When in Doubt …. Go Out!

Something new kicking off on my easel, this time a little bit of my new surroundings time for some apple trees in Autumn. 

So far so good and then came the moment of doubt! Does this tree really look like this? No central trunk? Or did I miss it? The answer, when in doubt…. Go out!

I was using my own reference for this painting but as I'm new to apple trees, I started to wonder if I had really looked closely enough and so the answer was pack your wee sketching bag and out to explore! 

When you haven’t been out sketching for a while, it’s always a pain to start packing and when you’re outside you realise you've forgotten x,y and z! It was 1 Degree C but I have to say I really enjoyed being out!

Trying to look closely at shape, texture and colour, the trees here are full of amazing lichen and velvety green moss. Fortunately, I'd remembered my fingerless gloves (great for sketching in the cold) but forgotten to pack a poly bag to sit on! I was warmly wrapped in several Barbour's and a large shawl (what a bl..dy sight!) but the bench I was sitting on was wet and my waxed Barbour is too short for my ample behind when perched so I ended up with (like many a cake) a soggy bottom. 

My set up was just a couple of pencils, a fineliner and my watercolour palette …. Not too much to carry because I was combining sketching with hiking! What did I learn? That these apple trees really are all different, some have a central trunk, some divide into two nearly symmetrical halves and some are just downright deformed! But beautiful, twisty turny and amazing. When in doubt, check it out …. Maybe the best advice is to sketch as prep before starting a painting! 

Whatever, fact is trees are amazing and very individual….. no two are alike.