it still has irregularities, bends. In addition, the trunk is covered with bark, which has its own characteristics for each tree species. Therefore, hatching will not be smooth, but more textured. Here, each artist has his own hatching techniques, so let's not philosophize beyond what is necessary and create unnecessary patterns. As for chiaroscuro in general, it is built from light, penumbra, shadow, reflex and falling shadow. On a jug, in a still life drawing, it’s easier to figure it out. And how to see such subtleties in the mass of foliage? Observation is important here. No wonder I.I. Shishkin is called a naturalist. He studied nature in detail, memorizing the varieties of herbs and trees. Therefore, watching the forest, you can see all the nuances of light and shade in foliage, branches, etc. In academic drawing, this is called light-shadow modeling of the form. That is, modeling. That is, here you need to model, not copy, but understand the essence, observing nature.
In drawing a forest, of course, there are other issues that cannot be covered in one article. But the three aspects that I have listed here are the key ones. Therefore, I called them the keys to success. Keeping them in mind, you can learn how to draw a forest professionally and competently.
Hello dear friends!
I am sure that almost all of you are interested in the topic of creating landscapes. Landscapes can be very different, showing beautiful and interesting views of different parts of our planet, in many of them you come into contact with the task of depicting trees. How to draw a living, beautiful and natural tree is the topic of our today's lesson.
Trees are not difficult to draw, only sometimes they come out somehow too drawn or flat.
Basic Mistakes
The main mistakes in drawing trees are:
Lack of volume
The lack of volume in the drawing (in color or black and white) is achieved by using paints of different tone and intensity. Even on a cloudy day, some part of the crown and trunk will be more shaded, and some less. In the thick of foliage, the colors are always darker. Think of a tree as a ball (crown) and a cylinder (trunk) to understand how shadows form on this complex shape.
Nature is an eternal source of inspiration for creative people. Poets and prose writers, composers and artists dedicate their works to her. One of the most frequent subjects of landscapes is the forest. This is not surprising. He is so different. Good and beautiful at any time of the year. What kind of flowers you will not see in the crowns of trees!
Pencil painting
Each artist has his favorite materials for drawing, fortunately, now there are a huge number of their types. However, among the favorites is still an ordinary simple pencil.
Before starting work, the master needs to think about how to draw a forest with a pencil, since it is quite difficult to convey all the beauty of the landscape with just one color.
The difficulty may also lie in the fact that it is difficult for novice talents to convey a shadow.
To make the image more voluminous, it is necessary to apply it with strokes. Lines are best done in different keys.
How to draw a forest with a pencil in stages?
When choosing this type of drawing, you first need to depict common features. First of all, straight, curved lines appear on paper. These are sketches of future trees and hills. After that, you need to draw a few thick trunks.
The next step is to place the bushes and grass.
When this is done, you should depict the trees that grow in the background.
If all the main objects are already placed on the canvas, then you need to think about the details. In how to draw a forest, it is very important that the picture is believable. In order for the image to look realistic, the master uses shading. The stroke can be either horizontal or vertical. It is necessary to leave unshaded some areas of the image - those where the color falls. A similar effect can be achieved with an eraser.
tree image
Trees are the main components of the picture. Thinking about how to draw a forest, you should learn how to draw trees. When drawing a sketch of each individual tree on paper, some rules must be considered:
- the further the object is, the more it will be enveloped in a bluish fog, and the contours of the image will look fuzzy, as if blurry (one of the rules of aerial perspective);
- the closer the tree is to the master, the more saturated the color of its crown will be.
The right choice of paper for drawing can help to create a beautiful texture: watercolor paper can have roughness. They will help create a beautiful view of the leaves and bark of the tree. To do this, do not press the pencil too hard, shading the surface.
In order for the image to look realistic, it is important to be able to correctly work with the foreground and background of the picture. For example, so that the trees that are closer do not mix with those that grow a little further, they need to be painted with brighter colors.
Watercolor drawing
For those who prefer to paint with a brush, watercolors are perfect as paints.
Starting work, you need to sketch the landscape. This is best done with a pencil. Sketch with thin lines, otherwise a shadow may appear on the picture.
After the outlines are made, it is necessary to take up the image of the sky. Having chosen its location, it is necessary to apply ultramarine and cobalt colors to it. In order for the line of clouds to be clearly visible, it is better to draw its edge with diluted burnt umber. A good option if carmine is added to it.
If the question arose of how to draw a forest especially expressively, then you should know that for this purpose more attention is paid to the foreground. Grass is drawn with jerky, sharp movements.
Leaves can be depicted in any color that the imagination suggests. The most advantageous variation looks, in which a large number of different shades are used.
When choosing how to draw a forest, it is important to choose a method that will bring as much pleasure from creative work as possible. Young artists should sometimes listen to advice on how to choose the right light, what time of day to paint, how to correctly compose a color scheme. But the main thing is unity with nature and a creative impulse.
If the artist has a developed sense of harmony, how to draw a forest in stages goes by the wayside. Any manner of execution will only emphasize beauty.
In this lesson we will look at how to draw a forest, how to learn how to realistically draw a forest with a pencil step by step, an easier lesson in drawing a forest is.
In this tutorial, we'll focus on:
1. A texture that is created with various shading tools and methods, showing details of the surface of trees and vegetation on the ground.
2. Geometric perspective, i.e. the closer the trees, the larger they are, the further away, the smaller. Also, when trees are removed from the foreground deep into the forest, the bases of the trees are located higher than the previous ones.
3. Atmospheric (or aerial) perspective, which is conveyed by depicting the influence of the components of the atmosphere, such as tiny dust particles, pollen, or moisture droplets. Trees in the foreground are more detailed, with brighter highlights and darker shadows, than trees further away from the viewer. Distant trees are lighter, less contrasted and less detailed due to the presence of more atmospheric components between them and the viewer.
I used 2H, HB, 2B, 4B and 6B pencils (best if you have all pencils from 6H to 8B), vinyl eraser and nag, heavily textured watercolor paper (cold pressed, 90 lb).
Composition planning.
In the picture, 14 trees create the depth of the forest. In the forest, all these trees are approximately the same, however, according to the rules of perspective, they will have different thicknesses in the figure. Compare the following two illustrations to get a better idea of how this drawing was created. To help you identify which trees are closest to you, each one is numbered so you don't get confused.
The tree number 1 is closest to us, the farthest tree is 14. You can see that the closer the tree, the darker it is drawn, the further it becomes lighter.
Trees that are closer to us will be more detailed, their highlights will be brighter, and their shadows will be darker.
The light source is on the right rear. On the left, the trunks of each tree are shaded a little darker than in other areas, because. the light falls from behind on the right, then the darkest areas will be on the opposite side, i.e. front left.
The arrangement of trees in the forest in the figure.
Before you start shading, you must draw the outlines of all 14 trees, also remember to place the base of each tree a little higher with increasing serial number of trees. In addition, the trees should gradually become smaller as their serial number increases.
1. With thin lines, mark the area for the drawing with approximately the same proportions as mine.
My drawing is 4 by 6.5 inches (about 10 by 16.5 cm). Other options may be 6 by 9.75 inches (approximately 15 by 25 cm) or 8 by 13 inches (approximately 20 by 33 cm).
2. Draw the outlines of the three trees that are closest to us.
Tree #1, the largest tree, is the focal point of this drawing. Notice its location is to the right of the center of your drawing area. Its base is located below all, close to the bottom edge of the picture.
The sketch of tree 2, the second largest tree, is moved to the left of the drawing and is smaller than the first tree. Its base is slightly higher than that of tree 1.
Tree 3, the third largest of the trees, is on the right side of the drawing. Its base is slightly higher than tree 2.
3. Draw trees numbered 4, 5 and 6. The trees that are in the foreground sometimes coincide with the trees behind them, providing the effect that one tree is located in front of the other. Notice how tree 4 is perceived to be in front of tree 6. Also, trees get smaller the farther they are from you. Conversely, the closer they are to you, the bigger they look.
Tree 4 is not as big as 1, 2 or 3, and its base is located in the picture above.
The sketch of the 5th tree is located slightly to the left of the 3rd.
Tree 6 is slightly behind tree 4 (closed by its trunk), so all you need to do is draw its right side and base.
4. Draw trees 7, 8 and 9. Tree 7 is located just to the left of the 1st. Tree 8 is located to the left of tree 7 (and there is space between them). The base of tree 9 is higher than the base of tree 8 and its trunk is sketched in one vertical line to give the illusion that the tree is behind tree 7.
5. Draw trees 10 to 14. Remember that each subsequent tree is drawn slightly higher than the previous one and becomes smaller than the previous one. Now compare your drawing with mine and make any changes you want. Check the location of the bases of all fourteen trees, starting with tree number 1 (the largest tree) and sequentially through all the numbers up to tree number 14 (the smallest tree). Make sure each base is drawn slightly higher than the previous one.
Creation of various textures.
This section of the tutorial is about creating different textures.
The “teeth” of highly textured watercolor paper (meaning the surface features of this paper) can help create the texture of trees and foliage. When you are shading, hold your pencil sideways and use gentle circular motions.
Don't press too hard on the pencil! The excellent texture of this paper can be easily smoothed out, i.e. destroyed by this pressure, and on a smooth surface you will no longer get the desired imitation of, for example, tree bark).
Remember to leave patches of white paper between the trees and on the lighted sides of the trees.
Below is a scale of gradation of shades of shadows, depending on the softness of the pencil. well if you have the whole set, this table will help you choose the right shade ratio. Also in this lesson, hatching with curls is used, look at the lesson on it (the farther the coils and the pencil are harder from each other, the lighter the area turns out, the denser and the pencil is soft, the darker the area you get). Notice the wide range of light and shadow ratios used to convey the texture of the vegetation on the ground.
Adding textures and depth to the forest.
Here we will create the 3D space of the forest using shading.
6. Shade the areas behind the smaller trees, creating a smooth transition from white at the top to darker towards the bottom.
7. Add shadows to trees 11, 12, 13 and 14.
8. Add shadows to trees 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. See the next three drawings. Do not forget that each tree is darker on the left and the lower the tree number, the darker the shadows need to be.
9. The texture of the vegetation on the ground, which is located far away, is drawn using a combination of regular hatching and hatching with curlicues. Also add some dark shadows to the bases of the trees.
10. Darken all the trees except the first one, while using the pencils that suit you best and add, referring to the original:
- more textured shading on the base of the trees, which will look like vegetation in this place;
- enhance the contrast on tree trunks;
- draw some small branches (growing down) at the top of some trees in the foreground and background of the picture.
The forest can be very different. For example, it may be a small forest in which it is difficult to get lost, or it may be a dense thicket. To better understand how to draw a forest, it is recommended to carefully consider the works of the greatest painters on this subject. For example, the canvases of Shishkin are very interesting, who was unusually good at conveying the atmosphere of a mysterious and enchanting forest in his wonderful works.
You can also draw a forest with a pencil from nature. Such a walk, during which you can make a series of sketches from nature, will also be very useful for health. After all, it's not a secret for anyone that the air in the forest is particularly clean and fresh. If it is impossible to go to some forest, then you can learn how to draw a forest using beautiful photographs.
Before you draw the forest in stages, you must definitely make sure that all the accessories you need for this, which are listed a little below, are nearby. So, to draw a forest you need:
1). multi-colored pencils;
2). Eraser;
3). Liner;
4). Paper;
5). Pencil.
Now you can learn how to draw a forest with a pencil in stages, and then color it:
1. Draw a horizon line first;
2. Draw the outlines of the tree trunks that are in the foreground;
3. The drawing will look more interesting if the trees are different. Therefore, draw the first tree, making it a Christmas tree;
4. Draw the second tree, which half hides the spruce. Let it be a birch;
5. Now draw more clearly the third tree, which is the largest. Let it be oak;
6. In the background, depict the trunks of other trees, without much detail;
7. In the foreground, draw blades of grass and mushrooms;
8. Circle the sketch with a liner;
9. Erase the preliminary pencil drawing with an eraser;
10. Paint over the trunks of those trees that are not birches with different shades of brown. Paint over the cones on the spruce with a light brown tone;
11. Stroke the birch trunks with light gray and gray pencils;
12. Blue-green paint the outlines of the forest in the distance. Paint the grass with light green and rich green shades;
13. Color the mushroom caps in different colors;
14. Shade the sky with a blue tone. Color the leaves of the trees in various shades of green.
Now you understand how to draw a forest with a pencil, and then colorize this picture. Of course, the forest will look most impressive if it is painted with paints.
