One of the classic subjects in painting is the image of the garden. This can be a landscape sketch, or a background for drawing people and animals; a spring or summer garden saturated with colors or a romantic autumn garden, as well as a solemn and calm winter garden. Despite the apparent difficulty, making this drawing is quite an uplifting task even for aspiring artists or children. This article is about how to draw a garden in stages.
The choice of technology
Before you draw a garden, you need to decide on the technique. This article refers to the classic materials: pencil, watercolor and paper. First you need to work out the graphic part of the picture, and then deal with the color side. If you are closer to gouache or acrylic, then the proposed sequence of actions may be applicable to these types of paints.
Work on a tree sketch
The question of how to draw a garden with a pencil quite often arises from the inability to draw sketches of a tree. His image seems complex, because visually it seems either too complex or too simple. In the first case, the tree pattern loses its characteristic geometry; in the second case, it looks childishly schematic. Meanwhile, drawing a tree is one of the easiest tasks. In order to cope with it, in the work it is enough to take into account several points.
The secret of natural geometry
Firstly, the structure of the tree is very simple - it is a trunk and branches located on it. But it’s not enough to draw only those that are adjacent to the trunk. The image will be interesting only when you also draw branches of the second, third and fourth level. Moreover, each level of the branches should be thinner than the previous one, and the end of the branch should be thinner than the base. In addition, in order for the plant to look natural, the branches should not be located symmetrically with respect to the trunk.
Finally, a common mistake is the fear of crossing branches, although in nature it is the interweaving and crossing that give the tree its characteristic appearance. Be sure to keep this in mind when drawing tree sketches before drawing a garden. To achieve this, first draw the trunk, then all the branches adjacent to it, then the branches of the second level, etc.
Bends and nodes of branches
Secondly, if you are thinking about how to draw a garden so that the individuality of each plant is felt in the work, be sure to use the resource of complexity of the trunk line and branches. They are rarely straight. Each tree species has its own plastic and its own movement of branches. In an apple tree they are knotty and rounded; in honeysuckle - numerous, confused, direct; hawthorn - clear, angular, etc. Take a closer look at garden trees. Watching the contours of the branches is very interesting, and sketching them is a great lesson on the schedule. If you draw a conditional tree, give the branches that shape and mood that you think is necessary.
Tree shape
Finally, the shape of the tree is of no small importance. So that it does not turn out to be conditional, you must first outline the silhouette of the future tree - he also has his own, especially among garden representatives. Old samples are significantly different from young ones. Apple trees grow sideways with age, mountain ash tend to rise. Young trees have a more regular and symmetrical shape than old trees, and the latter, especially apple trees, are extremely asymmetrical. It is especially important to learn how to work out the graphic part of the work if you want to draw a winter garden or a garden in early spring or during the late leaf fall. At these times of the year, the branches are not covered by leaves, and the emphasis of the drawing will be on the chart.
Pencil drawing of the garden
How to draw a garden so that not only the trees themselves, but their location is natural? Here a lot depends on what kind of garden you are painting. If it is well-groomed and fruitful, then this can be emphasized by a symmetrical, planned landing. The perspective of the point of view can be chosen exactly when landing rows are visible, emphasizing man-madeness. If the romance of the old neglected garden is close to you, then, on the contrary, it is worthwhile to exclude symmetry and any repeatability, deliberation in general.
The main thing to consider before drawing a garden with trees is the order of work. The main mistake is the sequential study of each plant. Beginning authors instinctively “push” the trees away from each other, and the picture is unnatural. To achieve naturalness, first mark the location of the trunks, then outline the future silhouettes of the trees, and only then proceed with the development of each tree.
At the same time, trees will necessarily block each other, their branches can intersect. This will give your drawing a special vibrancy.
If you are drawing a fruit garden, then you also need to draw them before you start drawing crowns. Many fruits will then be partially covered by foliage.
Color Stages
Asking the question of how to draw a garden, many are interested in what exactly needs to be done so that the tree crowns do not look “painted”, as in children's works. The secret here is also quite simple. The crown of a tree is not a continuous stain. It consists of numerous fragments of light and shadow spots, since the leaves, being in the light, cast shadows at each other.
In order not to draw each sheet separately - this would be too difficult a task, you need to follow the traditional sequence of actions.
Work in a light tone first. They can be played so that the shades on the sunny side differ from the shade. Then work with darker colors. And only after that you can work with shaded fragments. If you work with opaque paints, at the end of the work you can again return to light tones and apply glare.
Do not forget that the foliage partially overlaps branches and fruits, but their fragments will give your drawing not only aesthetics, but also a special chic of craftsmanship. That is why it is important to work out a graphic drawing of each tree before starting to work with color.
When drawing a winter garden, a successful solution would be to make a graphic drawing with white chalk on tinted cyan or blue paper. If you are drawing an autumn garden with fall foliage, do not forget that at this time of the year, separate sheets open in our thinned crown — some of them can be drawn. In spring, especially during the flowering period, the contrast between light and shadow is sharply felt, its underlining will give your picture sunshine. Do not forget also about the color of the sky - it is special at every time of the year.