This leaf is from a peace lily I have here in my home, in the room where I draw. I did leaf rubbings [not shown] as well as a sketch drawn to measure [shown on the left side of photo]. I always struggle with this type of exercise, even though I found Wendy’s instructions and tips extremely helpful. My greatest hurdle is the secondary veins, getting them visible but still subtle, and also toned properly. Here is how I tried to draw/tone the secondary veins, but not sure this is correct: on the top or front of leaf, secondary veins are slightly recessed, so they will be slightly darker on the bottom of the secondary vein, and a bit lighter along the top edge of the secondary vein. On the underside of the leaf, the secondary veins are coming toward the viewer [convex], so secondary veins are slightly darker along the top of the vein, and lighter along the bottom. The reverse of what’s seen on the top of the leaf. I also find my toning of this leaf blotchy, even tough I tried using a Derwent rice paper blending stump. Also, I used the leaf rubbings, and a good magnifying glass, to get the pattern of the secondary veins. But the rubbings were taken from two separate leaves, one for each side, so secondary veins are not an exact match. Thanks for any tips you can provide.
15 May 2020
Hi Mary, I think these are looking good. Secondary veins are tough. You are on the right track here. Some suggestions: 1. make sure the secondary veins get skinnier as they reach the leaf margin. 2. Make them “wiggle” a bit, and maybe branch off into a “v” at the end in a couple places. 3. Tone the veins a little more so they don’t appear white. Try those, and keep practicing! You can also try putting some green watercolor right on top of these sepia drawings and see how they might look in color! 🙂
This leaf is from a peace lily I have here in my home, in the room where I draw. I did leaf rubbings [not shown] as well as a sketch drawn to measure [shown on the left side of photo]. I always struggle with this type of exercise, even though I found Wendy’s instructions and tips extremely helpful. My greatest hurdle is the secondary veins, getting them visible but still subtle, and also toned properly. Here is how I tried to draw/tone the secondary veins, but not sure this is correct: on the top or front of leaf, secondary veins are slightly recessed, so they will be slightly darker on the bottom of the secondary vein, and a bit lighter along the top edge of the secondary vein. On the underside of the leaf, the secondary veins are coming toward the viewer [convex], so secondary veins are slightly darker along the top of the vein, and lighter along the bottom. The reverse of what’s seen on the top of the leaf. I also find my toning of this leaf blotchy, even tough I tried using a Derwent rice paper blending stump. Also, I used the leaf rubbings, and a good magnifying glass, to get the pattern of the secondary veins. But the rubbings were taken from two separate leaves, one for each side, so secondary veins are not an exact match. Thanks for any tips you can provide.
Hi Mary, I think these are looking good. Secondary veins are tough. You are on the right track here. Some suggestions: 1. make sure the secondary veins get skinnier as they reach the leaf margin. 2. Make them “wiggle” a bit, and maybe branch off into a “v” at the end in a couple places. 3. Tone the veins a little more so they don’t appear white. Try those, and keep practicing! You can also try putting some green watercolor right on top of these sepia drawings and see how they might look in color! 🙂
Thanks, Vern, helpful input. Will keep at it.