A Leaf

by Sandra Busby
(UK - England)

A Leaf

I was walking our dog in the woods earlier in the spring, when I noticed this large autumn leaf. The other autumn leaves had all but rotted away, but this one had become caught between two branches on its journey down from the tree, which is why it had remained so perfect, despite the cold and snowy winter we had experienced.

I picked it up and took it home with me, where I shone a light on the leaf from one side to create an interesting composition, and began drawing it. Apart from the shadow, the rest of the drawing is made up entirely of cross hatching, and tiny lines using a fine pencil.

As you can see, I drew the underside of the leaf because the texture was more interesting with the veins protruding from its surface.

***Note from Kerry:
Hi Sandra, this is fantastic! Wow! Thanks so much for telling us how you achieved your effects. Your leaf is gooood.