M & K - Trees

I'm getting close to done with the first pass on this drawing. Still need to shade a few snow drifts. The trees in the middle and on the right were pretty easy; the trees on the left were a lot more work. This gets to the question of how detailed secondary features should be. I could have left this group of branches and trees out altogether and pretended that the tree line continued in the distance, especially since these closeup trees have the possibility of being a distraction. On the other hand, I enjoy the complexity that such an object (or group of objects) brings. I usually find the complexity in hair or fur, but this time it is trees. One difficulty specific to this drawing is how to keep the mountains behind these trees distinct from the trees. No easy answer there, since I don't have green and blue in my graphite pencils.

I'll let this collection of trees sit for a day, then come back to them tomorrow and start darkening and blending areas to help the components become less obtrusive. I don't want to lose all detail, but I do want the details to have a narrower dynamic range. Then the trees won't take more than their share of attention, but can also be a fun detail to examine.

I am about ready to begin the next stage on this drawing, which is going back and refining details, shadows, and highlights. I'll begin blending with a tortillon (a tightly wound paper stick used for blending. I never user fingers to blend, as fingers have damaging oils. I make every effort to never touch the surface of the drawing paper with my skin.), and then go back and refine edges and details again. It is a slow process, but that's how I draw!

I'm running out of time on this drawing and am trying to finish it within a few more days. No pressure!