I could see this big yellow leaf across our yard against a dark gray tree trunk, but it’s so was darned colorful, I knew it would be a challenge to draw. I was stuck on the composition for quite a while, too. My mind was so focused on that big center leaf that I failed to see that all three leaves made a pretty nice looking trio.
A black background would be nice here, but I’m not sure when to add it. I’d like to have it in place, so I can see how the leaf’s values look next to it. I have a feeling that I’ll want to draw them with more contrast with a black background. On the other hand, all that black will smudge easily.
I surprised myself by reaching for my Grafwood pencils for this drawing. Since I’m using hard pencils, 4H and 2H for the leaf so far, I suspect I’m looking for the consistent hatch that the Grafwood’s create. The graphite in these pencils is unique. You can’t push any of them much past their stated value, and that creates a hatch with little darker variation in it.
I wasn’t sure if I could draw the leaf with enough ‘oomph’ to make it work in grayscale, but now I’m starting to believe that I can.
I’ve added an H pencil to my palette. Since this leaf is so detailed, I’m not trying to draw everything I see because that would make me crazy. At this point, I’m drawing about sixty percent, maybe fewer, of the details. I’ll add more at the end of the drawing if needed, but I won’t be adding them all.
I’m finding it easier to create some of the lighter leaf detail by erasing it into the hatch. To do that, I hatch an area with the surrounding value and then use a kneaded or stick eraser to lift out small, subtle shapes.
I’m drawing many hard and soft edges in the details too.
A hard edge occurs when two values meet in an abrupt line that’s easy to see. A soft edge happens when two values merge together in a gradation, and it’s more difficult to spot.
The many small details were daunting at first, but I found a rhythm to drawing them, and they’re coming along at a good pace. The secret of drawing a highly detailed subject is to break it into sections, and then concentrate on one section at a time. I find my sections organically by using naturally occurring lines and details as borders.
I’ve put off adding the background around what I’ve already drawn because the thought of working near all the black graphite is still making me hesitate. The idea of waiting until the leaves are completely drawn before I add it appeals to me.
The third leaf to the right is in an advanced stage of decay on one edge. It’s folded over, creating a very dark streak, and then it bends back over the main leaf. The part that bends back over the main leaf has partially transparent areas that are mind-bending to draw.
After all these years, ‘just draw what you see’ is still the advice I whisper to myself when I think I can’t draw something. And there are still plenty of those times. However, just about anything can be drawn by the simple acts of observation, comparison, and correction.
Because the main leaf is very light, I decided that the background should be not quite black. Well, I’ve always created totally black backgrounds, and it turns out that ‘nearly’ black is a much more challenging value to produce. Let me explain.
I create my backgrounds in roughly half inch patches, and if those patches are completely black, then they match. Easy-peasy. Matching ‘just shy’ of black is not so easy because there are at least ten thousand variations of that value! However, I persevered, and I think I did a fair enough job, although it’s far from perfect.
I think this drawing turned out okay. I had a great deal of anxiety about drawing colorful leaves in grayscale, but I think the interpretation worked and the spirit of the season comes through.
Keep drawing everyone,
Carol
