Sketchbook Practice: Drawing Manhattan's Oldest Tree

Hi there! Let me tell you about a drawing session that I attended last Sunday.

The venue was New York City's Washington Square Park. Here, you'll find the oldest tree in Manhattan (more than 300 years old). It's an English Elm and it's known as the "Hangman's Elm." Legend has it that traitors we hung from its branches around the time of the American Revolution.

I know, it sounds a little morbid, but I can only imagine all the stories this towering tree has seen. She's a real beauty! I frequent this park a lot but wasn't even aware of the history of this tree.   

 

The group Washington Square Park Eco Projects and artist Kristin Jones of Behold lead strangers like me who are willing to stop, observe, and draw Manhattan's oldest tree. 

The session was absolutely free! Sketchpads and pencils were provided, but you are welcome to bring your favorite art materials. 

We sat on the park benches that surround Hangman's Elm and just began to draw.

Different artists are invited to provide tips, techniques, and encouragement. This class was led by Jennifer Orkin Lewis (@augustwren on Instagram). I've been a fan of her use of color and whimsical style. Meeting her turned my day from blah to TADA!

I sketched several versions of the tree using different media:

My warm up exercise: a pencil sketch

My second attempt: sketching more details using green pencil

My third sketch using an ink pen

Another version: what if I painted a blue tree? I used blue watercolor
directly on the paper; I didn't do a pencil sketch beforehand. 

And still another version using watercolor and colored pencils.

For the final one, I went wild with the watercolor.

It was so much fun making different interpretations of the Hangman's Tree. You can take a look at other people's drawings on the @treewonderwsp Instagram account. It was also freeing to know that you can keep starting over if you weren't pleased with your first attempt and that even with the same subject, many different versions can come out.

I'd definitely do this again, especially when the seasons change (the dramatic leaves in autumn and the bare branches in winter).

If you are in New York City, why don't you stop by? They'll be at Washington Square Park's northwest corner every Sunday from 11:30 am to 1:00pm.

Let's keep practicing, stay creative, and transform ordinary days from blah to TADA! 

*****

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