EXAMPLES

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Ken O'Connell's drawing illustrates how to approach the complex forms and textures of a landscape through layering. He begins this drawing with the top, most distanced elements, works his way forward down to the ground plane and then finishes by balancing the graphic weight by strengthening values. While he first finds the edges of major forms by drawing their profiles, the final drawing is built up with contrasting tones.

1. Background silhouette

He starts with the profile of the distant trees, creating the dark shape of the distant conifers. The first lines frame how the image sits on the page and determines the scale of the drawing. Because the tree on the right is closer, it is drawn with light and shadow rather than as a dark mass.