Free original lessons
Pencil Forest Drawing: Trunk Texture and Foliage Shading Strokes
Learn pencil stroke patterns for rough bark and layered foliage shading in a simple forest scene, with a convention-based rubric and four self-contained practice tasks.
Free lesson
Four exercises
Worked answers
Object Drawing Lessons
This lesson teaches two pencil skills that make a forest scene read clearly: trunk texture strokes that suggest bark, and foliage shading strokes that build depth without color. You will work from a simple three-tree composition frame and a defined stroke convention. Because pencil texture is expressive, the rubric rewards deliberate, consistent marks rather than one exact appearance. All measurements are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and pencil before drawing.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Set up the forest frame and stroke convention
Draw a light rectangular frame on your paper, for example 18 cm wide by 12 cm tall, using a hard pencil with low pressure. Mark a horizon line about one third up from the bottom. Place three trunk positions: one near the left third, one near the center, and one near the right third, leaving space between them for foliage masses. Keep all construction lines faint so texture strokes can dominate later.
Define your stroke convention before shading. For this lesson, a texture stroke is a single pencil mark with a clear start and end, made at a stated pressure and direction. Trunk strokes run mostly vertically or at a slight diagonal along the trunk axis. Foliage strokes run in short curved or angled sets that follow the imagined surface of a leaf mass. Record your chosen pencil grade and pressure level on the page margin so your checks are repeatable.
- Draw the frame and horizon line lightly.
- Mark three trunk center lines and two faint edge lines per trunk to set trunk width.
- Label one trunk area 'bark test' and one foliage area 'shade test' for stroke sampling.
- Write your pencil grade and pressure words, such as light, medium, firm, beside the frame.
Build trunk texture with controlled stroke sets
Bark texture comes from variation in stroke length, spacing, and direction, not from random scribbling. On the bark test area, make a set of five short vertical strokes about 1 cm long with light pressure. Then make a second set at a slight diagonal, crossing the first set sparsely. Leave small gaps of bare paper between sets so the trunk does not become a solid dark bar.
For each trunk, vary the stroke pattern by height. Near the base, use slightly longer, firmer strokes to suggest older bark. Near the top, use shorter, lighter strokes. Add a few horizontal or curved breaks across the vertical strokes to suggest bark plates. Keep the trunk edges defined by the edge lines, but let some strokes stop just short of the edge so the silhouette stays readable.
- Sample five vertical strokes and five diagonal strokes in the bark test area.
- Apply longer, firmer strokes to the lower third of each trunk.
- Apply shorter, lighter strokes to the upper third.
- Add sparse cross strokes to suggest bark breaks, then check that bare paper still shows between sets.
Shade foliage with directional stroke layers
Treat each foliage mass as a rounded shape with a light side and a dark side. Choose a light direction, for example from the upper left, and state it on the page. In the shade test area, make a first layer of short curved strokes following the curve of the mass. Keep the strokes separated by about one stroke width. This first layer establishes direction.
Add a second layer only in the darker half of the mass, using strokes at a slightly different angle. Do not cover the entire mass evenly; leave the light side with fewer strokes. A third sparse layer can deepen the darkest pocket near the lower right of each mass. Check the foliage by stepping back: the light side should show more paper, and the dark side should show more overlapping strokes.
- State the light direction on the page margin.
- Draw a first layer of short curved strokes across the whole foliage mass.
- Add a second layer only on the shaded half, angled differently from the first.
- Add a sparse third layer in the darkest pocket, then compare light and dark halves from a short distance.
Combine trunks and foliage in the three-tree frame
Work from back to front. Give the farthest tree the lightest trunk strokes and the fewest foliage layers. Give the nearest tree firmer trunk strokes and a darker foliage pocket. Keep the middle tree between those extremes. This creates depth through stroke density rather than perspective tricks, which keeps the task within the brief.
Before finishing, check that each trunk still reads as a separate vertical shape and each foliage mass reads as a rounded mass. If a trunk disappears into foliage, erase a few strokes at the join rather than adding more. If a foliage mass looks flat, add one more short layer on its shaded side only. Sign and date the page margin so you can compare future attempts.
- Draw the farthest tree with light trunk strokes and one foliage layer.
- Draw the middle tree with medium trunk strokes and two foliage layers on its shaded side.
- Draw the nearest tree with firmer trunk strokes and a third sparse foliage layer in its darkest pocket.
- Erase any join where trunk and foliage merge into an unreadable shape, then date the margin.
Worked example
A student draws a three-tree forest frame 18 cm by 12 cm with a horizon one third up. The left trunk is farthest, the center trunk is middle distance, and the right trunk is nearest. The light comes from the upper left. Describe a complete stroke plan and a check that uses simple counts.
Worked answer
Left trunk: 10 light vertical strokes about 1 cm long, spaced about 0.5 cm apart, with 3 sparse diagonal cross strokes. Center trunk: 14 medium vertical strokes about 1.5 cm long, spaced about 0.4 cm apart, with 5 cross strokes. Right trunk: 18 firm vertical strokes about 2 cm long, spaced about 0.3 cm apart, with 8 cross strokes near the base. Foliage: left mass gets 1 layer of 20 short curved strokes; center mass gets 2 layers, with the second layer only on the right half, about 15 strokes; right mass gets 3 layers, with the third layer only in the lower right pocket, about 10 strokes. Check: count strokes per trunk and confirm the nearest trunk has the most strokes and the farthest the fewest; confirm the right half of each foliage mass has more strokes than the left half. All lengths and spacings are hypothetical examples measured on the actual page.
Four practice exercises
Exercise 1
On a 10 cm by 6 cm test area, make a bark sample for a near trunk and a far trunk. Use 12 strokes for the near trunk and 8 strokes for the far trunk. State one visible difference between the two samples.
Show answer and check
The near trunk sample should use firmer or longer strokes with tighter spacing; the far trunk sample should use lighter or shorter strokes with wider spacing. Any stated difference in pressure, length, or spacing is valid if it matches the samples.
Why: Distance is communicated by stroke density and pressure. Counting strokes makes the comparison checkable without requiring one exact appearance.
Check: Count the strokes in each sample to confirm 12 and 8, then compare pressure words and spacing written beside each sample.
Exercise 2
Draw a foliage mass 6 cm wide and 5 cm tall with light from the upper left. Use 15 strokes in the first layer and 8 strokes in the second layer. Place the second layer only on the lower right half. Describe where bare paper should remain most visible.
Show answer and check
Bare paper should remain most visible on the upper left side of the mass, where only the first layer is present. The lower right half should show more overlapping strokes from the second layer.
Why: A stated light direction creates a checkable relationship between stroke count and side of the mass. The counts are simple and the placement is explicit.
Check: Count 15 first-layer strokes and 8 second-layer strokes, then confirm by eye that the second layer is confined to the lower right half and that the upper left shows more paper.
Exercise 3
In a three-tree frame, the middle trunk has 14 strokes and the nearest trunk has 18 strokes. The farthest trunk should have fewer strokes than the middle trunk. Choose a count for the farthest trunk and explain how the three counts create depth.
Show answer and check
A valid count is any number less than 14, for example 10. The increasing counts from farthest to nearest create depth by making nearer trunks denser and more textured.
Why: The relationship is arithmetic and checkable: farthest less than middle less than nearest. The exact number is a valid choice as long as the order holds.
Check: Write the three counts on the margin and confirm the inequality farthest < middle < nearest, then compare the visual density of the three trunks.
Exercise 4
A foliage mass has 20 strokes on its left half and 12 strokes on its right half. The stated light direction is from the right. Is the shading consistent with the light direction? Explain and give a corrected count plan.
Show answer and check
No. If light comes from the right, the right half should be lighter and have fewer strokes. A corrected plan could be 12 strokes on the left half and 20 on the right half, or any pair where the left half has more strokes than the right.
Why: The check compares stroke counts to the stated light direction. The correction reverses the relationship so the shaded side has more strokes.
Check: Confirm the stated light direction, then check that the half away from the light has the higher stroke count. Count both halves to verify the corrected plan.
Common mistakes
- Filling the trunk with solid dark pencil so no paper shows. Leave gaps between stroke sets and reduce pressure; bark texture depends on variation, not coverage.
- Shading foliage evenly across the whole mass. Choose a light direction and add extra layers only on the shaded half, keeping the light side sparser.
- Using the same stroke direction for bark and foliage. Keep trunk strokes mostly vertical or slightly diagonal along the trunk, and foliage strokes short and curved to follow the mass.
- Letting construction lines stay as dark as texture strokes. Draw frame and guide lines lightly and erase or reduce them before adding final texture.
Self-check rubric
- Frame and horizon are drawn lightly and remain subordinate to texture strokes.
- Three trunks are separated and readable as vertical shapes.
- Trunk strokes vary in length, pressure, or spacing by tree distance, with bare paper visible between sets.
- Foliage strokes are short and directional, with more layers on the stated shaded side.
- Stroke convention is stated on the page margin, including pencil grade, pressure words, and light direction.
- Valid alternatives are accepted if the stroke choices are deliberate, consistent, and checkable by count or comparison.
Questions and answers
Do I need a specific pencil grade?
No single grade is required. Record whatever grade you use and keep pressure consistent enough that your stroke samples can be compared. The rubric checks deliberate variation, not a particular brand or grade.
How large should the drawing be?
The 18 cm by 12 cm frame is a hypothetical example. Measure your own paper and choose a frame that leaves room for three trunks and their foliage masses. State your chosen size on the margin.
Can I use crosshatching for foliage?
Yes, if the strokes are short, directional, and layered more heavily on the shaded side. The convention allows any stroke shape that follows the mass and can be described and checked.
What if my trunks look too similar?
Vary stroke length, pressure, and spacing by tree distance. The farthest tree should have the lightest, sparsest trunk strokes; the nearest should have firmer, denser strokes.