Don't Make This Mistake Drawing Trees - Here's a Better Way
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2024
- Trees don't have to be a problem. This video explains a common mistake in drawing trees which can leave them the weakest part of a drawing. It also explains why this mistake is probably happening. A better way of approaching the subject is then both explained and demonstrated. Don't avoid trees or let them spoil your drawings. They can be fun with this top tip for drawing trees.
In all the world people ask to buy their course and there you giving your knowledge for free , i appreciate your hard work and willingness to teach, thanks you sir ..... Respect
Thank you Harshit. I’m aware a lot of people can never afford a course, or there are other reasons that make a course not possible, but RUclips is available to most people I think. And I do hope to make some income as a creator, but from Google, not from the people who watch my videos. So if you can tell your friends that you find my channel helpful, that would be great. All the best with your drawing. 😀 I really appreciate your thanks.
Couldn’t agree more!!! Really appreciated!!
I am too happy to be apart of your teaching thank you for quenching my thirst to draw
This channel is taking all my students! He must be a racist!
I do a lot of these things when I draw trees, but you gave me more to think about (like drawing the depth of the tree by recognizing that sometimes you're drawing the other side of it, or drawing through it). Mostly I LOVE how you address the problem of "you SEE too much" which leads to "you want to draw the impossible"--maybe that's what's been keeping me back from tackling scenery. Thank you for this! :)
I have a tree playlist if you want to see some more of my approach to trees and foliage. I think how we think must come before pen on the paper, but perhaps most of all so with trees. Observe, strategise, then attack! Have fun with the trees that lie ahead. 😀
I try to paint forests very often ... I get obsessed with making every branch, leaf, cloud or sky that you can see through the canopy of other trees, sometimes multiple layers deep ... It gets tedious and i have abandoned multiple projects because of it ... I always thought i just needed to practice more, get better and faster, now i need to rethink and try a 'less is more' approach.
Oh, and one more thing, i always loved bill watersons trees, he is my inspiration for even trying them. I was very suprised to read in an interview that he was never happy with his trees either. Its so odd that dissatisfaction is such a strong motivator.
One of the most useful tricks I've discovered recently to avoid "knowing too much" about what I'm drawing; is to turn the canvas and reference image upside down. Particularly when I do portraits and difficult details such as the nose and mouth which has lots and lots of unintuitive shadows it makes it so much easier to actually see the shapes and forms rather than than the "symbol" of a nose or the "symbol" of a mouth.
Though, I'm a little worried that soon I'll become so used to see faces upside down that this trick stops working...
Yes, this is a great exercise to convince us of the need for observation. But I think to use it as standard practice would put too much of a focus on drawing accurate lines with context. Part of how we draw a line should relate to its location in the object in the overall composition. Hmm Maybe I’ll do a video on that. 😀
Can't see the tree for the leaves! Sort of like the phrase: can't see the forest for the trees.
Hands down the best guide on drawing trees I've watched or read.
Thank you
Thanks. Very generous of you to say. 😀
Thank you. Drawing a tree and moving hand fingers was my hardest thing to draw and it took me many unsuccessful tries so that I gave up.
I’m glad this was helpful for trees. I’m afraid I’m no good for fingers!😩
After watching a bunch of your video’s I can confidently say you are the best drawing teacher here on RUclips!! Thank you so much for taking your time and putting in a lot of effort to make these video’s for the benefit of other artists!
Wow. Not sure a comment can get any better than this. Thanks Nikki. I hope your drawing is benefiting from my efforts. 😀
@@stephentraversart my drawing has definitely benefited from your content, I learned so much from your video’s!! 😄
@@stephentraversart - ⛳️Totally agree with Nikki.. you are the best. I plan to see more of your videos. You must take online workshops. 🙏🏻
Thank you Nikki. So many possibilities, so little energy☹️
@@stephentraversart Resting is also very important, please don’t forget about yourself Stephen! Take care ☺️!
I've learnt more in two weeks watching your video than in the past 5 months. Being colour blind was proving very difficult to use watercolour effectively. But going to detailed sketches has proved fruitful. Now trees seem within reach
This is awesome 👍🏻
That’s so great to hear. Thanks for telling me. All the best with your trees. I have a trees playlist if your interested. 😀
You continue to amaze me. It is so helpful to see through your eyes and words. Thank you for making these videos and sharing your work.
Such a generous comment to make. Appreciate that Coco so much. Thanks. 😀
I'm impressed you actually drew out all those leaves for the initial demo!!!! Didn't you go nuts?!? How TEDIOUS! 😂 Thanks for the info.
Trees are a bit of a commitment - even to draw badly, so we might as well spend our time drawing them well!😆
i only draw trees, and have always resented the “leaves stage.” thanks for offering me a new perspective :) i will try it out next time i draw
That’s great. I have over 20 videos on trees etc in a playlist if you’re interested in more ideas about drawing them. 😀
@@stephentraversart ive since noticed! haha, making my way through them. have a nice day
Actually by far the best explanation of easy interpretation of drawing trees. Also great to have for making and sharing the works
That’s great to hear Sasi. Please tell your friends who draw about it. 😀
3:52 you nailed it. This is so true! Sometimes knowledge drags us down.
The problem I guess is knowing how to respond to our knowledge. Glad the video was helpful 😀
@@stephentraversart that's an even greater insight! haha thanks!
I'm just getting into drawing as of two days ago. So watching this is really funny because you draw this stunning amazing tree and I think "Wow, that's so good" and then immediately afterwards it's "well, it is recognizable as a tree but it's not the best."
I have so much to learn!
Haha. Sounds like you’re well on the way on this great journey. Glad you found my channel James. All the best with your drawing 😀
One of your videos appeared seemingly unbidden on my whatever it is on youtube, and I've been feasting on them ever since. Living in Perth I was particularly glad to hear your Australian voice in the familiar idiosyncrasies of the Sydney accent which triggered an almost melancholy nostalgia for one who'd spent her childhood and youth on the northern beaches. Having watched perhaps hundreds of videos of artists sharing their advice (in various accents not Australian) I conclude yours (advice, that is) is the most useful.
That’s great Helen. I’m always amused to have my accent referenced because of course that’s something other people have. 😆 Yes, thank you Mr Algorithm for the introduction, and I’m so glad you’ve found my approach helpful. It’s been rather a whirlwind experience for me. 😀
@@stephentraversart If that's the case let's hope you don't stop spinning.
The note regarding the lighter touch as you get closer to the light direction/peak due to density was an extremely useful tip. It makes perfect sense, but as I rarely do any pen work it's something I hadn't quite pieced together for some reason for the medium. Much appreciated!
Glad it was helpful for you Jared. Fortunately I just like looking at trees!😀
This is one of those youtube tidbits that others have probably heard only while sitting in a college lecture hall; love love love it
I love that you love it Ben! Great to hear. Hope it really energises your tree drawing. I’ve just posted a video to celebrate my first million views on RUclips with my considered top three tips from all the advice/ teaching that I’ve given in over 470 videos. Have a look if you’re interested. 😀
Thanks for sharing!
Once, at the end of a plein-air week, one of the staff told me he liked my trees. "Thanks; what about them", I asked? He was looking at a little river scene of a bridge. He said, 'I can tell what everything is in your painting. I see oak trees and maples, and all that stuff around the river. I don't know what those plants are called, but I recognize them.' This was a totally unexpected observation for me. He'd observed that artists in the show treated trees as "foliage" without giving all that greenery the extra level of recognition.
I like this video, because it addresses something very important that too many landscape artists don't pay enough attention to.
That’s certainly what we all would love to hear about our tree drawings. Congratulations Dave 😀
This channel is AMAZING. I'm a concept artist in the videogame industry, and I like sketching, but I definitely want to improve in sketching from real life and this channel is a golden mine of USEFUL information and lessons. Thank you so much for putting this content out, it's all very well explained and showcased.
I’m really glad my channel is so helpful, and quite surprised at the wide range of art areas it seems to be helpful for. All the best with your concept art, and please tell your friends. 😀
@@stephentraversart I definitely will :)
You're teaching me a whole new world of art that I've been looking for for so long- thank you for introducing me to this line of thinking :)
How great to hear Kitsuyomi, it’s I hope will happen with my videos. I would appreciate it if you could tell your friends about my channel. That would help me out. Have fun with your drawing. 😀
Thank you so much for your videos Stephen, they are really helpful!
Thanks Alice. It’s great to hear and kind of you you tell me. Please tell your friends if they’re helpful. 😀
Thanks for this tutorial that has uplifted my skills!❤
Exactly what I was hoping for Kathy. Thanks for telling me. 😀
I’ve recently started to follow your channel ans I wanted to thank you for the profusion of practical, but not only, tips and suggestions. Thanks!
Thanks Mauro, that’s great to hear. I really want to be practical. I teach mostly from my own experience. Please help me, and tell your friends about my channel. All the best. 😀
Excellent instruction!
Thanks Dana. Appreciate that. 😀
Many thanks Stephen. This is a great lesson.
Thanks Julia. That’s encouraging to hear. 😀
This video is a huge help for me. I have struggled with clumpy, flat-looking trees; I look forward to trying this method later today. Cheers!
I hope it’s a very productive approach for you to try. And try it more than once. You may only start to really understand what I’m say as you put it into practice, so it may take a few trees to start to make a difference. Just resist the urge to go back to what you were doing earlier. 😀
This is a very good lesson. There seems to be another problem with the way the trunk is drawn. The trunk appears to be thicker at the point where the branches converge. A trunk never increases in diameter greater than the trunk below.
Thanks. Generally, no. In Australia we have lots of trees where because of bushfire damage the lower down growth no longer goes around the whole tree, even where the centre core of dead wood has burnt away, but where higher up the living tissues rejoin around the whole circumference. This can create the effect of the trunk of looking narrower lower down. But this tree was in Vienna. I’m not sure I think my trunk thickens at the branch join, but clearly my focus was on the foliage. It’s not a very well drawn lower half. 😀
It is quite motivating and I love you teaching us how to “see” differently. That has always been my biggest challenge. Thank you for your lessons
We underestimate so much the importance of first observing. Sounds like you’re on a good track with this. All the best with your drawing. 😀
Very easy to understand how draw.
I loose a lot of steel wool and I get vivid trees.
I really appreciate you.
I’m glad my videos are so helpful to your drawing. 😀
Lovely thanks. The idea that some bits if the tree are further away is really helpful! I could use some further comment on the nature of the marks you used and the thought behind how you vary them. It's deft for you, but not working out when I try it. Looks to be squiggles which are longer on the outside silhouettes. None of them seemed to closed loops that indicate single leaves. With a tree closer to the viewer would you indicate individual leaves?
Wonderful lesson,thank you for sharing. ❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hope it was helpful for your drawing Cathy. All the best with it. 😀
I found your channel today and my god I never subscribed so fast. I swear you every video I watch is the thing I needed and I mean EVERYONE... I can never thank you enough. Keep up the awesome work.
That’s so great Yassine. I’m glad it’s so helpful for you. If you could share your enthusiasm for my channel with your friends, I’d really appreciate it. All the best with your drawing. 😀
Fascinating tutorial! Thank you for sharing this with the world!!
Thanks. I appreciate that. 😀
Beautifully done video. Thank you so much for this.
I appreciate your telling me. Thanks 😀
Extremely helpful video!! Thank you! ❤
Glad it was helpful Pat😀
Thank you for all your drawing videos. It's refreshing to have a skilled artist break down their creative process in such a practical and approachable manner. Your comment about starting to draw before really observing our subject really rang true for me.
My pleasure 😊
Thank you for this great tutorial. 😊 At 75yrs I'm just starting to understand that maybe..just maybe..I may learn how to draw.
And why not? You’ll get advanced standing Helen, for life experience. 😀. Have a fun time with it.
Thankyou for sharing this technique 🌟
I hope it’s a lot of use for you. Have fun exploring it. 😀
Just found your channel and you are such a beam of sunshine! Great information, thank you so much!
Welcome aboard Danielle. I hope there are many more benefits ahead of you from my videos . 😀
Amazing! Thank you!
Thanks Guilherme. 😀
Excellent tutorial. New way of thinking when drawing trees. Thank you very much.
Great to hear it was helpful Janaki. Thanks. 😀
I liked drawing like a kid because it was one of things without rules. You can draw what you want, how you want it and use any color.
When drawing have rules, it is not fun anymore.
Drawing according manual is like some annoying work you need to do.
We all get still get to draw any way we want Antonín. Always your choice. 😀
Phenomenal. The way you explain & demonstrate art actually makes it look approachable. If there's one small suggestion, It would've been nice to see the outline sketch (the "clumps" of the canopy represented as bubbles) side-by-side with the final product, just to further convey how one leads to the other. It's easy to screen-cap them for comparison, so it's by no means a big deal, but quickly comparing them in the video might've been helpful for those who wouldn't think to go the extra step.
Thanks. It would have been easy just to place them side by side. It didn’t occur to me I’m afraid. Appreciate the suggestion. 😀
Stumbling across your video couldn't have come at a better time. I'm in the middle of painting an Australian scene with river red gums in acrylics - and the leaves have been a constant challenge, turning it into an exhausting and demotivating task. Now you have given me a way to visualise it that will help simplify it. Thank you very much for your lovely assistance.
I actually developed my tree drawing technique from painting tree canopies in oils for ten years earlier. 😀
@@stephentraversart It's good to know that your creativity was 'developed' over time with oils. This is my first landscape and I'm trying too hard to get it to look exactly like the reference photo :)
Wow! Who knew? So interesting to draw shadows instead of leaves. Thank you so much from Canada.
It’s worked well for me in Australia with gum trees. I assume it’ll work just as well with maples! 😀
This is the most helpful tree drawing lesson I have ever seen. Thank you
That’s great to hear Kevin. I have a tree playlist if you want to see more from me on this topic. All the best drawing them. 😀
Thank you for this video. I am going to give your technique a try, right after I watch the video on shadow and shade!
Sounds great Donna. Hope it works well for you. 😀
This is a good lesson for many things, we first learn to draw by using lines, and I think that's a mistake, it's light that we see. Cameras don't caputure lines.
Good way of putting it. Thanks for sharing 😀
Great tutorials, your skills are amazing. Shapes of masses over conceptualization! 🙏🏻
Thanks. That’s very kind of you to say 😀
Really excellent lesson… thank you.. i’ll now observe differently when i draw a tree (shapes & shadows).
Sounds like you’ve taken it all in Barbara. All the best with your drawing. 😀
Very well demonstrated!
Thanks Michael. 😀
Oh this is soooooo good! Thank you for telling how to do this❤
Glad it was helpful Vicky. Have fun drawing trees now. 😀
Thank you!
Glad it was helpful Inge. I have a Drawing Trees Playlist if you’re interested. 😀
Excellent video. Not only do I love your drawings, but you have an exceptional ability to put into words what you draw making it so understandable for me to improve my tree drawings as I tend to get lost in the details. Will definitely employ your technique when I try to draw trees. Thanks so much!
Thanks Evelyn. I’m really glad you find my technique helpful. I have another 20 videos in a playlist on trees, foliage and branches if you’re interested in more. 😀
Excellent tip. Thanks, mate!😊
My pleasure. I have a Drawing Trees playlist if your Interested in more thought on foliage and branches. 😀
wow, this is special, what an incredible difference. THANK YOU
Glad it’s been helpful for you Sonia. 😀
Really good. Trees are tricky. I'm going to try this today.
I have a drawing trees playlist if you want some more teaching and practice. All the best. 😀
It’s fascinating I recently started to paint with oil and with oil you actually think I can’t draw all the details I only want the light and shadows and when drawing with pen I want to draw all details which is impossible, starting to paint helped me a lot to understand how to draw with a pen. Actually I think you shouldn’t wait to long until starting to paint, I see some people saying learn draw first then paint I don’t think this is true.
I painted in oils for ten years before I started drawing and I’m sure it helped my drawing immensely as it taught me to draw the effect of the detail. rather than the actual detail. 😀
Thank you for sharing this. I haven't done any drawing at all for quite a few years, and want to start again. I'm sure this sort of tutorial will get me back into it. Clear and concise!
Sounds great. All the best with diving back in. 😀
Thank you for the encouragement! 🇦🇺
Terrific lesson., Thank you !
One never stops learning ... In this case, how to view things by first deleting preconceptions.
So true. An important point. I’ve just posted a video to celebrate my first million views on RUclips with my considered top three tips from all the advice/ teaching that I’ve given in over 470 videos. Have a look if you’re interested. 😀
I actually quite like the abstract look of the pebble tree drawing. Great video, has helped me a good bit. Thanks 😊 👍
Yes. I can imagine them as polished Jade of various deep green shades. 😀
Thank you very much Stephen, this has been very informative for me.
Thanks Jerome. I hope you put it into practice. 😀
Wow! What a mind blowing technique 🎉. Fascinating process! Thanks for sharing your experience with an easy to follow “recipe”.
Glad it’s given a framework for drawing trees. But careful observation is still the foundation. Have fun with your drawing. 😀
excellent. Helps tremendously.. thankyou
Great to hear this. All the best with your drawing. 😀
Thanks for a great tutorial
My pleasure Ezme😀
Awesome tutorial. Perfect in line with Alphonso Dunn tutorials.
A great compliment. Thank you Spruce. Please tell your artist friends. 😀
Thanks for the algorithm taking me here. I learnt a lot, it was really well explained and I wouldn't mind having a go at drawing a tree
I’m glad as well and that you found it helpful. Why not have a go at drawing the same tree?😀
@Stephen Travers Art thats a good idea. I'll have a look at the source image.
Wow, using this method in digital art would be very effective, it's so good, thank you very much!!
I wouldn’t know myself, but I believe you. Have fun exploring it. 😀
very enlightening - thanks Stephen
My pleasure. Happy tree drawing. 😀
I just discovered your channel and I'm already freaking excited to dive into your other videos also 😮😊 I'm strugglin with making plain and boring trees (my medium is watercolor), but this may help me get them more interesting! 😊
I started painting tree canopies in oils for ten years before drawing architecture. Everything overlaps. Hope you have fun with it Ida 😀
Absolutely brilliant
Thanks Jackie
Thanks for your help.
My pleasure. I’ve just posted a video to celebrate my first million views on RUclips with my considered top three tips from all the advice/ teaching that I’ve given in over 470 videos. Have a look if you’re interested. 😀
@@stephentraversart Will do, Congratulations !! And thanks again.
This actually helped me in a way not even mentioned in the video---- draw the leaves first!
I've tried numerous methods of drawing trees. I can draw the leaves fairly fine, but I can never make the canopy look right.
And it's because I'm trying to draw the trunk first, and then think about how the branches all connect into all the different clumps of leaves.
It's not necessarily that I'm drawing the trunk first that's the problem, it's that I'm trying to connect the branches into imaginary leaves that I must try to draw after the fact.
I might continue to block out the trunk first, but I'm definitely going to be attempting to get the leaves figured out before I do the finer details and branches.
I imagine it would be fun to draw a tree without a reference, and let the shape be dictated by how the weight of the trunk/branches would react to where I've placed clumps of leaves. Very excited to try this out.
Gosh, I fundamentally draw trees from the canopy first so much it didn’t even strike me as a technique. Yes, a big problem with trees is the trunk and branches looking too thick for the amount of canopy. Drawing them second makes this much less likely to happen. Excellent point. 😀
love your work
Thanks Yash. Appreciate that. 😀
Breeding your own competition ? Very clever !
😆
Very informative. Thank you.
GreT to hear Jaap. Thanks. 😀
Thanks for the video. I felt like I was watching "BOB ROSS"..... (That's an enormous compliment)
Please continue to make them.
Thanks for such a kind compliment. Hope your drawing is bringing you joy. 😀
thanks Stephen
My pleasure. 😀
Merci, ce fut très instructif !
Merci beaucoup. 😀
This was terrific. Thank you for your time and excellent explanations. I will go out today and draw some trees which I've been struggling with --i.e., too much detail!
Great I could help. Have fun with them now. 😀
It was amazing master, thanks for sharing your experience with us, I learned a lot, greetings from Bogotá Colombia
My pleasure Jorge. I hope trees are even more fun for you to draw now. 😀
This video is extremely helpful in learning how to SEE, as trees can be intimidating because of all the detail. I am grateful for your videos because the books I have gotten leave out details. Anyway thank you for the best tutorials I have found so far. I always try to figure out how the branches relate to the clumps, and sometimes you cannot see what is going on underneath. I see you drawing from one clump of the tree rather that lightly sketching out the whole thing in pencil first? If I did that it might end up going off the page. I will have to draw a few trees with circles first to really begin to see all the clumps and learn to simplify a bit so the sketch doesnʼt appear too labored and has a nice composition. Takes lots of practice.
On the second drawing, draw the clumps smaller and closer. If they’re still going off the page, on the third try, draw them still smaller and closer. And so in. At some point they will be perfectly sized and you can move onto the next thing you are focussing on. This is how we learn. That includes me. You can do it Jan. All the best with your drawing. 😀
@@stephentraversart Thank you... yes each time it looks better and better. And I need to work on a convincing squiggle that suggests leaves.
Best Tree Tutorial for making it more 3 Dimensional.
Thank you. That’s encouraging to hear. 😀
Thank you Stephen you help me a lot ! I will follow you from now on to learn more. 👴
Welcome aboard my channel Juan. I have a tree playlist if you’re interested more in trees in particular. All the best with your drawing. 😀
THanks you man i had been strugling with tress in my sketches ur vidio may help me so thank you
Really glad it was helpful Angad. Keep drawing!😀
thank you so much
My pleasure Manuel 😀
this was really good. thankyou for the tips. subbed.
Welcome aboard the channel Brendan. All the best with your drawing journey. 🤣
Thank you for the lesson master 🙏
Very kind of you to say. Glad it was helpful Dedemittua 😀
@@stephentraversart very helpful... Thank you 😇
This was absolutely wonderful ❤❤❤
Great to hear Lucy. 😀
🤯👏🏾👍🏾 wow this was mind blowing and so true and so helpful
I’m really pleased. Thanks 😀
I've watched several of your videos about drawing trees and I think this one gets the closest to really making me understand WHY it's hard to draw trees. It's interesting to think about and I was trying to come up with an analogy...(former English teachers like analogies, right?) and I thought maybe it's like if I tried to draw you (or any person) by drawing every hair follicle on your head and your neck and your arms, etc. Or leaves are like cells in a body and you don't wanna draw every cell, you don't even want to think about cells! Right? What do you think? Thanks for another great video!
It sounds like you’ve got it worked out. All the best putting it into practice in your drawings Carrie. 😀
Obrigada, aprendi muito! Thank you, it’s really helpfull!!
Great to hear. Thanks. 😀
Thank you
Glad it was helpful. 😀
Thanks, again, amazing
My pleasure. 😀
Hey that's insightful stuff. Cool to get a window into another art form.
Glad you found it interesting. 😀
Sehr instruktiv erklärt. Danke
Vielen Dank 😊
Oh my goodness this channel is golden. This is such a helpful video, truly appreciate your work sir.
Thanks for saying so Gareth, I really appreciate it. 😀
@@stephentraversart it's because of your videos that I feel I can be able to get back into traditional pencil/pen art.
Yes, all good points. That tree look heavier than the bldgs. I know it happens but the trunk leaning to the left bothers me. Looks better to have a strong vertical line of the trunk. My 2 cents.
Thanks. I’ve passed on your tree trunk preferences to the appropriate authorities. I expect it will be changed forthwith!😆
@@stephentraversart Great and Thanks.
You've lightened the tree, gave it the proper "weight", so to speak. GREAT work. Then left it looking like the Leaning Tower of Treesa. I can already tell you what the authorities are gonna say. (wink)
No it’s more natural and it brings the eye back inward towards the drawing.
Hi Stephen thanks so much for this video. I love, drawing trees but find they can turn out flat without being able to catch their essence. I try to draw too many leaves. I'm going to try and see them differently. I believe if we see and spend time looking we can see so much more. 😊Thanks so much for your informative videos.
It’s great to hear my videos are being helpful for you Pauline, observation is so important. Have fun with 3D trees!😀
Thank you for the video :) I definitely have to work on my trees and stop drawing every... single... leaf :D
Sounds like you’ve taken in my reasoning pretty well! Enjoy trees. 😀