This is another drawing from a reference photo taken last summer. It’s a picture of a withered leaf. The leaf was holding a seed pod. (See photo.) The seed pod kind of bugged me, and I kept going back and forth about whether to edit it out or not. The real problem was that I doubted my ability to edit it out realistically.
I’m aware that the composition is slightly lopsided to the right. I had a long talk with myself over that, and I tried to adjust it, but it kept ending up as you see it now. So, I have no excuse for the crooked composition other than stubbornness.
I used Arches hotpress watercolor paper with Mars Lumograph and Grafwood pencils to draw this piece. I used the Arches because of its superb texture for graphite, and the Mars Lumograph and Grafwood pencils because of their excellent quality.
For some reason, I didn’t make my initial tracing from the photo dark enough, so I couldn’t see all the lines through the Arches paper. That meant I had to draw a lot of the line drawing on the Arches paper by eye, or start over and retrace the whole photo again. I decided to draw it by eye. Damn, that was a pain. So, I got off to a slow start.
I’m using the Mars Lumograph pencils for the dark leaves and the Grafwood pencils for the light and medium light leaves. I spoke about the differences between the two brands and why I use them in different circumstances in my last blog post, so I won’t bore you with that again. The Grafwood pencils have a more limited range than the Mars Lumograph though, and that makes them easier to work with if the value range you’re drawing is limited, too.
Now that I’ve started drawing the texture on a wedge of the withered leaf, just let me say, what was I thinking! Good heavens, the texture on this leaf is one of the most complicated I’ve ever drawn. There’s no faking it, either. Looks like I’m going to have to draw every dot, dash, and smudge. And underneath that texture is a patchy shading. Some of the shading defines the shape of the leaf, and some of it is left over from the leaf’s color, making it all very confusing.
As I draw the many tiny details, I feel like the patterns I see are on the edge of turning into chaos. My eyes flick back and forth between the drawing and the photo, trying to find points of resemblance, and I’m giddy with delight when I discover any at all. I’ll have to revisit this area after my eyes and ego have had a chance to recuperate.
I’ve discovered that the best way to handle the withered leaf’s detail is in short bursts with a break in-between. That way, I don’t get stressed out by drawing too many details, and I come back with fresh eyes. Also, a cookie between bursts seems to help. Chocolate chip.
Examining my scanned work next to the photo on a computer screen is not good for my mental health, but I always do it anyway. I have scans of the drawing and the original photo in Photoshop for this blog, so I can’t resist taking a peek. By comparing, I caught some blotchiness in the dark leaf at the bottom that I need to correct.
I draw very dark value hatching by mixing leads. In this blotchy bottom area, I used a B pencil hatching followed by an F hatching over the top. The sharp F pencil filled in the grain of the paper that the B skipped over. It’s easy to create a blotchy mess using this method, but I haven’t found another one that covers the grain of the paper as thoroughly.
My drawings are never perfect replicas of the photo, but I usually get a good general likeness. At this point, however, some parts of this drawing look downright iffy. It’s hard to judge how well I’m doing in the middle of a drawing, though, so I’ve got no choice but to trust the process and carry on.
There are many beautiful and subtle values in the leaves that surround the withered leaf. This gentle play of light and shadow is what graphite mimics best. It’s why I love to draw foliage. I long to finish these nitpicky details and draw those serene shadows.
I’ve kept the leaf where the seed pod was, smooth and without detail. This solution will blend in, I think, since there will be other smooth areas on the leaf, too.
Finishing the withered part of this drawing feels like liberation! I’m not sorry I took on drawing this texture because I grew from the experience, but I am glad it’s over. Drawing simple leaves feels almost too easy now as I move quickly through the rest of the drawing.
Just as I was about to finish and make my final scan of this piece, I caught some value problems in the first leaf areas I drew. Most of the leaves are too light. I’m taking the time to darken some of them, but I’m using my artistic license to avoid re-drawing all of them!
Outside my door, the foliage is lush and plentiful, and I’m planning my next drawing. I hope your favorite subject is bountiful, and your muse is happily at work, too.
Happy drawing everyone,
Carol
