<First-time Line Sketching> "Why are distant trees so difficult?" I will share tips that anyone can use to draw them.

Introduction

Depicting mid-ground and background trees, where most people stumble

In my line sketching class, we practice drawing objects with a pen according to a basic curriculum. At first, we start with vegetables and fruits, then move on to leaves, flowers, and box-shaped objects. Although the subjects change, we observe them all up close, so once you understand how to observe, anyone can learn to draw the shapes of objects directly with a pen without sketching them out first. (For reference, the basic curriculum is shown below.)

However, I have found that once we move indoors or outdoors, most people suddenly stumble. Whether indoors or outdoors, the issue is how to distinguish between near and far when there is depth.

As is often said, many people struggle with distinguishing distance using linear perspective.

But I also realized that most people cannot draw mid-ground and background trees well.

Here, I will talk about how to distinguish between near trees, mid-ground trees, and background trees, how to observe them, how to draw their leaves differently, and tips for drawing them well.

I should add that what I talk about here can be applied not only to trees with leaves but also to flowering trees that have many flowers on their branches even without leaves, such as plum trees in full bloom, cherry blossoms, and flowering dogwoods.

Why can't you draw them? Symptoms and causes

Although "cannot draw" varies from person to person, there are the following common symptoms.

Symptoms:
Instead of drawing clusters of leaves as a mass, you draw them one by one conscientiously. Conversely, you draw the outer outline roughly, and for the leaves inside the tree crown, you draw them sparsely with dots or short curves and finish.

When drawing them one by one, whether in the mid-ground or background, you draw them as large leaves in small numbers, or you draw every leaf the same size and in the same direction, as if stamped. As a result, it looks like an illustration or a picture book for children rather than a realistic sketch.

Causes: One reason is that the method of observing clusters of leaves has not been mastered. In other words, you only observe trees vaguely and do not understand how to observe them for mid-ground and background sketching. The second reason is that you have not acquired the
technique to express the characteristics of trees obtained through observation without spending too much time.

If the subject is about 30 cm away, as in a still life, the number of leaves will be about 10 at most. However, even indoors, if there is a distance of several meters, the number of leaves to draw suddenly increases. (For example, imagine drawing a bonsai in a shop or a flower arrangement using a large tree.)

Furthermore, if you are drawing trees 5 to several tens of meters away outdoors, the number of leaves swells to an incredible amount.

For this reason, mid-ground and background scenes require different observation and drawing methods than still life paintings.

Solution: Tips for drawing well

So, how should you draw mid-ground and background trees? Before explaining in detail, I will first show a chart summarizing the conclusions, that is, the observation methods and line drawing methods according to each distance. I will explain using specific examples at the end.

Regardless of whether it is tree leaves or not, the most important thing is not to draw the outline of the subject accurately, but to draw the characteristics of the object accurately. I will explain this below.

First, I will summarize the observation method for the case of line drawing a single tree.

Unless you are deep in the mountains, in the cities and rural areas we usually draw, you need to consider two types of trees when observing their shapes. There are natural trees, which are natural formations without any human intervention, and pruned trees, which have been modified by human hands. While it is common to grasp the characteristics of the shape for both when observing, the difference with natural trees is that for pruned trees, you must understand the purpose of the person who designed the shape. Garden trees, park trees, street trees, hedges, and bonsai all have their forms determined according to their location and purpose.

As common observation items for both natural and pruned trees, observe the overall silhouette of the tree, the trunk and branching, the shape of the crown, and how the leaves are attached to the branches. Especially in the case of the middle ground, observe the characteristics of the leaves themselves (length, width, shape of the bulge, etc.) as much as possible before grasping the characteristics of the crown's outline. This is because the characteristics of the crown's outline are formed by the connection of the characteristics of each individual leaf. Next, I will explain the line drawing method.

In the middle and far distance, the key is to depict the collection of leaves in a convincing way. Even in the middle ground, large leaves can be seen one by one, but there is no need to draw them as accurately as in a photograph. Ignoring overlaps, quickly draw the leaves onto the branches one after another while keeping in mind the characteristics of how they are attached to the branches. At that time, the point is to draw the leaves as if they are facing in various directions. Be careful not to draw them with the same shape as if you were using a stamp.

Small leaves are almost never seen as individual leaves in the middle ground. In that case, look at how they are attached to the branches, and draw the leaves in the minimum necessary number to show the characteristics of how they are attached around the branches.

I will explain this based on concrete examples in the next chapter.

As an aside, what I have stated above is nothing new; seeing that Hiroshige's woodblock prints also brilliantly depict them using that method, the artists of the past must have been aware of the same method. For reference, I will show examples of Utagawa Hiroshige's tree depictions from the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.

Actually, I myself used to assume that old paintings simplified things like the characteristics of leaves on distant trees. However, as shown in the picture above, it can be seen that even for distant trees, the outlines are drawn differently according to the characteristics of the leaves of different trees.

Concrete Example (Tainan Scenery)

Now, I will specifically explain the method of line drawing for trees in the foreground, middle ground, and background in an actual landscape.

The subject to be drawn is the following Tainan scenery.

In this photo, there are parts where linear perspective must be used for the stone bench in the foreground, the stone wall on the left, and the building, but the composition has trees, stone walls, and buildings lined up from the front to the back, so there is almost no need for depiction using linear perspective.

There is a tree close to the right foreground, and the same tree is standing 10m to 20m away in the left foreground. (Middle ground tree) Furthermore, behind the tree in the right foreground, there is a tree with small, round leaves densely packed on its branches, also 10-20m away. (Also a middle ground tree)

Furthermore, about 100m away, other trees are lined up, and at their feet, long hedges are lined up at the base of the stone wall. There is also a pruned tree and a tree with large leaves like a silk tree on the left side of the stone wall, and behind them, two tall trees with sparse leaves are standing. (These are the background trees)

In addition to the middle ground and background trees mentioned above, a forest in the extreme distance can be seen on the right side of the building.

Furthermore, while you might think it is okay to draw the outlines of distant forests or woods with rounded shapes, you should actually pay attention to drawing the outlines in more detail the further away they are. This is because objects close by appear large and objects far away appear small, so the tree crowns and forest outlines formed by the edges of leaves become finer compared to those close by.

Explanation of line drawing for Tainan scenery

I will show the line drawing result first.

I will explain how to draw the mid-ground and distant trees shown above using diagrams, in the following order: 1) the foreground tree on the upper right, 2) the mid-ground tree in the center, 3) the trees behind the foreground tree on the upper right (mid-ground), 4) the distant trees in the center background and the Himalayan cedar-style tree on the left (distant), and 5) the tall trees in the back (distant), focusing on the trunks and branching, and especially the characteristics of how leaf clusters and branches are attached.

That concludes the explanation of how to draw foreground, mid-ground, and distant trees using the Tainan scenery line drawing as an example. In the future, I plan to explain how to draw representative examples of trees and flowering trees that are often drawn in Japanese landscapes.