How To Draw With A Pen

How to Depict Copse

Updated: sixteen February 2022

In this guide, I volition demonstrate how I simplify the cartoon process, and I hope that past the finish of it you will exist able to draw your favorite tree.

In club to draw realistic copse with pen and ink, it is important to pay attention to accuracy of the form (construction), and to acquire how to create the illusion of effulgence values and transitions with pens.

Bamboo

When looking at Whatsoever tree, examine its basic shapes.

It is a good practice to draw its simple shapes get-go:

Once you understand these simple shapes, yous tin can use your artistic license and your knowledge to recreate it.

At that place is no point cartoon every unmarried leaf as you run into it (when using a reference paradigm as a guide).

Bamboo trees pen drawing Bamboo

Banana Tree

For trees with big leaves, similar a banana tree, first depict a written report of the leaves from dissimilar angles.

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

You can use markers; they work well with pens.

Banana leaves, drawing and painting with markers

Olive Tree Trunk

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

First, depict outlines to create the form (structure).

Remember:

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

Adjacent, add some guidelines and basic details.

Adding some details to olive tree trunks

Last step is texture drawing.

Focus mainly on effulgence values, while drawing marks with shape and direction similar the reference paradigm.

Olive tree trunks pen drawing Olive tree trunks

Continue in mind:

Each olive tree trunk has its own "personality", but all olive trees share mutual bones shapes.

How to Draw Leaves

Drawing leaves tin be challenging. Understanding their structure, and breaking the drawing process into steps, will produce a satisfying and realistic issue.

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

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

To draw that, you demand to be sketchy and loose with your marks, and to avoid any pattern!

Side by side step is to pay attention to brightness values. That is how y'all create the illusion of volume. Meaning, three-dimensional and non 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 add-on, pay attending to leaves size, depending on the tree type, and how distant 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 tin add some indication of leaves type and size.

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

Later understanding the characteristics of a specific tree (olive tree in this example), it is quite easy to draw it from imagination.

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

Good to know:

By and large, I use a pen with nib size 0.one. It is modest enough to create fine details.

Photos & Contrast

When I am taking photos of a tree, I do it from several angles.

If possible, I circle the tree to get a photo from every bending.

I select a photo that has high contrast as my reference paradigm.

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

Non enough contrast leads to a apartment cartoon with no depth. Too much contrast looks cartoonish.

Realistic olive tree pen drawing Olive tree

Pino Trees

Important:

Earlier diving into circuitous texturing and rendering, if yous are a beginner, you might want to practice the side by side pace.

Depict any random tree shape, sketch some random marks to make full it up, and then draw more than sketchy marks in one side and at the lesser of the tree (to create a darker value for the shadow area).

This should not take more than five minutes! The avant-garde texture you volition see after this case is just a matter of many hours of practice to refine the texture marks.

Pine copse are relatively easy to describe from imagination.

They have very small, needle-like leaves.

I similar to offset by gently drawing the form, and then make full it with small, random marks, that are NOT in any specific management or with reoccurring shape.

Final step is to draw more marks for darker areas, depending on the management of light yous cull.

How to draw pine trees from imagination with pen

Pino trees come up in many types and shapes.

Looking at a reference epitome can help at the commencement, only as a guide to depict the form, and to pay attention to dark and light areas.

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

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

Realistic pine tree pen drawing Pine tree

Snowy Pine Tree

A pen has but one brightness value. Therefore, you take to utilise dissimilar techniques to create the illusion of transitions in brightness values.

Ane technique (or mode) is to utilize hatching. Hatching ways cartoon parallel lines.

By drawing lines with unlike caste of spacing between them (or with different line width), you can create an illusion of different effulgence values.

Another method is to use cantankerous-hatching.

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

You can use Whatsoever pen for drawing. I adopt creative person-class technical pens (too fineliners). They create lines with stock-still 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, y'all tin leave it empty ("white"), or y'all tin employ hatching in some areas.

In this example, I used some hatching, and some marks with very low-cal gray marker.

Pen drawing of a snowy pine tree Snowy Pine tree

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

Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree is just another pine tree, just with decorations.

To add some baubles, kickoff draw their shape, and then try dissimilar types of hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling.

Stippling is a cartoon technique that uses dots. The more dots yous add in one area, the darker it looks.

You can add other decorations to your Christmas tree.

It is best to first sketch some test drawings on a dissimilar paper, to see what works, earlier adding them to your drawing.

To add boxes in perspective, y'all should exist familiar with linear perspective cartoon, and learn to draw from imagination.

Pen drawing of boxes and other decorations for tree

Tip:

If you find it hard to describe a tree with a pen, you can always start with a pencil.

When you reach a satisfying effect, you lot can 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 attention to the same cartoon fundamentals.

While with black pens you draw more than lines for darker areas, with white pens you should depict more lines for low-cal/brilliant areas.

Tree drawing with white pen on black paper

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

Go along in mind:

White pens are designed for covering.

Drawing with a black pen (which has ink) over white areas (made past a white pen), may ruin the pen's bill, because it will exist covered with the white substance (therefore its ink will not period smoothly).

Aspen & Birch Trees

Aspen & birch tree trunks are easy to describe when doing it in steps.

Draw the course beginning:

Then, add some bones details:

Finally, describe some brightness values, and texture:

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

You can employ (light) gray markers for coloring:

Overlapping

Overlapping ways an object that partially covers some other object.

When you see an object that overlaps another object, yous assume that this object is in front of the object it covers.

Overlapping is i of the most powerful ways to create the illusion of depth on a apartment paper.

Two overlapping trees pen drawing Overlapping copse

Because y'all cannot erase pen marks, it is best to draw foreground objects outset!

If you desire to draw a business firm in front of a tree, draw the house first:

Do the same for tree branches.

First, draw the branch that overlaps a tree, and then the tree torso.

For copse that have a circuitous construction, with many branches, yous tin use a pencil to depict the bones shapes.

When you are happy with the result, you can 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 role of drawing (and painting) fundamentals. They exist everywhere!

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

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

Different types of values transitions in leaves

Get-go, wait for lite and dark areas.

And then, expect for transitions inside each area. Transitions from dark to light, from light to lighter, and from nighttime to darker.

Oak tree, realistic pen drawing Oak tree

By drawing with NO transitions (and using hard edges), y'all tin 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 copse, you can use your artistic license to create something that looks artificial or man-made:

Artistic license means to apply your cognition and experience.

Once you lot understand how to draw leaves, you lot can depict anything with leaves texture. Objects, figures, vehicles, or even a refrigerator:

Pen drawing of a refrigerator with leaves texture

Good to know:

Transitions are not express to brightness values. Transitions exist in colors, texture, edges, and temperature (transition from warm colors to absurd colors).

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

Weeping Willow

A weeping willow tree is a bit tricky to draw.

Its leaves are like shooting fish in a barrel to draw at an up-close look. As y'all get farther away, you can meet long clusters of leaves with no unmarried leaf shape.

You can start by drawing an outline for the tree structure. Practise it gently.

Drawing the outline for the form of a weeping willow

Then, ane way is to depict the treetop (crown), section by department.

Alternatively, like in this case, you lot tin depict the dark values first.

Drawing the dark values for weeping willow tree

Something to consider:

As mentioned above, a pen has one brightness value (usually blackness, though other colors exist, more than on that later).

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

The concluding step is to add the light values.

Pay attention to brightness values, transitions, and texture. Exist abstruse with your marks, yet 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 use a large paper canvass (A3 in this case).

If the tree is too complex to draw, you can describe a grid (softly with a pencil), to split up the paper into smaller sections (and utilise the aforementioned filigree for your reference image).

Proceed in mind:

Drawing on a large paper with a pen (or a pencil) is fourth dimension-consuming. For a tree like this, it tin can easily take more than 20 hours to complete.

Realistic ficus tree drawing with pen and ink Ficus tree

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

You lot can give it context by calculation groundwork trees (from imagination in this example).

Pen drawing of a ficus tree and background Background drawing

Something to consider:

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

When objects are far away, at that place are more temper particles (that scatter lite) betwixt them and the observer.

For far away objects, use less contrast and fewer details. In improver, groundwork layers become lighter, and take soft edges.

Adding Background

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

Drawing grass is a simple and easy solution for background.

First by drawing some short lines. The lines in the front should be a chip bolder and longer.

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

Avoid any design, and try to be abstract with your marks.

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

There is no actual depth in a drawing, your newspaper canvas is apartment. The college you lot depict on your paper (until the horizon), the farther abroad it looks.

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

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

Adding Plants

Another choice is to add together some plants. For example, cattail institute (Typha).

Call up:

Natural plants and trees take an abstruse shape. Make sure you do non draw them too circular and compatible.

When drawing long leaves, pay attention to cast shadows:

After test-drawing the found'due south parts, draw some loose outlines.

For realistic results, draw each bloom or foliage with unlike size, shape, and direction (merely, keep in listen the tree or plant characteristics).

Additionally, pay attention to overlapping.

Then, add some effulgence values and cast shadows.

Cattail (Typha) realistic pen drawing Cattail

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

Landscape with trees, pen drawing Mural pen drawing

And, paint it with markers.

Painting a landscape drawing with markers Coloring with markers

Size & Context

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

Although a worm is usually quite minor, past cartoon it big compared to known objects similar trees, it is possible to create a giant monstrous worm.

Giant monstrous worm pen drawing Behemothic worm

On the other hand, yous might want to draw a small tree, like a bonsai tree.

In this case, you need context.

Drawing a tree in a plant pot can help, only sometimes even large trees are sold inside pots.

Cartoon familiar surround, like a room, 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 main color for technical pens is black, many brands offer other color options.

Pens with colors Colored technical pens

I prefer blackness ink, but occasionally I similar to mix it upwardly with colors.

Pen drawing of an Acacia tree Acacia tree

Summary

While in that location are no lines in nature, pens tin can only create lines!

Cartoon is creating an illusion. The world is three-dimensional, merely your paper-sheet is 2-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 cartoon mediums (graphite, charcoal, pastel...), you take to create the illusion of different brightness values and transitions (in effulgence values).

When drawing trees, focus on accuracy of the form, and on brightness values.

Make sure you accept plenty contrast betwixt highlights and shadows, for the drawing to be noticeable.

After you main drawing the form and brightness values, details (texture) make all the departure.

If you liked this article, you lot might like my flower pen-cartoon guide besides.

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: felixforridgen.blogspot.com