Botanical Illustration ....

Botanical Illustration

The Botanical Illustration is a real step up in the intensity in the Society of Botanical Artists DLDC.  The artwork should reflect an accurate representation of the subject - size, shape, form, botanical structures, plant anatomy -  and yet still be aesthetically pleasing in the form of a finished piece.

Colour testing

Testing greens ... a tricky leaf

After transferring the final composition onto watercolour paper, I did quite a few washes and colour testing to get the colour as true as possible.  I used Quinacridone Coral and Permanent Rose on the upper bracts, bringing in a little Transparent Yellow in the warmer tones and Neutral Tint in the shadows.  The leaves were a combination of Cadmium Lemon, Cerulean, French Ultramarine and Neutral Tint.

First washes going on 

A new way of working this time was to bring in the first washes on the leaves well before the flower was completed ... it helped to give a better overall perspective of what was needed.  As I built the layers of colour I also brought in the stem and started to refine the detail ...

Starting graphite dissection illustration

 

Longitudinal flower head dissection

Working very carefully after ensuring measurements are accurate and finer detail are included.  I really enjoyed this part of the artwork, it was a nice relief to have more control over the pencil work rather than the watercolour washes and detail.  I probably started the graphite work too early as I still had to work over the top of it to complete the painting.

The graphite illustrations

Botanical illustration - watercolour and graphite

Very happy to finish this one ... this is so much more than just a painting to me ... and I look forward to completing more botanical illustrations in the future ...

Protea neriifolia x P. susannae   'Pink Ice'

All images © Vicki Lee Johnston

Thank you for visiting!

Plant dissection ...

What a production!

The botanical illustration assignment comprises more than an artistic portrayal of a plant.  We are asked to show a very accurate depiction of size, form and colour - along with dissections ... "....remember to treat the plant as if it were newly discovered, so that you are laying out its parts as an aid to identification as well as creating something beautiful to look at" (SBA assignment criteria).

Use secateurs to remove unnecessary leaves etc

Cut cleanly through the centre

This was my first plant dissection and I was a little unsure.  I found the sharpest knife I could and proceeded to cut swiftly and firmly through the flower head to expose hundreds of flowers ...

Longitudinal dissection

The flower head was not looking healthy but the dissection had all the information needed to show the anatomy of the flowers.  The protea is different to typical flowers in that what you see is not the flower, but a flowerhead or inflorescence, made up of many individual flowers. What look like the 'petals' of the protea 'flower' are modified leaves called involucral bracts.

Observing and documenting florets

Each flower or  floret comprises different parts including  a single free perianth segment, a style, and three fused perianth segments. 

It was fascinating to delve inside the flower head and understand more about the anatomy and pollination of the Protea.  It would take a marathon blog entry to describe here what I have learnt but I wanted to show how much more there is to a a botanical illustration.

Look inside the flower ... fascinatng!

Working out composition

I now have all the relevant information and studies so I can work on my composition - this is the hardest assignment so far because there are so many elements to it.   There is a lot to explain within the artwork so that the viewer has a clearer picture of the anatomy of this amazing and complex flower.

DIY Lightbox

So for now it's time to transfer the composition onto the watercolour paper ... using my new home made lightbox!  Anything to make life easier as this work gets more complicated!  Au revoir ...