I had an assignment for a botanical illustration using ink and watercolor. The leaves of a plant of my choice. There was only one condition, which was that they must be connected to the stem from which they originated.
Winter had already begun, therefore, a great variety of lush trees within my reach did not have. In the park near my house, there were some bushes with few leaves barely surviving, already a little yellow, a little orange.
I brought them to my “Atelier”, which´s actually a desk in my husband’s office.
I arranged them on a piece of polystyrene and then used some thumbtacks to support it. Then, I used pieces of a kneaded eraser to give support to the leaves.
Finally, I drew, inked, and watercolored the illustration, but I didn’t feel satisfied with the outcome, even though I knew, for an illustration in ink and watercolor, they turned out very well.
And now, you can see this botanical illustration here.
I went out to the park again and found a young oak tree. Full of leaves, curly, dry, and beautiful leaves that refused to fall.
Identification before beginning inking in a botanical illustration.
I looked on the internet and in a special app that I have to identify plants. I needed to confirm what type of oak it was before starting my illustration. My husband tells me proudly; that this is the Deutsche Eiche (German Oak). Then I find out that in the UK, they call it the English Oak! This is why the identification of plants by their Latin name is so important. In a botanical illustration, you will always see their Latin name first, and their common name second.
After the same process as with the previous botanical illustration, after pointillism using a magnifying glass and a watercolor wash with my brownish-neutral-orange- Quincacridone Gold, I felt very satisfied with my botanical illustration. The job was finished and ready for shipping. Now I await the review and see what I can improve on this illustration.
Curious to see my other illustrations? Go check my portfolio!