An old plane tree in Beckenham

This old plane tree in Kelsey Park, Beckenham, must be more than 200 years old and bears the scars and damage of the years. It is gnarled and obviously one of its major branches broke many years ago but continued to grow at an angle from the main trunk.

I've tried to capture the underlying structure of the plant, with its strong lines running up from the roots and up the trunk.

I drew it from life, despite the cold weather, and found myself surrounded by ducks, geese and pigeons, all hoping I was there to feed them. I also took some pictures to help me fill in some of the details back home in the warm.

I did the main drawing in pencil, and then added some colour using watercolour pencils, although I didn't add a lot of water (except the odd damp finger to spread the colour around a bit).