Drawing: Trees with William F. Powell

Root Patterns

Tree roots grow down and outward like a crisscrossing net to anchor the tree in the ground. The root patterns have twists and bumps, which make them interesting to draw. Of course, old trees have more intricate shapes than young ones do, but all kinds of roots can be drawn from simple block-in lines. Study the root pattern shown, which is found on a mature tree.

Begin by lightly blocking in the shapes with an HB pencil in step A. Refine the shape of the roots in step B, and use small, curved lines to bring out the forms in step C. Vary the depth of the values by pressing hard for darks and lightly for middle and lighter values. Continue to shade the tree with curved lines going up the root to where it becomes the trunk. Draw curved ...