Drawing Trees on Frosted Mylar

Pen and ink drawings on frosted mylar (e.g. Duralene) can be scratched with a sharp tool (such as a scratchboard cutting tool) giving exciting scratchboard or woodcut-like effects. Another advantage of drawing on mylar is that is transparent so you can place the film over a preliminary sketch as a guide. Some pens smear easily on the mylar surface. I did this drawing with black fine-point and bullet-point Sharpie markers which do not smear. I do not like to use mylar in the field but it is a useful medium for studio work.

Let’s look at how this technique can be used to create a loose study of an Alder grove. Click on the first illustration to start a step-by-step annotated slideshow.