"I DON'T know how it is, but I can't do trees" is a remark an artist
frequently hears; and it is too often justified by the poor and crude
attempts at tree painting that accompany it.
And to the regretful exclamation perhaps something is added about
"want of knack" the "right sort of touch" as though, in order to
successfully draw or paint a tree (as distinct from the painting of any
other object) some extraordinary gift or sleight of hand were
necessary, some special cleverness of manipulation that should enable
its possessor to accomplish "tree-work" perhaps without effort, and
certainly without very much study.
"I'm very fond of out-door sketching, nothing is so nice; and although I
love trees, and have tried to paint them many times, somehow or other
I can't manage it," continues the disconsolate artist. This idea of
natural inability in regard to tree-painting perhaps becomes in him a
settled conviction and he goes floundering on for of course he cannot
give up his sketching, blotting in his trees with meaningless and
inartistic dabs (which by-and-by become his recipe) and from this very
hopelessness, making little or no attempt at reproducing the forms,
which, as a matter of fact, he sees quite plainly, and is perfectly
conscious of.
Now, this theory of spontaneous foliage-cleverness we entirely disagree
with. Of course a natural love of art is quite essential to success in
any kind of painting, but we hold that, given the artistic ability, it is
just as capable of being turned in the direction of tree-painting as in
any other; and with success, if only the study of tree form be set about
in a right manner and with conviction.
"Freedom of handling" we are told, and "lightness of touch" are
necessary to tree-painting. This is undoubtedly true, for a tree is an
object that is continually on the move, swayed by the wind first one
way and then the other and through which a bird can fly. It is only
with certain dexterity that this appearance of life and motion can be
given.
But "freedom of handling" is only another name for that sureness of
brush which results from practice, and from the knowledge obtained
by the mastery of the subject from its elemental stages upwards.
When painting a tree it should always be kept in mind and never
forgotten, that it is a tree, composed of delicate, feathery leaves, and
not a solid, immovable substance like brick or stone. It ought to be the
painter's aim to portray the quality and material of the tree as well as
its form and colour.
Remembering these all-important matters, the dexterity will come in
time; and to the sketcher who has tried and failed and to the novice
who is not yet conscious of his power and is uncertain how to shape
his course or what method to pursue, we would say, "Start at the
beginning; do not think any bit of tree form too trivial for study, or any
labour too great.
In this book we are learning to paint trees in water-colour, but we
would advise the pupil, in order to make himself thoroughly
conversant with the character and formation of the different kinds, to
execute careful studies of them with pen and ink and under all
conditions of leafage.
By this means, as he has no medium but black and white to work
with. He learns to draw, which is the very first essential in painting,
and to see and look for form, without which all his efforts in colour
will be unsatisfactory and disappointing.
We know of no help to tree-painting superior, or even equal, to this
practice with the pen and we would strongly urge the pupil to pursue
it simultaneously with his work in colour: not, however, confining
himself simply to trees in leaf, but making drawings of them at all
times of the year, even when they are quite empty of leaves.
Let him take a tree in winter and anatomize it, drawing carefully the
trunk and all the intricate ramifications of branch and twig, noting, its
various and peculiar characteristics of growth; then with the coming
of spring let him draw it with its myriad of bursting buds; in summer,
its grand masses of foliage, and its half-clothed frame in autumn; and
we are sure he will have gained a practical knowledge of tree form, to
which he would never have attained had he been content simply to try
to paint the tree in summer, in almost utter ignorance of what its
skeleton was like.
We attach the greatest possible importance to winter study, for when a
tree stands mapped out in all its nakedness against the sky, and every
line of it can be followed from root to tip of the furthest branch, its
distinctive appearance and shape can be readily seized upon, and set
down. We may note the difference of growth of the different species;
the wordy, stubborn zigzags of the Oak can be compared with, say,
the dignified beauty of the Elm, or the flowing graceful lines of the
Ash.
In making pen and ink studies, which we think you will find extremely
fascinating work, ordinary ink and note-paper may be used, but liquid
Indian ink and Bristol board are better; Indian ink flows evenly and
Bristol board always preserves a nice flat surface to work upon, and
does not “crinkle”. As for pens, any kind will do. When drawing the
trunk and larger branches of a tree, a broad-nibbed pen is very useful.
As we do not intend to enter into the very wide field of landscape
painting generally, but only to give a few hints on sketching trees, we
shall endeavour to make our remarks as simple and practical as
possible, avoiding diffuseness; and following, up this idea of
simplicity, we would recommend the use of only such materials as are
quite necessary to the work, not overburdening the palette with
colours we do not want. But first, we should perhaps talk about the
different kinds of paper. Of course hand-made papers are those
invariably used, but the ordinary kinds, which can be purchased at
any good craft shop, are good enough. We would not recommend the
hot-pressed, smooth paper, (although for certain purposes it would be
excellent to work with) nor the very rough paper, but one having a
fairly smooth surface, and not showing too much tooth, in fact, one we
would call a "medium paper". Sketching books are now very much
used, and can be bought in any size and texture from A8 to A4. When
it is only intended to make small drawings, these books are excellent,
and possess the advantage of being always ready to work upon, but
for large drawings it is better to buy the paper by the sheet or get
yourself an A1 or A2 size sketchpad.
Now when it comes to the colours, lots of pigments are not necessary
for good work, but very frequently a hindrance and distraction. The
aim should be to obtain as wide a range of colours, with as few
intermediate tints as possible; half-tones and greys can be readily
made by mixing one colour with another.
We think the following palette will be sufficiently wide in scope to
satisfy the requirements of even the most ambitious sketcher:-
Lemon Yellow ______Vermilion _________________Indigo
Gamboge ___________Rose, or Pink Madder ______Raw Umber
Indian Yellow _____Light Red _________________Madder Brown
Yellow Ochre ______Cobalt ____________________Vandyke Brown
Raw Sienna ________Antwerp, or Prussian Blue _Sepia
Burnt Sienna ______French Ultramarine ________Black
Moist colours are the best, and the ordinary folding japanned
sketching-box the most portable and handy.
Each colour should have its appointed place in the box, and we would
recommend the same order of arrangement as is observed in the list
above.
For the more experienced, sable brushes are those used for watercolour
painting: we prefer the red sable, as we think it rather firmer
and more elastic than the black, but there is little difference between
them. Large brushes are better than small, we do not mean in quality,
but to work with and give fuller and more satisfactory touches. Sable
brushes are not a necessity though and quality brushes can be
purchased from most good craft shops.
An HB pencil is perhaps the best for outlining. B is too black, and can
dirty the paper, while H is too hard, and is prone to scratch, although
it is nicer in tone than HB.
Having now settled on the tools and paints we need, the first tree to
which we shall turn our attention will be the Oak. We have selected it
because it is capable of bolder treatment than any of the others of
which we give examples, as its foliage is not so delicate a character as
that of the others. It is a great tree for the pupil to begin with.
