Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils. Ann Swan

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      ∆ AMARYLLIS TRIO

      29 x 50 cm (11 x 20 in)

      WORKING ENVIRONMENT

      The best place to work is near a north-facing window, with the light coming from the opposite side to the hand that you draw with, so that you are not working in your own shadow. The north light means that you will get a more even light distribution and avoid the constantly changing shadows that strong sunlight can produce.

      It is always best to work in natural light. Tungsten light bulbs give a yellow caste, fluorescent lighting flickers and can result in a strobe effect when you are colouring in rapidly, and daylight bulbs give a very cold blue light, all of which make colour matching tricky and frustrating.

      You will need a stable surface to work on as you will be applying strong pressure at times. Sit on a comfortable chair with good back support and use a board to rest your paper on, which you can prop up at an angle so that you do not overstretch your neck muscles. Do not sit for long periods without getting up and stretching your legs.

      Place your plant material in front of you at eye level, so that you only have to move your eyes back and forward, thus avoiding too much head movement. Your eye muscles also need stretching, so look up from your work regularly and stare out of the window at the horizon.

      Most importantly, make a space that works for you, and preferably one that is not cramped, where you can keep your work and materials out all the time so there is nothing to deter you from working.

      PROTECTING WORK

      Use a piece of similar paper to rest your hand on while working to avoid smudging and to try out colour mixes on. Always cover your drawing completely when not working to protect it from dust and insects. When completed, cover it with acid-free tissue paper or another sheet of paper and store it out of the light in a folder or drawer. If you are framing your work, the extra expense of UV glass to screen out UV light that fades colours is well worth it to ensure the long life of your work. Additionally take care not to hang your work in direct sunlight or strong reflected light. After all, your drawing has taken a lot of time and effort to complete.

CHAPTER 2

       GETTING TO KNOW YOUR SUBJECT

      AS BOTANICAL ARTISTS we accurately record the growing habit, structure and colour of the particular plant we are drawing. Even if your work is not for a scientific purpose, if it falls into the botanical category then it should be botanically correct. A looser interpretation, even though still fairly accurate, would qualify as a flower painting.

      Most of us are drawn to botanical art because we want to capture the beauty of the plant kingdom rather than study it scientifically. We do, however, need to be keen observers of detail, for plants are not random collections of leaves, flowers and buds, but often grow to a quite rigid pattern. We also need to be able to source photographic and scientific descriptions to check that the specimens we are depicting are representative of their species and that our interpretation is correct.

      If your painting is for a strictly scientific purpose you may need to include many phases of the plant’s life cycle. This may necessitate taking over a year to complete a piece of work so as to observe it throughout its growing season, or you may need to take some photos for reference. For decorative purposes a more personal interpretation may be appropriate, or you may choose to depict one particular characteristic of the plant. This chapter looks at key points for examining plant structure, recording plant information and preserving plant material.

      ∆ AUBERGINES

      50 x 30 cm (20 x 12 in)

      OBSERVING PLANT STRUCTURE

      Observation is the key – use your eyes. The most important part of getting to know your subject is looking, so spend as much time as you can just doing that. If you can bring your subject into the studio and place it on a turntable or lazy susan you can study it from every angle. Explore the way the plant grows and is structured, but also try to get a feel for the character of the plant. Is it strong and thrusting, or delicate and floppy, sophisticated, cheeky, aggressive or even sexy? What is the plant saying to you and what aspect of the plant do you want to depict? Decide what story about your plant you want to tell in your painting.

      Once you have a feel for the plant’s character, overall shape and growing habit, start to look closely at how it is constructed. Look at the arrangement of the leaves on the stems: are they paired, alternate or do they spiral round the stem? Study the leaf shapes, their margins, structure and markings. Note the pattern of the veins and how they divide from the midrib. Do they go straight to the margin of the leaf or do they divide and join up with another vein before reaching the edge? Once you have observed this on one leaf do not blindly repeat that exact pattern on every other leaf; even on the most rigidly structured plant every individual leaf is different. Remember, too, to look at the backs of the leaves as the structure of the veins is often easier to observe from this side.

      ∆ A good way to study leaf structure is to make a pencil rubbing. Place a thin piece of layout paper over the back of a leaf and rub with a soft pencil to see the pattern of the vein structure emerge.

      If you have more than one sample of the plant you can deconstruct the flowers to examine the sexual parts of the plant, count the stamens and really see how the plant works. Look closely at all parts of the plant with a magnifying glass to see if there are any small hairs or markings not so easily visible to the naked eye.

      SIMPLIFYING СКАЧАТЬ