Drawing - Trees

If you can draw trees, you can draw anything.

Trees are a great subject to practice drawing. They’re familiar, yet complex. They all share similar characteristics, yet display a wide range of diversity. When you hear the words “trees” and “art”, I’d bet that most people immediately think of Bob Ross and his “happy trees.” While Bob Ross’ approach to rendering trees in paint is a good place to start, I personally believe that spending more time on the practice of drawing trees would be better for every artist.

More Than Meets The Eye

Think about the incredible complexity of trees and how much of it we’re able to perceive without much difficulty. Even from a short distance, individual leaves are visible to the naked eye. We can see various sizes, shapes, and tilt of the leaves in addition to seeing all of the little branches from which they grow. Those branches can be traced back to larger branches and larger branches until you reach the trunk. The trunk often has a textured surface. (One that many people mistakenly believe is “brown” but if you really look at the color of tree trunks you’ll see that they’re mostly gray.) We can see differences in bark patterns and texture from the same distance that we can see so many leaves. The trunk continues to the ground until we reach the root structure. Another part of the tree that is fascinatingly intricate. If a person really really wanted to, they could draw all of these details from observation. But who would ever take the time? 

The reason no one would bother drawing a tree in its literal state is because there are efficient ways of creating the gesture of a tree. With practice, an artist can draw the general impression of the tree that will allow the viewer to feel like they’re looking at a subject that has more detail than it actually does. The best way to think about this is to work from simple, to complex.

Simple to Complex

Working from simple to complex is a common strategy for any kind of art instruction. Think about the how-to-draw process that is demonstrated in many art books. Let’s use a cat for an example. You would start with simple shapes like a circle for the head and an oblong oval for the body. Maybe you add a couple triangles for ears and a little tube for the tail. Arms and legs are usually simplified into parts that connect at the joints, often represented by circles. From there you continue to add details, such as fur texture, highlights, shadows, whiskers, eye details, etc. The point is, simple to complex is the key.

So how does this translate to trees? Well, you’ve probably already learned one way to draw a tree; start with two vertical lines for the trunk and add a bumpy round shape to the top and you’ll have a tree that any toddler could recognize. I think we can take this a little bit further. Still start with a simple shape but think about the three dimensionality of the tree. Like a sphere, a tree top is mostly round and often has a direct light source, the sun, creating a gradient of light and shadow across the form. Many beginners start by thinking of the tree as a somewhat flat object. They draw the silhouette and try to fill-in the leaves and branches. But by starting with a dimensional form, you’re already on your way to a more convincing tree drawing. 

Practice Makes Perfect

Once you have the general shape of the tree, start experimenting with mark-making to find a good strategy for representing the leaves. It’s impractical to draw every leaf, but look closely and think about the direction the leaves are growing, the kind of clumps and patterns that they create. This will lead to individual tree patterns that avoid the staleness of a one-size-fits all “leaf pattern mode.” It may be helpful to squint at the tree to focus on the simpler shapes.

From there, it’s a matter of practice. You might not draw a perfect tree the first time but it’s a process. And of course, you’ll get different results based on the media you use. I’m imagining these instructions for the use of charcoal, but you could use graphite to do the same thing. Personally, I would recommend using a thin layer of vine charcoal across the whole page. You can darken shadows with a condensed charcoal and create highlights with an eraser. “Drawing” with an eraser can be a great way to find new ways to portray leaves.

This isn’t meant to be comprehensive but it’s a place to start. Besides working from simple to complex, I would recommend rethinking the way you see trees. They’ve been shown to us in over-simplified ways for so long that it can be hard to see them for what they truly are.

Painting - Still Life

If you’re just starting to paint, you might be faced with the question, “what should I paint?” Maybe you’ll start with a guided instruction video, or maybe you’ll paint a portrait of your favorite pet, or you could just start throwing paint on the canvas and see what happens. My personal recommendation is to start with a simple still life.

What is a Still Life?

Still life is a collection of natural or man-made objects, often arranged on a table indoors. You’re probably familiar with still life because it tends to consist of paintings of flowers, glasses, food, and books, but the point is that you can create your own still life with household objects. You could start with a single object or make a little composition using two or three subjects that you have lying around the house (think coffee mugs, candles, apples, oranges, etc.) and then get started.

There are plenty of guides online to help you figure out where to put your first brushstroke. Acrylic paint tends to be very forgiving. It dries quickly, can be layered, and is thinned with plain water which makes it the perfect medium for the beginner artist. Due to its user-friendly properties, it can be a good idea to just paint without worry because you can always paint over any mistakes. Oil paint is often considered to be difficult for new artists but I personally think it can be easier due to the slow drying times, allowing colors to be mixed easily on the canvas, and it holds the body of the paint better, which means brushstrokes will retain their shape.

Start Painting

Start by lightly drawing the general shapes and position of the objects on your painting surface with a pencil or vine charcoal. Focus on getting the proportions right and try not to worry about surface features or the little details just yet. You should really only be concerned with large shapes so maybe make an indication of where the biggest shadows are, but don’t fill them in yet. Next, use thin layers of paint to fill in the shapes you drew. Whether you’re working with oil or acrylic, be sure to mix the colors as accurately as possible to make your work easier down the road. This step is usually fairly relaxing because you’re just mixing basic colors and painting large areas so you don’t even need to have refined brush control. Just paint all the way to the edges and try to fill in all areas of the canvas. This will give you a better idea of what your painting will look like and you can adjust the colors and values as you see fit, you’re the artist after all.

Continue to refine the painting by using slightly thicker paint with each layer and add more details as the painting develops. Don’t neglect the background. While it might not seem too important, the table under your still life and the wall behind it will go a long way in making the painting feel more complete. If you don’t want to paint the image in layers, you could use an alla prima technique where you use fairly thick paint from the beginning and make a finished painting in one sitting. A word of advice: really think about each brushstroke and avoid just filling in colors like a coloring book. Once again, there are many guides and videos to show you how the process works.

Recommended Supplies

If you’re going to start with a still life, you’ll need a few supplies. A beginner oil or acrylic paint set is a good place to begin. You’ll also need something to paint on, like a canvas board, or pre-stretched canvas, but you could also just use paper for practice. You’ll need a few brushes in various sizes and a place to mix your paint, such as a disposable palette. That should be enough for the basics but if you’re using oil paint, be sure to have some paint thinner to clean your brushes afterward.

Still life painting has a rich history of tradition and many artists have examples of still life in their oeuvre. It’s a great way to practice since everyone has objects lying around the house to use as a subject.

Drawing - Self Portraits

Self Portraits

Drawing self portraits is a great way to practice your drawing skills. Portraits can be difficult for beginners but they’re easy to practice when the subject is yourself. There’s an added bonus that if you make a bad drawing, it won’t offend anyone. Some people can get very touchy if their portraits aren’t super flattering.

In general, starting with graphite pencils or charcoal drawing supplies would be my recommendation. Graphite tends to have less contrast, but finer marks and greater control vs. the darker values and slightly messier qualities of the charcoal. Either way, an eraser will come in handy.

Getting Started

There are many self portrait drawing guides available online that are a quick search away but in regards to drawing media, I would recommend jumping straight into charcoal. This charcoal set is among the best drawing supplies due to its versatility and it will have everything you need for many drawings to come. Since charcoal tends to be dark, be sure to set up a lamp to create dark shadows on your face that will make the drawing more interesting.

Another thing to remember is to work from simple to complex. You know how drawing guides always start with simple shapes? Drawing a face is no different and many guides will start with just a circle or oval with a couple lines drawn through the middle. Either way, don’t start by focusing too specifically on any single feature. Draw lightly and focus on large, simple shapes and areas of value. Switch between condensed charcoal and charcoal pencils as you see fit and when it makes sense to use each one.

Remember, with a self portrait, you don’t have to worry as much about the results. Your model is working for free and no one has to see the drawing if it doesn’t turn out well.

Keep It Simple

Another reason I recommend using charcoal or charcoal drawing pencils is because you can be a little more expressive. Self portraits are more than just a drawing of your own face. Accuracy is nice but remember that you’re trying to convey something about yourself to the viewer. Drawing is simple because you can focus on structure and value without the complication of color, drying times, and mediums involved in artist’s media like paint.

Whatever your goals are, drawing self portraits is great practice and has been used throughout artistic training for centuries. I would recommend looking at the drawings of Kathe Kollwitz, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, or any other artist you have an interest in.

Just Practice

Drawings are meant to be relatively quick. Start with our recommended drawing supplies, such as the graphite sets or charcoal drawing tools, but remember that the first few drawings you make are a form of practice. It can be a little discouraging when a drawing doesn’t look right but it’s just a little bit of time and paper so be liberal with the eraser (or don’t, sometimes I like just going with a drawing even if it’s looking terrible) and remember that it’s about the experience and not the final product. After practicing, you can take the same drawing media and make something that takes longer and looks nicer by using the skills you gained during the drawing practice.

Acrylic Paint Pouring

Maybe you’ve seen it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, but pouring acrylic paint on surfaces and letting fate decide the final appearance of your painting is a big hit right now. It’s fun, relaxing, and usually beautiful. Even the paintings that don’t turn out quite how you anticipated tend to be compelling and surprisingly interesting.

Abstract art has a history of being misunderstood and often considered “low effort.” Think about Jackson Pollock’s splatter paintings that perplexed many people due to the lack of the artist’s involvement. “He didn’t even paint it! He just splashed paint on a canvas! Anyone can do that!” But that’s precisely what make his work engaging: the introduction of chaos, randomness, and chance. All while tracing the artist’s movements across the expanse of the surface. And this is exactly what people are discovering when they try acrylic paint pouring. It’s a relatively simple process, if a little messy sometimes. One method involves mixing acrylic paint with a fluid medium, carefully adding different colors to a single cup (but don’t stir!), and then flipping the cup on to a canvas and allowing the paint to just flow from the center of surface to cover all four corners. It’s fascinating and has the potential to make beautiful works of abstract art.

So check out the new page in the Art Supplies section and see if acrylic paint pouring is for you!

Drawing

Everyone draws.

Maybe not as much as they used to, but we learn to draw as children and I’d guess that most people can remember a time when they loved to draw. Most of the adults I talk to say that they can only draw stick figures. Well, if you can draw stick figures you can learn to draw anything. Don’t believe me? Take a look at some of the before and after progress from the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain workshops. You might think that kind of progress would take months or even years to achieve but those results are gained in a matter of days. Be sure to check out the book for more information.

If you feel pretty good about your drawing ability already or you’re searching for a gift for a young artist, head over to the section on drawing supplies for my recommendations. Happy drawing!

Welcome!

Hi there!

I'm a professional artist living and teaching in my ol' Kentucky home. Art has been a passion of mine since I could hold a pencil and I wanted to make a website to help sift through all of the art supplies and make recommendations. I've taught all levels of art and buying supplies is always a little confusing. New students often have questions about purchasing products that will be high quality but won't break the bank if they decide drawing, painting, etc. isn't for them. Hopefully, this site will help you find what you're looking for.