Closely Observed Trees
On Spring blossom, Hockney's animations, working from direct observation and the gap between seeing, drawing and animating.
Another rambling series of thoughts about experimental animation and the creative process, through the lens of my own work as an artist and animator.
Blackthorn tree studies, 4th - 12th March 2026
Earlier this month I noticed a tree outside our kitchen window had suddenly erupted into full blossom. I must have seen it like this every year but for some reason this time it really took me aback. A big soft white explosion in the dreary Deptford morning. I started drawing it, lots of very very quick sketches, in a small pad. The next day I did it again. And to my amusement and curiosity the day after I did it again. For nine consecutive days I stood in the kitchen drawing the tree, for about two hours each day. I don’t know what came over me.
I think straight away I knew the drawings were for an animation, so each one didn’t have to satisfy me on its own. They were just micro-components of the bigger whole; the animation itself would be the drawing. That was the impetus to keep going, to have enough drawings for a decent stretch of animation, which turned out to be 700, or about a minute’s worth. In that time I learned some things about the tree and maybe about drawing too. I found out it was a Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), which produces the sloe fruit, useful for gin. I found it was very hard to capture its blossom through super-quick line drawing so I ended up mostly focusing on a bit of trunk and branches visible in the centre instead. I don’t draw from observation very often, it’s a lot harder (they don’t call it a ‘discipline’ for nothing) and completely different to the unconscious dribble of shapes I usually produce (which is extremely undisciplined). I found it invigorating but challenging. My drawing improved even though I wasn’t trying to draw ‘well’ (I was mainly trying to draw fast). And as a result of this act of sustained looking I began to notice more detail in the world around me. Towards the end I could see the shapes of the branches when I closed my eyes.
