I believe this is something that comes more naturally if you start the sketch in ink instead of doing pencil underdrawing. With pencils you can indulge the detail really easily and then you can spend so much time comparing the proportions of each contour, but if you go to ink over that, you will have to fight the tendency to just trace over the contour and ignore the value information made by the clusters of leaves. If you start with stippled lines as in this demo, it's much easier to find an approach that gradually builds up value and texture.

Fantastic!! I have learned so much already, this should help a lot too. Thanks for your help!!

When learning about drawing, what I think I learned is that when we draw we are not drawing the thing, but we are drawing the light coming from the thing. And, since we draw with pencil (pen) which is dark, we are drawing the shadows as opposed to drawing the light. You seem to have taken this a step further by drawing "the effect" of the shadows. This is great inspiration, thanks!

Tried it and I was surprisingly pleased with the results. Thank you.

Fantastic ! A bit beyond my skill level but that is what a challenge is all about !? 😊

Carlos Dinitz was the master of this technique.

I would love to hear about why you love this medium ❤ I believe you used to paint in oils? What drew you to a black and white way of doing art? What keeps you interested? What do you see as perks, and what are the challenges? Do you ever feel tempted to add color?

😮 Your tone control with that single pen is blowing my mind 🤯 EDIT: I think I caught you working forward to back (fence up) and yes laying down the midtones and darks behind. Def want to find more videos to watch you sketching in pen.

Excellent!

Great to understand how to hatch. (Marks, contrast, various layers & adjustments. By the way... can you do a few more drawings which re-affirm how to apply various “grey markers” when doing urban sketching (outside) please. It’s how to choose & apply the different shades of grey….. I know you have done this type before, but doing it in real life, rather than from a reference photo takes on a new perspective I think. Thanks. Jim.

A thought provoking video, Stephen, My difficulty is that the trees I draw, mostly oaks, are often standing alone in an open field and the background is simply a horizon line beneath a cloudless sky. Sometimes I'll try to include everything - the tree's leaves, branches, the grass beneath its canopy, rocks poking up, etc. It takes a couple hours at least, and the result often looks overdone. Other times, I'll just hatch what I can, leaving out much of the detail, and it ends up looking like nothing but a quick sketch you could do from imagination. Seems the sweet spot might be in somehow combining the two approaches, hatching in part but keeping some detail. So far I haven't been happy with the result, though. Kind of a mishmash. Anyway, nothing to do but keep trying I guess. It IS still fun, after all! Thanks, Stephen

I wonder how your marks would change if you draw in bigger format?

Stephen....... How to draw tree with bunch of tiny leaves...... Pls. Show...

Do you ever do clouds in the sky in your scenes, or does that lead to confusion.?