Learning to draw flowers and plants Automatic translate

Each flower creates its own atmosphere and mood, and some have a pronounced sense of time and place. Geranium, for example, is easy to imagine on a sunny track, and a bell in a shady forest. It happens that flowers produce an ominous impression, such as orchids, or retain a sense of secrecy, like lilies. Carefully examine the texture of flowers and plants. Their petals and leaves may be fleshy or as thin as paper. Pay attention to how the flower grows - whether it tends upward toward the sun, elegantly soars in space or falls heavily downward toward the ground.

Search for inspiration

In the spring, at the time of flowering, many artists are mistaken for still lifes with flowers chosen and arranged at their own discretion. But we must remember that flowers can be found anywhere. The easiest solution is in your local park. It is only necessary to decide whether to draw flowers "close-up" or to make a general sketch of the grass border. Be prepared to attract a lot of attention from curious passers-by. Also, in many city parks and gardens there are greenhouses - a rich source of inspiration, especially if you draw exotic plants, such as orchids.

Explore your beds, flowering vegetables, such as zucchini flowers, can turn out to be unexpectedly beautiful. In bad weather, it is better to use greenhouses and greenhouses. It is simply amazing what flowers can be found in the nearest greenhouse! Seek inspiration everywhere. For example, on the beach, where it would seem that there are no flowers, you can see and appreciate all the beauty of the seaside bluehead or the mysterious swaying leaves of seaweed in rocky ponds. And the terraces of hotels and restaurants are often decorated with hanging baskets and many flower pots, as well as urban flower beds are more picturesque than any meadow.

Plant life never stops in rivers, waterfalls and ponds, and this is a great place and a source of endless artistic designs and ideas. Drawing water lilies on a sunlit pond can bring a lot of joy. In such moments, you can imagine that you turned into the great Monet in his garden in Giverny.

Flower structure

After you have chosen an object for drawing, you will have to carefully study its structure and shape. Do not be tempted to sketch the most advantageous details, it is better to focus on identifying the main forms. To make your picture more convincing, they should look proportional and voluminous. Most colors are symmetrical. In order to correctly depict the details, study the shape of the petals and the way they are attached to the center. Compare, for example, the simple structure of the daisy petal and the intricate structure of the snapdragon petal.

Learn to look at a flower as a structure from simple forms: many flower heads can be decomposed into simple geometric shapes - circles, ovals and triangles. If you master this generalization, easily grasp the proportions and structure of the plant.

Do not forget about the leaves - they are often as beautiful and complex in shape as the flowers themselves - in essence, the structure of the leaf often determines the nature of the flower. Before you start drawing a sheet, carefully consider how to attach it to the stem. Some leaves grow symmetrically, one against the other, others are arranged alternately, and some (for example, at the daffodil) - only at the base of the flower.

A carefully and carefully traced primrose leaf serves as a wonderful backdrop for a delicate flower, and the nasturtium flower will be completely different without its graceful stems and leaves in the shape of an umbrella.

Choosing Tools

Do not underestimate the right choice of material that can better convey the shape and texture of the flower. A clear line of the pen will create tender veins on the petal, and a soft pencil will soften the frills of the clove petals. The sharpened sauce will describe the open sockets of the gladioli, and hard touches will add volume to the lilies.

Space and proportionality

A few simple rules will save you from fear of the words “proportions”, “perspective” and “drawing in perspective or in perspective”.

“Proportion” is the ratio of the whole (plant) and its parts (flower, leaf, stem).

“Perspective” is the art of creating the illusion of volume on a plane.

The most obvious manifestation of perspective is the reduction in the size of the subject. A good example is to choose the head of a flower, such as chamomile or daisy, and visually attach it to a conditional straight line (for example, to a pencil). When you move away from you, the subject is reduced, and the shape is stretched.

To transfer the angle of the flower to paper, hold the pencil vertically on an outstretched hand. Assess the angle of the leaf or flower and outline a line on paper. After determining the correct angle and the correct proportions of the leaves, you can concentrate on the texture and shape. To better understand the shape of the sheet - apply a thin line to its hidden bend.

Proportion accuracy

Similar to measuring the angle, you can measure the size of the subject in order to keep the scale of the whole picture. For a visual measurement, keep your pencil upright at arm’s length and close one eye. By measuring the item by eye, you can rest assured that you will get very accurate dimensions. If your drawing is larger than the original, then you will have to zoom in two or three times.

To understand how this works, you can do a simple exercise: take the simplest flower and select its inflorescence as a measure of length. Then, measure the stem and leaves of the flower with the size of its inflorescence. Then transfer everything to paper, observing all sizes relative to the amount of inflorescence that you have chosen for the picture.

Flower texture

It is impossible to truly draw a flower or a plant without having studied its texture and pattern: surface details are a significant part of the flower’s petals, leaves and stem. For example, imagine a smooth ivy leaf and compare it with a thorny thistle or compare the patterned petals of a water lily with the simple beauty of a bell. A variety of textures can be reproduced with a minimum amount of funds. Pencil, pastel, charcoal, diluted ink or a variety of pens - they all describe the flower in different ways. In order to get the desired effect, it will take a lot of experience and time.

It would be nice to compile your own “dictionary” of ratings for different types of paper that you can buy. Always try to use paper or cardboard that better reveals the characteristics of the flower, and remember that colored paper will give additional volume to any pattern. Don’t be afraid to mix different materials and experiment with different tricks in one drawing. Feel the texture and pattern of the plant.

If you take several flowers and compare the petals, you will surely admire their varied texture. Rose petals look like shiny delicate silk, while buttercups are matte or glossy. The leaves also come in different textures: some are shiny and smooth, others are rough.

The rhubarb leaves are very fleshy with thick ribs, and the thorns of the patterned leaves of the thistle are like miniature modern sculptures, while the last winter leaves look like fuzzy lace. Some leaves - geraniums and greenhouse flowers - are so patterned that their shape becomes not important - all the same, we see only their pattern.

Create volume

For details of the surface, do not forget about the internal structure of the plant or flower. First draw a general shape, and only then add texture and pattern. Most plants can be imagined in simple geometric forms, such as a cylinder, cone, and sphere. And light and shadow will make these forms three-dimensional.

Natural light brings to the fore the convex parts of the plant and creates a shadow in the voids and parts more distant from it. Shadows fall at the same angle as light. Light can be reflected from the leaves, making the lower, shaded side of the flower brighter. Scrupulously revealing the texture of each fragment of the flower is not necessary, detail only those parts that you want to emphasize. Too large an area of ​​the drawn texture of the same density will create a flat and uninteresting tone. Therefore, always make the lines different by adjusting to the material of your choice.

The pattern and texture of the plant reflect light and shadow, and it is very important that the same thing happens in the drawing, otherwise the drawing will be flat and uninteresting. Highlight dark and light areas where the flower picks up light or is in the shade. If you draw with pastel, blend the contrasting fragments of the picture with a clean finger, and while working with pen and ink, leave small areas untouched, while others work more carefully.

Chiaroscuro magic

When you start painting flowers, make tonal volumes simple. Dark tones give impressive effects, medium tones are balanced and harmonious, and light tones highlight. Experiment with high and low tones.

Drawing in “high” tones mainly consists of light tonal volumes, and a dark drawing with bright lighting is “low” tones. When you look at flowers, do not rush to immediately reveal the sharp boundary between light and shadow. Looking at the plant with narrowed eyes, you can easily determine the ratio of dark and light masses and feel all the tonal transitions. Different light sources give different intensities, which can radically change the look of the object you are painting.

A still life placed in a shady corner will look very different if it is flooded with sunlight. If you are painting outdoors, remember that natural light changes throughout the day, casting short shadows in the morning and long shadows in the evening. The proximity of light sources is just as important as their number.

Attention to details

An important exercise in the art of observation is focusing on drawing a single flower or a special collection of leaves. A close examination of the flower, leaf, bud, or stem of a plant will help you understand their specific characteristics. Having examined them closely, you can find that they have different textures, shapes and patterns. The stems surprise us with their delicate veins, sharp thorns and ribs. The leaves also amaze with incredible sophisticated patterns. If you draw them carefully and with all the details, pay attention to how they emerge from the stem - some grow in pairs, others alternately.

The flower heads have complex shapes, so study the structure of the inflorescence thoroughly, as if under a magnifying glass. Count the petals, stamens, pistils, carefully examine where and how the petals attach to the stem. A useful exercise is to examine and draw a flower on each side and unexpected angles. Try to draw the same flower with different materials, this can be an unexpected and interesting experience.