the colour of leaves

I drew these gum leaves while my relatives watched television shows. 
We had picked the leaves off the ground during the daytime on a walk.

As I drew them I became more wonderous and amazed at the colours and intricacies of nature. 

These leaves were scattered all over the ground at the park. However, they do not have the overall colour and intensity en masse to make you look at them on the ground. 

However individually they are a riot of colour.

Watercolour pencil in Moleskine watercolour sketchbook

This Blue Gum

This blue gum tree greets me every morning as I open my studio curtains. She is always there. She has always been there, for the past ten years. She's the one I sit and stare at when I'm pondering or deep in thought. I've watched her swaying in heavy winds, watched as limbs have broken off and watched as veld fires have swept her base. 

She stands across the road from our property, probably about 20m tall and offers a safe haven for all the birds in the area. I've watched as baby crows have fledged from her branches and yet, I've never looked at her properly. 

Today I decided to look at her, with new eyes, and paint her. 

I think she's wonderful. 

::

 

Grand Dame - Maree

n. pl. grandes dames also grand dames

1. A highly respected elderly or middle-aged woman
2. A respected woman having extensive experience in her field
3. A woman regarded as the most experienced, prominent, or venerable member of her profession, etc.

The Blue Gum trees (Eucalyptus) on our property are showing signs of the winter, with lots of dead leaves and grass at their bases, a sure danger should our property catch fire this season. Our fire breaks haven't been done yet, normally we're finished by now, but we're late because the tractor has been out on hire and should be back in a couple of days.

Despite the freezing cold, I took a stroll down to the bottom of our property to find something to sketch and this tree is one of my favourite grand old dames that has managed to escape burning for the past couple of seasons.

Parker Fountain pen with Black Quink ink and Rohrer & Klinger Verdura Green ink, a bit of water added. Done in my Moleskine Sketch-book.

Wintry Blue gums - Maree

We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away. 

- Zhuangzi 

A few weeks ago we were still gripped in the icy throes of winter but the Blue gum trees (Eucalyptus) on our smallholding (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) were already showing signs of new life, ready to shed their blue/grey leaves in exchange for brighter greens.

::

E. grandis - Maree

Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer
is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible
exception of a moose singing "Embraceable You" in spats.
- Woody Allen

Blue gum tree (Eucalyptus) on our property in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa.

Summer is in FULL swing with temperatures way up in the late 30°C and early 40°C in parts of the country! Here in Tarlton I've been struggling with the heat at only 31°C, so if I want to do some field sketching, I go out to our blue gum bush early in the morning, about 5am, where I found this lovely tall tree - he's one of the straightest on our property and I just adore him!

Here in S.A., Blue gum trees are popular with bee-keepers for the honey they provide (I just LOVE Bluegum Honey!). However, in South Africa they are considered invasive, with their water-sucking capabilities threatening water supplies. They also release a chemical into the surrounding soil which kills native competitors.

The following Eucalyptus species have become naturalised in South Africa: E. camaldulensis, E. cladocalyx, E. diversicolor, E. grandis and E. lehmannii.

What if there were no more trees...? - Maree

If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees.
- Susan George

W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm - no preliminary sketching

A scenery not far from us on the road to Magaliesburg. Tarlton is host to large plantations of Blue gum trees (Eucalyptus), which were originally planted for the mining industry to be used as supports under-ground in the mines. Although many of the trees have been cleared to make way for progress (and this is on-going), we are still lucky enough to have pockets of these trees on private properties.

That subtle something - Maree

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

W&N watercolour in small hand-made sketch-book with hand-crafted satin-finish Linen paper

Walking through our Blue gum bush a couple of months ago, looking for something to sketch, a leaf maybe, or a mushroom, I suddenly realised that RIGHT THERE, in front of me, was the sketching matter. I was surrounded by blue gum trees, and all I had to do, was paint them!

Eucalyptus leaves

There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus native of Australia, these journal pages are one of my earlier study of Eucalyptus leaves, I find them very inspiring as any leaf. To see a few more leaves: http://www.matteogrilli.blogspot.com

Eucalyptus Trees in the California sun

I had the opportunity to visit one of the people in my International postcard exchange and have lunch with her. It was so beautiful outside that we walked over to the park across the street and sat under some trees to paint. The sun was shining through the trees creating wonderful shadows across the grass. There are many types of Eucalyptus trees, they grow very fast and some have beautiful blooms. Their bark peels off the trunks to reveal a white base creating wonderful colors up and down the tree. Living in California, along with palm trees, these are painted almost as often. This is a cropped version of my two page layout in my sketchbook painted ala prima.

Eucalyptus - Alissa Duke

Eucalyptus leaves


There are over 700 species of eucalyptus and I don't know which one this is! It was growing locally and this sprig (not sure if that is the correct word) was given to me to draw. It is winter here in Australia, so there are not many eucalyptus in flower. The eucalypt dominates many Australian landscapes and is only absent (or at least reduced in diversity) in rainforests and truly arid environments.

Eucalyptus~ botanical-ish page

Jane LaFazio here. I had great fun creating this page of Eucalyptus leucoxylon 'rosea' (White Ironbark). I snipped some of the blooms, pods and leaves and brought them to my studio to draw and watercolor. The tree itself was covered in bees and I didn't want to risk my life to draw on location.
    

 
As I drew and painted each part realistically, I also took time to create a more graphic impression of the design on the page. I'll use those designs in my other artwork..(like I show in the 4th chapter of my DVD/download "From art journaling to art.")
I'm also working larger than I usually do, this is a 9x12 journal.

Eucalyptus - Alissa Duke

Royal Botanic Gardnen- Sydney .

Eucalyptus maidenii, commonly known as Maiden's Gum, is a Eucalypt species native to eastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales, Australia. It was named after the Director of the Royal Botanic Garden (1896 - 1924)

It grows up to 75 m tall. Its most distinctive and lovely feature is the bark that sheds to ground level, leaving smooth grey-white and smooth trunk. I love this texture and character this one has

The leaves are 15 to 25 cm long and when they a fall from the tree turn colour on the ground and,can be an assortment of wonderfully bright colours. But they are green on the tree.

I've been collecting and drawing gum leaves from this tree for an exhibition that is part of the upcoming Sydney Royal Botanic Garden Sketchabout . We also have a blog and I invite you to link on the site to "follow us on Google"

watercolour pencil and ink

Gum Leaves - Alissa Duke

Gum leaves picked up in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. I sat down and drew the view of the city from the gardens last Saturday and picked up a few gum leaves to draw. I am working on a project where I want to have the gum leaf (or flower or bark) in colour/ detail in the foreground and then a view from the Gardens in the background. After many suggestions from the wonderful flickr and EDM community I have a few experiments to make with colour/ pencil etc. Here are two .

I love many colours of gum leaves . The colours seem to occur when the leaves have dropped onto the ground. Their bark can be spectacular too

gumleaf - watercolour pencil

background - HB pencil

gum leaf - watercolour pencil

background - Derwent Coloured pencil Blue Grey. Harder and tonal on left. Soft line on right

Eucalyptus Trees - Maree Clarkson

When we open ourselves to the natural world, we escape the fast-paced bustle of our daily lives. That experience, not only reduces our stress, it also grounds us, reaffirming our connection to the Earth and all its creatures.

"Eucalyptus trees" - pencil sketch and watercolour in Moleskine watercolour Notebook.

Went for a walk around our smallholding and took my Moleskine sketch book and a palette with ready-mixed colours with me. I've got a small, easy-to-carry paint box with just a few essentials that I take along with me on walks. There wasn't much to see, the winter veld-fires had left the landscape blackened and bare. But I did find this unscathed patch of Blue gum (Eucalyptus) trees and did a quick sketch with some colour.