Category: Botanical Illustration
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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
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4 Tips for Drawing Twists, Rolls, & Folds
To capture 3D forms on a 2D surface, we use light and shadows to create the illusion of depth. This can be tricky, but never fear! We are here to help. 4 Tips on Twists, Rolls, and Folds 1. Practice with simple models. Find out how much fun it can be to … Continued
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Nature Journaling is Love
Your nature journal is a love letter to the universe. Plants turn sunlight into sugar and magically create the air we breathe. We could literally not exist without them! They deserve our gratitude and love. To show someone that we love them, we give our focused attention. We spend intentional time together, laughing, crying, … Continued
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How To Draw a Tulip in 12 Easy Steps
Scroll through this post for many techniques and step-by-step instructions you can try to improve your tulip drawings. Flowers are notoriously tricky subjects to capture realistically because of their curling petals, tiny reproductive parts, and short life spans. If you feel like flowers are too difficult to draw or too complex for you to … Continued
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Kraft Paper: My Favorite Things
When I study and draw from nature, I feel a presence of something that never fails to take my breath away. I “undress” the plant to study the mystery within, exploring flowers and plants on a micro level, almost as if I were an insect. White or Cream paper used to be my … Continued
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Don't be afraid to be "wrong"
We’re allowed to make mistakes When we are first learning how to be human, we’re allowed to make mistakes. (No one expects a 2 year old’s finger painting to be magnificent enough to deserve an exhibition!) We know that beginners won’t be perfect from the start, so we hold low expectations for their … Continued
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Texture: The Key to Realistic Botanical Art
Infuse your form with texture Transform a basic sphere into a ripe orange, a geometric cylinder into a weathered branch, a cup shape into a delicately petaled tulip, and watch your art come to life. We’re going to explore some premium tips for how to infuse your form with texture. The following tips … Continued
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The Magic of Light
Creating a detailed, three-dimensional plant painting feels like magic to me. I stumbled through the process of uncovering the lesser-known “secrets” behind these botanical drawings. But light source shouldn’t be a mystery to solve! It’s just a visualization exercise that will get easier and easier to do. Your first goal is simple: make your … Continued
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Creating Compositions: Holiday Cards
Using the art skills learned throughout our course, The Practice of Botanical Drawing, create a finished composition suitable for printing on holiday or harvest greeting cards to send to your friends and family. To create a finished seasonal drawing, focus on complex compositions and seasonal color combinations. A complex composition of a … Continued
