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The Rose Family
The Rose Family Rosaceae Before I became a botanical illustrator, I was a home furnishing textile designer in New York City, mesmerized by vintage cabbage rose floral fabrics and using them for inspiration in my designs. My dream was to be able to draw and paint florals as detailed as a Redoute print or antique … Continued
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Mushrooms of New York 1 (April thru August 2023)
Mushrooms of New York (April thru August 2023) Fungi Kingdom I had a great time exploring mushrooms this year! Not so much for eating, but to start to learn about them and to draw them. Spoiler Alert: Mushrooms are FASCINATING. I discovered that developing Amanitas remind me of Russian nesting dolls. … Continued
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The Tulip Family
The Tulip Family Tulipa, sub family of Liliacea Tulips have always reminded me of my mom because she was so proud of the tulips growing in her garden each year. I almost titled my first book How to Draw a Tulip (instead of Botanical Drawing: A Beginner’s Guide) because I … Continued
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The Mustard Family
The Mustard Family Brassicaceae Fun Fact: All of the plants in this composition are edible! Taste testing is definitely part of the fun. The colors in this family really delight me. Plants in the Mustard Family share these traits: Flowers 4 petals and 4 sepals 6 stamens (4 tall and 2 short) … Continued
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The Coffee Family
The Coffee Family Rubiaceae After I completed the Citrus Family, I knew that the following year when I returned to NTBG, my next venture had to be the Coffee Family. The Botanical Garden is right next door to the largest coffee growers in the US! Not a day goes by that I don’t start with … Continued
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The Citrus Family
The Citrus Family Rutaceae While at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii for our annual workshop, the wide array of citrus fruits next attracted me. I really enjoyed tasting each of them in the process! I sketched them all out and got the basics and colors down, but I added most of … Continued
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Embrace Your Style
If you have ever drawn, painted, sculpted, designed, built, written, performed, cooked, snapped a pic, hummed a tune, whistled while you worked, created anything in any way, I have news for you… You are an artist! Embrace Your Style Each of us has our own unique style, something special we can’t help but … Continued
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Perspective & Measuring: Illusions Revealed
What is the “secret” to realistic botanical illustrations? Accurate measuring from your unique viewpoint! As something tilts away from us, its physical form does not change, but our perception of it does. Botanical illustrations convey depth through the illusion we create based on our perception of the subject. If you were doing a technical drawing, … Continued
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Practicing Leaves
Have questions about another subject? Check out our online course, The Practice of Botanical Drawing! Monocots & Dicots The difference between Monocots & Dicots is found in their cotyledons (first leaves). Monocots have one cotyledon, while Dicots have two! Monocot leaves (Monocotyledons) have parallel veining, which means they are usually long, strappy leaves that … Continued
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De-stress Naturally: A Path of Meditation and Self-expression
Article by Wendy Hollender, featured by the American Institute of Stress in their magazine, Contentment (Volume 12, Number 1, Spring 2023). View this magazine issue as pages or spreads. I have been taking my cue from plants for 25 years now. Before the advent of cameras, botanical illustrations were the only method to … Continued
