by Linda Kossmann

So, you have a few trees that you would like to restyle, but you aren't quite ready to make the cuts. Here's a way to help you make those big decisions without sacrificing a branch. Take a clip-on or gooseneck lamp and shine it on the tree with a solid background behind it to show a shadow. Darken the room for best results. The closer the light is to the tree, the sharper, darker and smaller the image; the farther the light to the tree, the softer, lighter and bigger the image. Be careful of distortion. I shine the light on the front of the tree and adjust the lighting angle to get the best shadow that really shows what's happening. Sometimes that's all it takes. Once your 2-dimensionalize your tree, you can readily see what needs to stay and what needs to go.

Other times there is still some indecision in design plan. I tape a piece of newsprint paper (18"x24" gives you freedom) on the wall where the shadow is and with a piece of vine charcoal I trace the outline of the tree, sometimes separating the shapes and sometimes just silhouetting. Vine charcoal is great to use on newsprint paper because you just wipe off any mistakes with your hand or a tissue. You can get both supplies for very little money at Preston Art Supplies on Bardstown Rd. (Next to Buckheads and across the street from Sullivan)

Be careful, though. You may want to frame the results and put them on the wall. If you do want to keep the results, get better paper because newsprint is what they use for newspaper and it will turn yellow and brittle in just a few months. If you get better paper, buy some compressed charcoal as well as the vine to embellish the darks. NOW, you are an artist! We could show our sketches at a meeting.

Sometimes turning the tree to a different side or even at a different angle will show you something that you had never thought was an option. It's safer to play with your style on paper than repotting, or drastic cutting. Oh, yeah, go ahead and cut parts out of your newsprint and see if that's what you want for your styling. Hey, paper is cheaper than trees…hum…how about that?