How to Draw a Tree

Story by David LaRochelle  Illustrations by Colleen Muske Minnesota Historical Society Press (August 2025) Description The key to drawing a tree—or anything, for that matter—is to understand your subject. How do you get to know a tree? Use all your senses! Would you like to draw a tree? Here’s how. First, you’ll need to make friends with your tree. Feel it. Smell it. Listen to it. Look at your tree from close up and far away. Notice all the things that make your tree special, from the shape of its leaves to the variety of colors hidden within. There are so many words that could describe a tree: prickly, shimmery, scraggly, squat, ancient, graceful, crooked, proud. What words would you choose? All these details will help when you sit down to draw your tree. You can show everything you observed, from color to texture to shape. Then you can introduce your tree to others—using your words and your artwork. Every tree is unique, and there are many different kinds. The pages of How to Draw a