Tree Species 01: Foamcrest Tree 

“A tree is our most intimate contact with nature.” 

– George Nakashima

Caught in the twirling winds, the limbs and foliage of the Foamcrest Tree churn. Bubbling and rolling like waves dragged across a sandy shore. Its enormous trunk is anchored to the Earth but above its leaves never stop moving.

This is the drawing, the first tree that started this whole project about 5 years ago now. Even though I have now drawn over 70 unique trees, this one is still one of my favourites. It set a high standard for this project; a perfect example of the juxtaposition of form and texture of the tree’s stock/stump/body and the flowing form of the leaves/canopy/foliage above.

Each tree has been drawn in a small 6 x 9cm sketchbook using Sakura Micron pens with a 0.5mm tip ranging in time from anywhere from 2 to 12 hours to complete. In the last couple years I have scanned them all and then cleaned up digitally using Photoshop until I transitioned over to Procreate a few years ago. To clean up the digital images it takes anywhere from a handful of hours to sometimes as much as 50 to 60 hours to embellish and add further depth and detail. About half of the digital versions look very close to the original drawings, where the other half have benefited from greater refinement and expansion.

There is timelapse video of this digital process and I will start sharing more about the creation of these drawings as well as selling limited edition silkscreen prints. More on that in the future.


I have also been thinking about releasing a piece of clothing or some other item featuring this tree and the others if there is enough demand and support. For now I am creating a new instagram account for this project and to build a solid following.  After a few months if the interest is there I will begin selling prints and possibly other items.