It has been waaaaay too long since I have done any botanical drawing. But just this morning, I took some time to grab my pencil and some paper to do a little sketching.
I can thank my older daughter, who is 5, for this for two reasons, 1) she loves to have us pick up a bunch of flowers at the store every so often so we bought a bouquet of spray roses over the weekend, and 2) they are starting to shrivel, so she asked to take apart some petals this morning before school.
I trimmed off a few flowers and buds and my little scientist (or budding botanist?) started peeling away the petals into a pile. The resulting stem, sepals, stamen and pistils were brought into the light of day and were begging to be sketched.
I love the curve of the sepals and the sharp point they come to at the tips. Although I am out of practice (my shading ended up a bit heavier than I intended…) it felt terrific to finally get back to it.
View from underneath the stems and sepals.
View from the side of the sepals, with some beautiful curling as well as a great view of the cluster of stamens and pistils at the center of the blossom.
The holidays and winter colds can really put a dent in any available creative time. Have you had any projects you have been away from and returned to recently?
So pretty. And detailed! Amazing. Love it, esp. when I look outside and see all the snow. Colds knock you out! I hope you feel better soon. My writing seems to ebb at times, but I have noticed that when I write a lot that I am happier. It isn't all good, but the chance of creating something good is a lot higher when I have more to chose from, you know? 🙂
Thanks, Erin! Yes, I totally agree – the more you do, the more you have to choose from (and the better you get!) I actually get antsy if I haven't done any drawing or creating in a while. Your writing is fantastic! I love reading your blog. I can't wait to see what kind of cake you end up with this year :)Carol
Lovely illustrations. I always admire drawing like this, something I don't do and you have really captured these buds. xox
Your botanical studies are amazing. Blessings!
Yes, interesting. They look very nice these pictures, excellent drawings.
Perfect sketches!! Visiting from Artists in Blogland.