Treelines in clairobscur are always catching my attention, especially at Royal Estate ‘The Horsten‘ between Wassenaar and Voorschoten, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands where you can find me searching for sceneries to paint and sketch occasionally like I did with my drawing Royal Estate ‘De Horsten – 12-04-14’. It is one of those advantages when you live in The Hague. There are so many estates, mansions, parks and dunes. All the more motifs an artist can use very well.
In 2013 and 2014 before my turn to cubism I was into sketching impressionistic landscapes, preferably at the spot. That is not always possible due to time schedules (teaching) and weather conditions. Live drawing often is overestimated. Light can change rapidly or the wind is lifting up your paper irritatingly or when you find the perfect spot you simply do not have a stool or chair with you to sketch for 2 consecutive hours.
As ever I was fascinated by the tree catching light from above, turning darker (core shadow) in the middle. Water reflections always are rewarding. Such sceneries I could do in an impressionistic style only. The light on such vegetation I consider much more attractive than compose a tree with my pencil and be complete in the enumeration of all leafs and branches.
Graphite pencil drawing (Pentel 0.5 mm, 3B) on Winsor & Newton paper (14.8 x 21 x 0.1 cm – A5 format)
Artist: Corné Akkers
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