Denis John-Naylor creates wonderful drawings of trees and their leaves and seeds. Here he describes the techniques he uses, such as shaping the pencil end to make the right mark, building up a pattern of lights and darks, sketching in pencil or ballpoint pen, measuring angles and proportions, impressing grooves and lifting out tone with a putty eraser. Four demonstrations show how to use these techniques to create tree drawings, from a detailed study of oak leaves to a huge sequoia.
Introduction 6
Materials 8
Tips and techniques 10
Getting started 12
Leaves and seeds: Oak Leaves and Acorn 22
Light and shade: Lombardy Poplars 30
Contrasts in scale: Sequoia 38
Trees in the landscape: Bankside Birches 42
Index 48
Denis John-Naylor studied Natural History Illustration at Bournemouth College of Art and Wildlife Painting at Swansea Institute. He is a self-employed consultant and a part-time teacher of watercolour, pencil, acrylic and oil painting in adult education. His hobbies include plein air painting, reading biographies and listening to music.