Category Archive

My daughter said, “Why is it so pink?” I responded that pink was part of the actual background color, and that I was exaggerating that but would be mottling it (as I have now done, above). I said I was trying to show how there was a glow around the needles. She affirmed that there’s a glow, but thought that with a pink background, the glow seemed to come from nowhere. Damn it, she was right. When I started this, the background, which is partly bright white light, seemed way too difficult, but that now seems untrue, and yes, if the background doesn’t show that light, where does the glow come from?

I think I am resolving it by making the upper section of the background considerably lighter than the lower. We’ll see. I should consult her earlier next time.

Next day: you can’t erase colored pencil, but you can lighten it. I’ve done that and added a few more leaves. They are all different. I’m loving meeting each one.

Coming along. Maybe I will finish it tomorrow. Cryptomeria, the next tree in the field guide, is tugging at my sleeve, but I’m really relishing this time with a beloved tree. I’m very happy with the way the glow is showing.

Many nights, I am tempted to skip that day’s drawing, but I’ve stuck to it every time. Usually, even if I don’t sit down to it until 10 p.m., the process gives me energy and I’m glad to be drawing. But last night, I really wanted a break from both drawing and piano practice, gave it some serious consideration, and decided a day off was a good idea.

Today, I played piano and I drew, but this drawing is going to take a couple more days. It feels special to have gotten to it in the field guide: Sequoia sempervirens, our beloved coast redwood. And the reference photo I found conveys that quality of light that comes through the branches, and maybe explains it too: each needle, it turns out, is outlined by a glow where it thins to nothing. That’s what I want to get across in my drawing, so it will be a slow, careful process. Today I mostly just outlined the leaves.

See you tomorrow, Sequoia sempervirens.

Trying out an ink pen again . . .

The fact that this tree is commonly called “California nutmeg” threw me into a tizzy for a few minutes. Nutmeg? It is very aromatic . . . Wait, but it’s a yew. Does nutmeg come from a yew? Mind reeling . . . but no. It’s just called that because its cones look a lot like nutmegs.

The tree of so many Hebrew Bible verses. Native, yes, to the Middle East and Turkey, and planted in the Southeast and along the Pacific coast here.