Matthew James Taylor Matthew James Taylor

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Trees (Drawings, Illustrations & Other Artwork)

I love the fractal nature of trees, they're super-fun to draw in all kinds of styles and mediums.

"Kidney shaped tree" Fractal illustration

Kidney shaped tree fractal
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Software
recursivedrawing.com
Date
14 May 2012

I created this tree using an online Recursive Drawing tool that's so fun to play with.

Read my article on recursive drawing for more information.

"Pixel tree fractal" Photoshop illustration

Fractal tree
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Charcoal, white charcoal on tan paper
Software
Adobe Photoshop
Date
2 Feb 2011

This illustration came from an idea to draw a picture in layers of increasing detail like a fractal - I've been quite obsessed with fractals and recursive behavior lately.

I starting in Photoshop with a very small image (16 x 16 pixels), and drew the tree trunk with a one-pixel brush.

I then doubled the size of the image with resampling set to 'nearest neighbor' so the colors stayed sharp. Using the same one-pixel brush (now only a quarter of the size) I drew the next set of branches in a different color.

I repeated the 'doubling then drawing' process five times, until I reached the tiny leaves. This last layer took a long time because there were so many leaves on the tree!

Finally I drew the owl in the same colours and pixel dimensions as the tree and sat him on one of the branches.

See more of my fractal art.

"Tree growing in rocks" Charcoal drawing

Tree growing in rocks
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Charcoal, white charcoal on tan paper
Date
21 Oct 2007
Time
20 minutes

I found this really interesting tree to draw at the Botanical Gardens in Sydney. It was growing out of the cracks between some huge sandstone blocks and above that there was a man made retaining wall of smaller blocks. It made for some really interesting shapes. I had to climb half way up a cliff to get to it.

"Red tree" Red chalk drawing on manila paper

Red tree
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Red and white chalk on manila paper
Date
6 Mar 2005
Time
40 minutes

I went to see an exhibition on French drawing at the Art Gallery of NSW and I was so inspired that I had to draw something. I had no-one to model for me so instead I sat in the park across the road from my house and drew this tree.

"Frangipani" Black and white pencil study

Frangipani
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Black and white pencil on tan paper
Date
17 Nov 2003
Time
Approximately 1 hour

This is a close-up of a beautiful frangipanni tree from my neighbour's front yard.

"Stylized tree" Mixed media drawing

Stylized tree
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Black ink, colored pencil on tan paper
Date
23 Feb 2003
Time
10 minutes

Just a quick picture of a tree. I painted the first part with ink then finished it off with coloured pencil.

"2 trees" Oil painting

2 trees
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Oil on canvas

Just a simple oil painting of some weird trees that are quite fractal-like.

See my other oil paintings.

"Tree of color" Colored pencil doodle

Tree of color
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Colored pencil, black felt tip pen

I often draw trees just for something to do.

See more of my doodles.

"Bushland trees" Pencil illustration

Bushland trees: pencil illustration
Artist
Matthew James Taylor
Medium
Graphite pencil on art paper

This is a detailed section of my two-page graphic novel, Soul Search.

Matthew James Taylor

I've been creating art all my life and running this website since 1997! During this time I've found many amazing tools and services that I cannot live without.”
— Matthew James Taylor

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A close-up painting of pistachios with Gouche

Gouache Paintings (Still Life Illustrations)

A fractal tree made by recursive drawing

Create Fractals With This Amazing Recursive Drawing Tool

Watercolor illustration example

Watercolor Painting & Illustration

A selection of life drawings in different mediums

Best Life Drawing Mediums (Examples, Tips & Techniques)

Charcoal still life drawing of my shoe

Still Life (Drawings & Paintings)

Graphite Pencil Life Drawing

Graphite Pencil Life Drawing (Rendering & Sketch Examples)

A close-up of my Ikea pig oil painting

Oil Painting (Still Life & Landscapes)

A nice sharp pencil

The Art of Sharpening Pencils (Styles & Techniques)

A charcoal portrait of Angela reading a book

Portraiture (Exploring Different Mediums, Styles & Techniques)

My standard life drawing equipment

Best Life Drawing Equipment (What to Bring to a Class)

Detail of a male model in white charcoal

White Charcoal Life Drawing On Toned Paper

My optical illusion mural

Optical Illusions (Artwork That Tricks The Eye)

Sepia ink life drawing

Ink Life Drawing (6 Experiments with Nibs & Brushes)

Logo design concept & colors

Logo Design Concepts, Branding & Colors

Vector portrait of Crystal the Doll

Vector Art (Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, Flash & Inkscape)

A fractal artwork of an owl in a tree

Fractal Art (Exploring Fractals & Art Based On Fractals)

A black ball-point pen doodle

Doodles, Little Drawings & Sketches

AI-generated art nouveau portrait

Art Nouveau (Drawings, Vector Illustrations & AI-Generated Art)

Book illustration cover artwork

Book Cover Design & Book Illustrations

A charcoal life drawing of a female model

Charcoal Life Drawing (Examples On White & Toned Paper)

Black and white charcoal study of folded fabric

Drapery Drawing (Folded Fabric Studies in Charcoal & Pencil)

Chalk life drawing with Conté Crayon

Chalk Life Drawings (Conté Crayon Vs Chalk Pencil)

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