My first thought about this composition of Redbud leaves was that it is a little wonky, but the heat outside these last few weeks convinced me to draw it anyway. My loyal dog Dot was happy we didn’t have to go outside and stare at foliage in the heat anymore too, since that foliage is never hiding a rabbit or a squirrel anyway.
I’m drawing this on Fabrino Artistico Hotpress watercolor paper using Mars Lumnograph pencils. I’m using the Fabrino paper because of its texture, which I think will add interest to these big round leaves.
I’ll be using much more freehand work on the line drawing than usual because the Fabrino paper is a little thicker than my normal Arches Hotpress and I can’t trace the outlines as well. That’s one drawback to using this paper.
The photo is at the bottom of the post.
I’ve decided to use the side of my pencil to make the rough hatch of the cement that shows between the leaves on the left-hand side. I think the real cement texture is too bright and distracting, so I want a duller looking texture there, but want something different from the leaf textures which will be made with the points of the pencils.
Even though I’ve worked with this paper a couple of times before, there is a slight learning curve to it, so I’m glad I’m starting on the edge. The texture requires different pencil grades than my usual Arches hotpress texture does, so I can’t just reach for my usual pencils. The texture itself does strange things with detail. Delicate detail can be drawn on the texture, but it sometimes requires touching up with a small tipped rubber eraser/tool like the Kemper Wipeout Tool and other similar tools I’ve collected.
I had been worried that the large center leaf didn’t have enough detail to carry this drawing, but I think it’s going to work now. I’m relieved! The detail is very light, so I’m using 2H and H pencils to draw it, and I’m exaggerating the detail just a bit in the very light areas to increase interest.
I aim for forty to sixty percent accuracy in the details. That leaves lots of room for artistic freedom. Trying for any more accuracy makes me start swearing under my breath, and Dot leaves the room.
I’m using a ‘lifting’ technique to create some of the lighter undulations on the leaf. I shade the leaf in the darker tone, then I lift the light areas with tapping motions using my rubber tipped tool. This tool creates soft edges and I find this technique easier that drawing around the light areas.
To add interest to this leaf, I want to pay extra attention to the detail on the right-hand side, since the left-hand side is relatively smooth. At the same time, I’m trying not to ‘overdraw’ the detail by making the dark detail too dark and the light detail too light.
I started to worry that the right side of the main center leaf was more detailed than the left side was in reality, so I worked to bring out more detail on the left side. I eased back the dark detail on the right side by gently tapping the darkest areas with my kneaded eraser, too.
The details in the leaves around the border are simple by comparison and are easily drawn with just mindful hatching around vein lines. Also, I write down which pencil or pencil combination creates what value on the masking tape next to that value, so I don’t have to guess when I want to recreate that value again. Simple things like that make the drawing much easier.
The main stem that runs from the upper right-hand corner down through the drawing to the left ended up a bit larger than reality, but I think it looks ok. Even though it seems like a simple thing, it was challenging maintaining a bold, clean stem through all those patches of value that surround it.
The three main leaves were, on average, slightly different values in the photo. I think I captured that in my drawing, but not as well as nature did.
I like this drawing. The composition grew on me, and the paper’s texture does add interest to these large leaves.
Keep on drawing everyone,
Carol
