Drawing: Trees with William F. Powell by William F Powell

Drawing: Trees with William F. Powell (How to Draw & Paint)

by William F Powell

Discover how to draw majestic trees in realistic detail, step by easy step, with Drawing: Trees with William Powell.
 
The qualities we most admire in trees are also what we value in ourselves or other people—strength, dignity, and perseverance. Perhaps this is why we’re naturally drawn to them as artistic subjects. From basic shapes to final details, this book teaches the step-by-step process of drawing a wide variety of trees. With just a little practice, you can create many different types of trees, each with its own unique qualities and elegance.

With tips on drawing root patterns, branches, fallen trees, and bark and simple techniques for rendering cast shadows and ground foliage, Drawing: Trees with William F. Powell teaches artists how to draw a wide variety of trees in graphite pencil, from basic shapes to final details. Learn about basic tree shapes and leaf types, as well as the fundamentals of shading, composition, and perspective.

Some of the step-by-step lessons included in this book are:
  • Tree Trunks
  • Branches & Boughs
  • Root Patterns
  • Foliage Textures
  • Fallen Trees
  • Majestic Oak
  • Sierra Pines
  • Sycamore Lane
The How to Draw & Paint series offers an easy-to-follow guide that introduces artists to basic tools and materials and includes simple step-by-step lessons for a variety of projects suitable for the aspiring artist. Drawing: Trees with William F. Powell allows artists to develop their drawing skills, demonstrating how to start with basic shapes and use pencil and shading techniques to create varied textures, values, and details for a realistic, completed drawing.

Reviewed by annieb123 on

5 of 5 stars

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Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Drawing: Trees with William F. Powell is a tutorial art guide aimed at advanced beginners or intermediate artists for drawing trees alone and in landscape. Released 7th May 2019 by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 40 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.

A short general introduction (10%) covers tools and materials including pencils, paper, blending tools, etc. The intro is followed by a group of non-specific tutorials on graphite techniques, shading, light, shapes, tonal values, texture, and perspective. The following tutorial chapters are specific for different parts of trees, such as general shapes, foliage, root and growth patterns, etc. The tutorials move on with full species specific studies.

It's worth noting that the ebook version of the eARC includes a very handy interactive table of contents. I really liked that. Each of the tutorials include 4-6 steps start to finish.

I like these tutorial booklets, they're inexpensive and full of useful info for artists looking for improvement in their own work. Whilst not a beginner specific book, there are lessons to be had here for artists of all levels.

Five stars - for what it covers and for a very short tutorial guide, it does the job admirably well.

Disclosure: I received an early eARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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  • 6 June, 2019: Reviewed