Nature sketching - "before"

These are "before" photos.  Before I started reading the Sketching from Nature book.

This tree - I had no idea what to do with those leaves.  Minimal shading.  No background.  Pretty blah.

 

This is a drawing of the view out my front window last winter - which is a view of the empty lot across the street.  Which makes for a compositionally challenging piece.  There isn't really a focus - I started a touch of shading on the ground - then didn't like it and abandoned all attempts and putting in any values.