How To Draw A Fern Leaf

How to Draw Copse

Updated: 24 Feb 2022

In this guide, I volition demonstrate how I simplify the cartoon procedure, and I hope that by the end of it you lot will be able to draw your favorite tree.

In lodge to draw realistic trees with pen and ink, information technology is important to pay attending to accurateness of the form (structure), and to larn how to create the illusion of brightness values and transitions with pens.

Bamboo

When looking at Whatsoever tree, examine its basic shapes.

It is a good exercise to depict its unproblematic shapes outset:

In one case you understand these uncomplicated shapes, yous can utilise your artistic license and your knowledge to recreate it.

There is no point cartoon every single leaf as you run into it (when using a reference image as a guide).

Bamboo trees pen drawing Bamboo

Banana Tree

For trees with large leaves, like a assistant tree, outset draw a study of the leaves from different angles.

For a realistic result, brand sure there is no symmetry, and that each leaf is unique.

You tin can apply markers; they work well with pens.

Banana leaves, drawing and painting with markers

Olive Tree Torso

Look at some reference images, or actual trees, before drawing the tree trunk.

First, draw outlines to create the form (construction).

Retrieve:

Depict thin and gentle outlines, so they are not bold.

Next, add some guidelines and basic details.

Adding some details to olive tree trunks

Concluding step is texture drawing.

Focus mainly on brightness values, while cartoon marks with shape and direction like the reference image.

Olive tree trunks pen drawing Olive tree trunks

Keep in heed:

Each olive tree trunk has its own "personality", merely all olive trees share common basic shapes.

How to Describe Leaves

Cartoon leaves can be challenging. Agreement their structure, and breaking the drawing process into steps, will produce a satisfying and realistic result.

Each tree leaf is in different direction, has a unlike degree of foreshortening, and is overlapping other leaves.

Simply put, the form and texture of leaves is abstract and messy.

To draw that, you lot need to exist sketchy and loose with your marks, and to avert any pattern!

Adjacent stride is to pay attention to effulgence values. That is how you create the illusion of volume. Meaning, 3-dimensional and not flat.

To create that illusion, scribble more lines for darker values, and fewer lines for brighter values:

How to add depth and volume to leaves when drawing

In improver, pay attending to leaves size, depending on the tree blazon, and how afar it is from the observer.

For big leaves, sketch big marks, and vice versa:

Different pen marks size for different leaves size

While the treetop is messy, at its edges you lot tin can add some indication of leaves type and size.

A drawing of an olive tree with pen and ink Olive tree

After understanding the characteristics of a specific tree (olive tree in this instance), it is quite easy to depict it from imagination.

If some terms like foreshortening and overlapping are new to y'all, read my guide on how to draw with a sense of depth. It covers 15 methods to add together depth to your drawing or painting.

Good to know:

Mostly, I use a pen with nib size 0.1. It is pocket-size plenty to create fine details.

Photos & Contrast

When I am taking photos of a tree, I practice information technology from several angles.

If possible, I circle the tree to get a photograph from every angle.

I select a photo that has high contrast equally my reference image.

Dissimilarity between highlights and shadows is crucial for a drawing to stand out, and to have presence.

Not plenty contrast leads to a flat cartoon with no depth. Likewise much dissimilarity looks cartoonish.

Realistic olive tree pen drawing Olive tree

Pine Trees

Important:

Before diving into complex texturing and rendering, if you are a beginner, you might want to practice the side by side step.

Draw any random tree shape, sketch some random marks to fill up it upward, and then describe more sketchy marks in one side and at the bottom of the tree (to create a darker value for the shadow expanse).

This should not accept more than than v minutes! The advanced texture you will see later this example is only a matter of many hours of do to refine the texture marks.

Pino copse are relatively easy to draw from imagination.

They have very minor, needle-like leaves.

I like to beginning past gently drawing the class, and then fill information technology with small, random marks, that are Non in whatsoever specific direction or with reoccurring shape.

Concluding pace is to draw more marks for darker areas, depending on the direction of light you choose.

How to draw pine trees from imagination with pen

Pine copse come in many types and shapes.

Looking at a reference prototype tin aid at the start, merely equally a guide to describe the form, and to pay attention to night and light areas.

Other than that, try to exist loose and sketchy with your marks.

When drawing a close-upwardly view, you can indicate the needle-similar leaves at the edges of the tree.

Realistic pine tree pen drawing Pine tree

Snowy Pino Tree

A pen has only one brightness value. Therefore, you have to utilize dissimilar techniques to create the illusion of transitions in brightness values.

One technique (or manner) is to employ hatching. Hatching ways cartoon parallel lines.

By drawing lines with different degree of spacing between them (or with different line width), yous can create an illusion of dissimilar brightness values.

Another method is to use cross-hatching.

Cantankerous-hatching means drawing sets of parallel lines in different management. By adding more sets of cross-hatching, you can create the illusion of darker values.

You lot can apply ANY pen for drawing. I prefer creative person-grade technical pens (besides fineliners). They create lines with fixed width, and their ink is made of pigments, which is very durable and lightfast.

Drawing with ballpoint pen and with a technical pen

For the snow part, yous can leave it empty ("white"), or y'all can use hatching in some areas.

In this example, I used some hatching, and some marks with very light grayness mark.

Pen drawing of a snowy pine tree Snowy Pino tree

If you want to know more about markers, visit my markers review for artists.

Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree is just some other pine tree, but with decorations.

To add some baubles, get-go draw their shape, and so endeavour unlike types of hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling.

Stippling is a cartoon technique that uses dots. The more dots you add in one area, the darker information technology looks.

You can add other decorations to your Christmas tree.

It is best to first sketch some exam drawings on a different newspaper, to see what works, earlier adding them to your drawing.

To add boxes in perspective, you should be familiar with linear perspective drawing, and learn to depict from imagination.

Pen drawing of boxes and other decorations for tree

Tip:

If y'all find it hard to draw a tree with a pen, you tin can always start with a pencil.

When you achieve a satisfying event, you tin go over it with a pen, and gently erase the pencil marks.

Pen drawing of a realistic Christmas tree with decorations Christmas tree

Drawing with White Pens

When drawing with white pens, pay attending to the same drawing fundamentals.

While with black pens you draw more lines for darker areas, with white pens yous should draw more lines for light/bright areas.

Tree drawing with white pen on black paper

These pens are most effective on black (or dark) paper, and for highlights.

Keep in mind:

White pens are designed for covering.

Cartoon with a black pen (which has ink) over white areas (made past a white pen), may ruin the pen's neb, because it will be covered with the white substance (therefore its ink will not menstruation smoothly).

Aspen & Birch Trees

Aspen & birch tree trunks are easy to depict when doing information technology in steps.

Draw the grade first:

And then, add together some basic details:

Finally, depict some brightness values, and texture:

Birch trees and aspen trees pen drawing Birch & aspen tree trunks

Yous can use (light) gray markers for coloring:

Overlapping

Overlapping means an object that partially covers another object.

When yous encounter an object that overlaps another object, yous assume that this object is in front of the object information technology covers.

Overlapping is one of the about powerful ways to create the illusion of depth on a flat paper.

Two overlapping trees pen drawing Overlapping trees

Because you cannot erase pen marks, it is best to draw foreground objects first!

If you desire to describe a house in front of a tree, depict the business firm beginning:

Do the aforementioned for tree branches.

Commencement, depict the branch that overlaps a tree, and so the tree trunk.

For trees that have a complex construction, with many branches, you tin can use a pencil to draw the bones shapes.

When you are happy with the result, you lot tin draw over it with a pen, and gently erase the pencil marks.

A realistic drawing of birch trees with pen Birch trees

Transitions

Transitions are part of drawing (and painting) fundamentals. They exist everywhere!

For example, dissimilar areas of a flat plane take different relationships with whatever light source, reflections, and shadows.

Therefore, always look for transitions (in brightness values) for your drawing to expect realistic and natural.

Different types of values transitions in leaves

Outset, look for low-cal and night areas.

Then, look for transitions within each area. Transitions from dark to lite, from calorie-free to lighter, and from nighttime to darker.

Oak tree, realistic pen drawing Oak tree

By cartoon with NO transitions (and using hard edges), you can create something that looks unnatural, as opposed to something realistic with transitions.

Drawing of an unnatural leaves box vs natural leaves

The same way a gardener trims bushes and trees, you can utilise your creative license to create something that looks artificial or man-fabricated:

Creative license means to use your knowledge and experience.

Once you empathise how to depict leaves, you can depict annihilation with leaves texture. Objects, figures, vehicles, or even a refrigerator:

Pen drawing of a refrigerator with leaves texture

Skillful to know:

Transitions are non limited to brightness values. Transitions be in colors, texture, edges, and temperature (transition from warm colors to cool colors).

If you are struggling with realistic drawing, you lot might want to read my realistic pencil-cartoon guide. Information technology covers the 4 important fundamentals (accuracy of the course, effulgence values, edges, and transitions).

Weeping Willow

A weeping willow tree is a bit tricky to draw.

Its leaves are easy to describe at an up-close look. As y'all get farther away, yous can see long clusters of leaves with no unmarried foliage shape.

You can beginning past cartoon an outline for the tree construction. Exercise it gently.

Drawing the outline for the form of a weeping willow

And then, one way is to draw the treetop (crown), section past section.

Alternatively, similar in this example, you can draw the dark values outset.

Drawing the dark values for weeping willow tree

Something to consider:

Every bit mentioned to a higher place, a pen has one brightness value (usually black, though other colors exist, more on that afterwards).

By drawing gently and swiftly, with a sharp angle, you tin produce lines that are less defined, and therefore with a lighter value.

The last pace is to add the lite values.

Pay attention to brightness values, transitions, and texture. Be abstract with your marks, nonetheless with a sense of management.

Weeping willow, realistic pen drawing Weeping Willow

How to Draw Huge Trees

For some large trees, like Ficus, I like to apply a big paper sheet (A3 in this case).

If the tree is too circuitous to draw, you can draw a filigree (softly with a pencil), to separate the paper into smaller sections (and apply the same grid for your reference image).

Go on in listen:

Drawing on a large newspaper with a pen (or a pencil) is time-consuming. For a tree like this, it tin easily have more than than 20 hours to complete.

Realistic ficus tree drawing with pen and ink Ficus tree

Sometimes, huge drawings may not await so big on a small screen.

You lot tin give it context by calculation background trees (from imagination in this case).

Pen drawing of a ficus tree and background Background drawing

Something to consider:

You should use the rules of atmospheric perspective when drawing backgrounds (landscape).

When objects are far away, in that location are more temper particles (that scatter calorie-free) between them and the observer.

For far abroad objects, use less contrast and fewer details. In add-on, background layers become lighter, and take soft edges.

Calculation Background

Copse are beautiful on their own. Sometimes though, you lot may want to add a background.

Drawing grass is a simple and easy solution for groundwork.

Start past drawing some short lines. The lines in the front should be a bit bolder and longer.

Add more lines; some tin can be longer (mostly in the foreground).

Avoid whatever design, and effort to be abstract with your marks.

With a tree (eucalyptus in this case), grass (as background) adds depth.

At that place is no actual depth in a drawing, your newspaper canvass is flat. The college you depict on your paper (until the horizon), the farther abroad information technology looks.

By cartoon cast shadow by the tree, you can add a sense of space to your drawing.

To depict cast shadow, add more marks (lines) for that expanse, to create the illusion of dark value.

Adding Plants

Another pick is to add together some plants. For instance, cattail plant (Typha).

Recall:

Natural plants and trees have an abstract shape. Make sure y'all exercise non draw them likewise round and uniform.

When cartoon long leaves, pay attention to bandage shadows:

Afterward test-drawing the establish's parts, draw some loose outlines.

For realistic results, draw each flower or foliage with different size, shape, and direction (simply, proceed in mind the tree or constitute characteristics).

Additionally, pay attention to overlapping.

And so, add some brightness values and cast shadows.

Cattail (Typha) realistic pen drawing Cattail

Now you can combine grass and plants to draw a mural.

Landscape with trees, pen drawing Mural pen drawing

And, paint information technology with markers.

Painting a landscape drawing with markers Coloring with markers

Size & Context

The mode to define the size of objects is by placing them near other familiar objects.

Although a worm is usually quite small-scale, past cartoon it big compared to known objects like copse, information technology is possible to create a behemothic monstrous worm.

Giant monstrous worm pen drawing Behemothic worm

On the other hand, you might desire to draw a pocket-size tree, like a bonsai tree.

In this case, y'all demand context.

Cartoon a tree in a institute pot can aid, but sometimes even big trees are sold inside pots.

Drawing familiar surroundings, similar a room, tin can assistance a lot in defining the bonsai's size.

Pen drawing of a bonsai tree in a room Bonsai tree

Colored Pens

While the principal color for technical pens is black, many brands offering other color options.

Pens with colors Colored technical pens

I prefer black ink, but occasionally I like to mix it up with colors.

Pen drawing of an Acacia tree Acacia tree

Log

To describe logs, timber, or tree trunks, commencement past drawing the outlines gently.

Pay attention to foreshortening, and add some basic details.

Lastly, decide where to place the low-cal source, and draw a gradual transition in effulgence values with sketchy marks.

Transitions:

A cylindrical object has a transition in brightness values, from dark to lite.

When using a black pen, describe more lines for darker areas.

Another option is to describe less divers lines (swiftly at an angle), and add more lines for darker values.

Transitions in brightness values using a black pen

Colored pens:

Unlike black pens, colored pens come in different levels of opacity.

When cartoon more in the same area, the pen creates a darkness value. Sometimes y'all can permit the pen ink dry, and then draw over it again.

Transitions in brightness values using colored pens

Edges:

Cast shadows normally have soft edges.

When you scribble the woods texture, you desire to have some dents and holes in some areas. Draw these dents with hard border on their darker part, and soft border when the transition ends (the light side of the dent, or hole).

For a more than realistic rendering, with more details, draw large.

Realistic pen drawing of a tree log with a rope

Summary

While there are no lines in nature, pens can but create lines!

Drawing is creating an illusion. The earth is three-dimensional, but your paper-sail is two-dimensional.

To create this illusion, pay attending to brightness values, edges, and transitions (among other things).

A pen has only one brightness value, so, unlike other drawing mediums (graphite, charcoal, pastel...), y'all accept to create the illusion of dissimilar brightness values and transitions (in brightness values).

When cartoon trees, focus on accuracy of the grade, and on brightness values.

Brand certain you have enough contrast between highlights and shadows, for the drawing to be noticeable.

Afterward y'all master drawing the class and effulgence values, details (texture) make all the departure.

If y'all liked this article, you might like my blossom pen-drawing guide too.

For my recommended pens that I used in this guide, visit my review for fineliners and technical pens for drawing.

Source: https://ranartblog.com/blogarticle10.html

Posted by: gilliamwough1983.blogspot.com