Ultimate Flowers Drawing Guide: Outline of Contents

-- Outline of Contents --

0. Introduction (this page--below)
1. Tools and Equipment
2. Choosing the Right Medium
3. Selecting your Subject
4. Structure and Form
5. Proportion and Perspective
6. Texture and Pattern
7. Light and Shade
8. Looking at Detail
9. Sketching
10. Framing and Composition
11. In Setting
12. Still Life
13. Working from Photos

Introduction

Throughout the centuries artists have turned to flowers for their inspiration, attempting to capture either the simple perfection of a single flower or an elaborate arrangement of exotic blooms. Perhaps you have never tried to draw flowers before? Well, by choosing to read this book, picking up paper and pencil and tentatively attempting to draw, f or example, a vase of flowers you will be following in a long tradition of flower artists, both amateur and professional.

Flowers and plants offer limitless means of artistic expression. A single flower observed throughout its growth period will provide you with countless drawing opportunities from tiny bud to mature flower. Apart from the winter months, flowers are easily available throughout the year. They will inspire you to draw or sketch their transient beauty, whether they are growing naturally in their own habitat, massed on a holiday balcony, stuffed carelessly into a jug on a kitchen table or carefully tended in a hothouse.

In this guide I will be encouraging you to look at flowers from many viewpoints — not just to observe solitary blooms, but also to draw them in their own environment and as subjects in a still life. As you work your way through the sections, you will learn about the different drawing materials and surfaces that you can use, and how to combine these for the most effective results; about the underlying form of flowers and how to convey and emphasize this form with light and shade; and about the many varieties of textures and patterns that plants and flowers reveal.

You will also, I hope, learn to make full use of your sketchbook, taking it with you on walks in the country, on holiday, or whenever you are away from home. A sketch book can provide a visual ‘memory bank’ of all those flowers and plants that have caught your eye, whether they are swathes of wild flowers in a meadow, or geraniums spilling out of a flowerpot.

There is one word of warning, however: when choosing your subject matter, don’t be tempted to pick wild flowers. Some of them are protected species and should be left growing where they are. Be content to enjoy their simple beauty in their natural setting.

Don’t be disappointed with your first attempts; if you enjoy your subject matter and practice your drawing skills you will soon be delighted with your results.

Happy drawing!