Part Three Outdoors Project 1 Trees Exercise 1 Sketching individual trees

Living in the inner city of Cotonou, Benin, poses its challenges when drawing trees as there are so many ugly concrete buildings shutting off sections of their view. However, there is a clump of scraggily, wispy trees within view of our balcony. This is where are neighboring hawks squabble for nesting space. I thoroughly enjoyed sketching one of these trees in the relative cool of the late afternoon.

In my OCA tutor's suggestions to me, she encouraged me to try to loosen up my drawing style by allowing my drawings to becoming more expressive and less technical. So for these sketches I used black ballpoint pen and I tried to get a more gestural feeling to the way I interpreted these trees.

Initial Sketch using black ballpoint pen

Second attempt aiming at greater simplification

Amy also suggested that I use fluid media such as watercolors when trying to loosen up my very tight depiction style. So, for this next sketch I tried to draw with watercolors. I liked the unpredictable edges that are formed when one layer of color is placed on top of the previous layer.

Initial watercolor sketch aimed at recording the general gestures of the clumps of foliage.

Next attempt to record the generalized hue changes within the foliage.

Although I like the touches of ochre in this foliage, I feel that some areas ended up in becoming overworked and muddy in their execution. The hues, however, are more indicative of the actual tree.