Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Redwoods

I want to thank those of you who stopped by the city of Eugene, Summer in the City event. I had a great time sketching and seeing lots of different artists and styles.

Meanwhile, I recently returned from a vacation to the Redwoods in Northern California. Although it is only about 5 hrs. from where I live, I have not visited the giant trees since I was a kid. These quiet, tall giants grow dense & thick in the beautiful forests near the coast, and are a peaceful reminder of how big things can get if we leave them alone.

Coloring a Redwood Forest
Today I wanted to show you a quick drawing of the redwoods, and how I colored this simple, quiet scene. We have one tree in front, with a few trees behind, in the distance.


The overall tone of this image will be greens and browns, but remember, things in the distance have more blue, so I went ahead and colored everything behind the front tree with B41 and then colored tree trunks with C1. I'm not worrying too much if I go over the lines, since blue is a base color for green.


Next, I added a base tone of E31 to all trunks, front and back. The back trunks dimmed immediately from the layer of blue. The foreground trunk remained pure, but too vibrant, so I added W3 to neutralize it a bit, then streaked in E47 and hints of E04. The pink of the E04 helps make the front tree warmer.


To make the trunk appear rounded, I darkened the edges of the trunk more than the middle. Also notice, that you can begin to see shadows from the foliage on the trunk.

Next, I add the base tones on any green areas. First, I started with a base of YG11 on anything on the ground. Notice how the gray immediately tones down the YG11 in the background areas. Next, I added YG63 to any of the branches above. You'll notice that the YG63 on the front tree is brighter than the YG63 on the back trees. Again, it is because of the blue base. I added a bit more YG41 to any areas on the back trees that seemed too vibrant.

Without shadows, the foliage looks strange and flat. The last step in any of my works is to come back in and finish up my shadows. At this point, I darken the foliage on the front tree with YG97 and blend it in with YG63 and YG67. I added hints of YG11 to brighten up the strongest highlights.

The foliage on the ground was darkened with YG63, G85, and YG11.

Last, I added hints of trees even farther back. I lightly drew in some lines with a regular pencil then lightly brushed in E31 for trunks. For the foliage, I took the B41 and used tip-to-tip blending to lightly add touches of YG63 for the upper branches. Overall, I am pleased with how well this simple sketch came out. You can easily see the depth in the forest, and the strong contrast on the front tree really heightens the perception of depth for the whole picture.

Notice also that I did not leave any areas white. I did this on purpose. In this image, I wanted to really show the quiet, bold, stillness. This is to be a peaceful, resting image, not focusing on vibrant life. By eliminating white, I cut my levels of contrast for the whole picture. Instantly, the image feels calmer. For an example of how the picture changes when I add white, you need to jump to the tutorial on the Copic Blog. On that post, you can also download a free blank image of the redwoods to color on your own, so check it out!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this inspires you to go color (or hug) a tree today.

20 comments:

robin cox walsh said...

Great tutorial and cool illustration! Thanks!

Susie said...

Great tutorial and beautiful drawing and coloring. You are amazing. Thanks for the tips.

Unknown said...

I comment little, take on board much, learn loads, admire you immensely!! I'd be lost without your tutorials and apologise for not letting you know often enough! xx

LORRAINEB said...

That's a great drawing and the coloring is - as always - outstanding. Years ago when they wanted to cut some redwoods down I was appalled. I was there in the 60's and once you've been in the Redwood Forest, you can't forget the experience. Can you imagine cutting those trees down?! Nothing justifies that. Sometimes I wonder where the priorities of politicians really lie.

Debbie Olson said...

Love this, Marianne!

marianne walker said...

When I was a kid, the log trucks would rumble through town with Old Growth trees. One tree would fill the entire truck bed. I never see that any more. Now, they have 20 or 30 small trees in the same truck. Those big trees are incredible.

Take care and STAY POSITIVE! Trena said...

Great tutorial!! Thank you Marianne!!

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

Patricia St Martin said...

Wonderful job. Thanks for the tutorial, I love how you used the the different colors to make the illustration of the depth of the forest.

AUSTINSGRAMM said...

Thank you so much for this great tutorial. Very clear and easy to understand and follow. I really appreciate your great tips.

thanks again,
bobbi

Joy for the Journey said...

Hi! I got your blog from a vendor at the CK Convention. It is really neat! I am a novice at markers, but love your instructions :)
Thanks for sharing-
Sarah

gaijinjoy said...

Thanks so much for the great lesson!

Shirley said...

What a great tutorial and can't wait to try it. This image brought back the quiet majesty of those fabulous Redwoods. Thank you for the tutorial and for the amazing image.

Bast said...

This is just beautiful. I love watching it turn from a flat image into something that just pops off the page! Great tutorial TFS

KimMJ
bast830@comcast.net

Pixie Camembert said...

Hi, Marianne. Thanks so much for the tutorial. I have a little cabin under the redwoods of northern California. It is the most special place I have ever visited on earth. Redwood trees are such ancient and iconic beauties. Can't wait to get back up to the cabin and draw, then color a few of my very own trees. Thanks again!

Annette Bowes said...

Wonderful Tutorial and beautiful drawing, thank you for sharing, take careX:)

Joan V said...

Thank you for the tutorial. I love trees and often don't know how to color them properly. Thank you so very much.

Natalie said...

Wonderful tutorial for the redwoods, I live right in the heart of redwood country in Humboldt County! so this is great to see, thank you!! We have a fantastic scrapbook store in Eureka and carry the Copic markers and your latest books! I frequently recommend your blog! (I work there a couple days a week!)

OldTeacher said...

What a wonderful tutorial! Thank you. Angelica from Market Street Stamps referred me to your blog. I have purchased some Copics, but have found no one to provide instruction. I know that your blog will help lots.
Pam

Anonymous said...

I am new at this and your step by step tutorial helped me alot. Thanks for your tips

Pop's Cards said...

This is fab sweetie hugs pops x