Evolution of a Wise Ancient Tree

Deep in the woods lives a wise ancient tree,
I knew he was someone I simply must see, 
For he's been alive since the dawning of time, 
He must know each lesson, he must know each rhyme....

The saga of creating this illustration for a poem about a wise ancient tree was a valuable lesson, that if your gut tells you you're not happy with a drawing, it might be a good idea to scrap it and start all over again.

My first initial drawing of this tree turned out to be more of a preliminary sketch, as there was something not working for me in terms of how his face turned out. I was initially pleased with it as a pencil sketch, but once I inked it, something seemed off.

Upon deciding to start over again, I was reminded of a photograph I had seen online of the writer Henry David Thoreau. He had a great face, exemplified strongly in this photo, with a long nose, deep eyes, and an overall enlongated, wise yet cynical kind of look. As this was the general feeling I was going for, I used this photo as a rough point of reference & inspiration as I went back to the drawing board.

Stay tuned to read the rest of the poem that goes with him!