I sketched this scene at Lake Michigan today. The foreground is tall grass that grows near the shore and the background is part of an exposed dune with trails. This section of the dune was surrounded by dense trees.
I’ve sketched tree foliage a lot, so I was pretty sure I could draw that and the texture of the dune too, but this grass was a little intimidating! I practiced a bit before I jumped in.
Funny, but the lines that make the grass most appealing and realistic are the shadows. I think those horizontal lines make a nice surprise for the eye in all the vertical grass, and they give a sense of the ground too.
We had a wonderful day, even though it was very crowded. Drawing in the midst of the crowd was a little hard at first and I struggled with my shyness. But drawing is so intensely satisfying that I was able to concentrate and enjoy the moment with pencil to paper, toes in sand, and husband at my side, asleep under the umbrella. :)