Drawing a Palm

Open a 400x500 white canvas, resolution of 300 pixels. Turn on the grid in order to help you with the drawing (if necessary). If you want to "play" more dramatically, choose a black canvas & light blue for your brush color. NOTE: I have purposely shrunk the pictures; however, should you wish to save any of them, just RH click and the actual size of the picture will be saved Choose airbrush at approximately 75% transparency; color = black; size=1. You may vary transparency down to approx. 50% if you choose. Begin by placing a light "+" in the center, then halfway down, toward left and a short line Note: Let me also remind you to save your image as a UFO file often.
Finish outlining 3 low distant islands. IMPORTANT to leave space between your middle + guide and the island tops. Keep bottom lines straight, curve top. Starting above the + guide start drawing the palm trunk freely, curving the line to end to the right of the + guide line at the bottom. You can add a couple of lines coming out from the bottom trunk and a small vertical line to the right.
Before drawing the inner trunk lines, see how these disconnected "L" shaped lines are smaller and point downward from the top and upward from the bottom. At this time you can also add minor detail in the forefront of the two rocks at the left bottom. Remember to stay loose as this is just a simple sketch.
Draw the clouds, using a very light touch. Don't try to copy my lines exactly, but do place top cloud slightly off center. You can begin adding a few weeds coming up behind the rocks and around the tree base.
Start each palm from the TOP of trunk. Curve your lines upward and then out. Palm lines overlap and vary in length. Freely add weeds and small island palms. Slant a tiny sailboard against back island. Then outline triangle shaped bush lightly, placing it behind the truck but not higher than your center guide.
It's important to be loose in your drawing to just position the forms. Also, if using the Wacom graphire tablet, use just slight pressure in the initial sketching. As you progress, draw quick, short strokes (just as you would with a pencil).
Leave some space next to trunk as you add wiggly bush leaf lines. Keep these lines generally within your bush outline. Add short light waterlines from boat. You can start adding palm leaves, as well as very light detail to the rocks and more detail to the foliage around the tree. Keep everything free, light and easy. The fun is in the sketching feeling.
Continue adding detail, decreasing transparency to about 50%, still using the airbrush. Follow the direction of your own lines, curving and shortening palms toward tips. At this point you may wish to change to PAINTBRUSH; size=1;transparency=50% and continue adding/reinforcing your lines.
Become more bold with your strokes with the paintbrush and add a few birds. There's really no need to overwork a sketch like this. Mostly it's an exercise in lines and forms. I will be adding a colored version to this tutorial as soon as possible. I hope you've enjoyed becoming a "sketch artist" and I would suggest purchasing a small sketch pad, a couple of soft lead mechanical pencils & an eraser and experiment in quick sketching. Hillary PS... Don't forget to pick up your award....LOL -- you definitely deserved it on this one!
NOTE: On the colored version, I used the ADD WATER (for smoothing the sky ONLY) when I brought the sky colors into the water and used both the airbrush & paintbrush, opened the Color Swatch & then just "played" at adding colors, but following my sketched lines. When I was finished/tired of playing, I just used FM Filters Blend Emboss feature and Ulead's Texturizer & chose Sandstone; relief=2.

You can always save the image you've been working on as a UFO file and practice coloring techniques.

That's it. Just sign it and claim it as your own!
Good luck and email me if you have any questions.

Drawing a Palm Scene