We all have that childhood memory of drawing a little house with a door and a window, a gabled roof, and a tree. But what sets architects apart from the rest of the population is that we continue to draw this after childhood, usually with a bit more technique. And just as our residential designs were becoming more complex and complete, the design of our trees needed to improve a bit as well (that broccoli-like shape would not please customers and teachers alike.) Although generally, trees are not the main focus of drawings, they play an important role in the composition of sketches, mainly to represent the scale, intended shading, or some intention of landscaping.
But it is not so easy to draw them. Drawing them in a way that doesn't take too long nor stand out more than the architecture itself can be an art. Knowing how to control the stroke, how to insert colors, and how to demonstrate depth will make a big difference in the end result. Bruno Munari, Italian artist and designer, provides a great starting point in the synopsis of his book "Drawing a Tree:" "When drawing a tree, always remember that each branch is thinner than the previous one. Note also that the trunk divides into two branches, then these branches divide into two, then into two, and so on, until you have a complete tree, whether straight, curled, curved up, curved down, or tilted to the side by the wind."
We've scoured the internet and selected a couple of youtube tutorials to help you with this task. As well as a selection of drawings from architects published on the ArchDaily site.
Tips for Designing Planted Trees
Tips for Drawing Trees in View
Of course, there are no rules for drawing trees. But we hope that the gallery below will help inspire your future projects.
