Drawing Old Weathered Wood

Close observation of old barn boards can help you see and identify common characteristics of old weathered wood. Adding these "clues" as you draw can help create a realistic rendition.

- knots in wood

- grain of wood

- weathering (lighter areas)

- small cracks between the boards

- the bottom edges of the boards are more worn and uneven

- nails and old hinges, etc.

While it is tempting to use blending to create tone on old wood, there is a better way. I use a 3 layer approach to drawing weathered wood.

Layer 1 - Using a B or 2B .5mm mechanical pencil , sketch linear lines to match the direction of the grain. These are the areas of the wood where moisture has darkened the wood the most. Also add in knots, grain patterns and "flaws" in the wood. Add all the dark cracks or dark spaces between the boards using a 2B or softer lead. (rich blacks are recommended in these areas)

Layer 2 - Using a 2H chisel point on a 2mm clutch pencil, burnish a layer of graphite over the board. Use a firm even pressure in the same direction as the grain of the wood. This creates a light even-tone over the wood without losing any of the detail previously sketched in.

Layer 3 - Add any additional dark areas on top of layer 2. I like to add a few horizontal marks to "roughen" up the texture of the wood. Also, using a tacky eraser to drag in some highlights to create weathered areas can be done at this stage.

Diane