Good morning, if you are not so great at drawing or sketching then a great alternative is to take a picture. With all the digital cameras available this is easy. Snap a picture from several of your favorite possible fronts. Print from your computer on regular print paper, this way you can draw or mark right on the paper. Use a marker, crayon, pencil, or pen to mark it up. If you don't like it or mess up, print a new copy. If the tree is too busy or confusing to see easily try printing in black and white and use the draft setting in your print setup. If you don't have a digital camera just lay tracing paper over a picture of your tree and trace the good bones that you want to use. And always remember that these drawings and sketches are for you to design the best tree that you can, and not necessarily for publication. Hope this helps at least a little. I used to sketch my trees more than I do now, when I first started this helped me see the possible lines of the tree without all the stuff that was there getting in the way. Now I only really sketch if I get stuck and can't find the tree in the stock that I'm working on. It can be fun and beneficial if you see it that way, but it can also be one more thing that you don't have time for.The trick is finding what works for you and running with it. Don.
