I have been hit over the head with this repeated design lately.
The image of a leafy tree with the repeated image of the root system below.
Every time I see it I am fascinated by how the top of the tree's branches is basically a symmetrical image of the roots.
So, this gave me an idea...
Teach kids to draw trees and roots by focusing on the "branching off" of the limbs.
I would begin teaching the branching of technique with this lesson below...
Then roll into the pictures beneath...
1. Fold a large paper into quarters with the center point of the paper being in the bottom right corner...
Draw the trunk thick at the bottom and as you go up the center begin branching off into finer limbs.
2. Outline this with a Sharpie...
3. Open up the paper and fold just in half (instead of quarters) and trace the Shapied lines onto other 3 spots with a pencil on a tracing table or a window.
You should end up having an image like this...
4. The tree at the top of the paper can be the bush. I try to explain first to the students that we look UP to trees. So, we see the inside and underside... kindof like an open umbrella.
So... I have them draw a "cloud"like line that cuts off some of the tips of the limbs (see in the photo below the pencil tipped limbs that got cut off?).
Then draw an oval guideline around that keeping the the center bottom line of the tree.
5. Around this oval guideline, make a larger "cloud" around it. I emphasize that it does not have to be perfect or else it looks too fake.
6. Draw in lines that go up the trunk and bend with limbs to act as texture for the bark.
7. Use stippling for the bush, making the inside of the "Umbrella" the place that has more condensed stipples to show the shadow of the bush. SPread the stippples out further on the top of tree.
Final after the bush is added...
8. Go back to the roots and add more branching off...
Optional color-
Horizontal lighter/warmer lines for the root side
and
Concentric Circles with darker/cooler lines for the sky.
* I was coloring the sky randomly, but when I was done, I wished I would have only used cool colors for the sky. This would POP out the white bush and POP out the roots giving the lesson an entire new dimension.... live and learn :)
