Even though they are impressive, the botanical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci are not highly publicized. Partly because there are only few of them and partly because, in the spirit of that time, they were conceived as preliminary sketches for paintings, and not as drawings in themselves or as in-depth botanical studies. In fact, not … Continue reading How to Draw Flowers like Leonardo da Vinci
These days my creative work is divided between Botanical Portraits and the Botanical Journal.Drawing portraits of plants is mostly about beauty and art. Using old masters techniques and translating them into what I think I can call already my own handwriting, I try to capture the essence, the graceful movement, the perfection I see in … Continue reading Between Art and Science
I uploaded a new class on my Patreon on how to draw a Physalis fruit with fruit with sanguine on red prepared paper. The method was largely used by the old renaissance masters and most of the botanical masterpieces of Leonardo are made by this red-on-red technique. Sanguine, a soft stone with a high content … Continue reading How to Draw Botanical Art like the Old Masters – Video Tutorial
“When, Oh draftsmen, you desire to find relaxation in games you should always practice such things as may be of use in your profession, by giving your eye good practice in judging accurately of the breadth and length of objects. Thus, to accustom your mind to such things, let one of you draw a straight line...
"I used to lie down on the grass and draw the blades as they grew, until every square foot of meadow, or mossy bank, became a possession of me." - John Ruskin. I`m happy to announce that my Patreon page is on.Part teaching, part sharing. Art is the love of my life, a consuming obsession, … Continue reading Patreon page is on
In today's video I will show you how I sketch the coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata). The plants from Rudbeckia genus have a daisy like inflorescence, with yellow-orange ray florets circling conspicuous green, brown or black, cone of many small disc florets. Here are some of the Rudbeckia species I came across: 1. Rudbeckia hirta 2. Rudbeckia … Continue reading Botanical Journal – Sketching a coneflower
Last week's drawing tutorials were dedicated to the drawing of hazelnuts. Using the specimens collected over the years, I made three studies from life, starting from the simplest, a single Corylus avellana fruit, the common hazelnut. In the second video I practiced some quick gestural drawings, looking at the different postures of the fruit. Finally … Continue reading Drawing Tutorials – Hazelnuts
I've got many messages from you to continue the series started in June, therefore, among other topics, every month we will study at least one flower: morphology to better understand the structure of the flower and a drawing using the classical method. I imagine that this series will at some point turn into a book … Continue reading Sketching Flowers – 21. Phalaenopsis orchid
I was looking for a flower whose color would make the transition from green to blue and which could have been more suitable than the jade vine? The plant is native to Philippines and it's grown in gardens all over the world. The color, which we find impressive due to its rarity in the plant … Continue reading Daily Sketches – 20. Strongylodon macrobotrys (Jade Vine)
Today tutorial is on drawing Passiflora capsularis, a small, vanilla scented passion flower that grows in tropical areas. Passiflora is a pentamorous flower, having parts arranged in groups of five: 5 petals, 5 alternating sepals which in most species looks the same as the petals, differing only by a hook at the tip (awn). On … Continue reading Daily Sketches – 19. Passiflora
Today's tutorial was a request from one of my lovely Patrons, the sketching of a Peony flower. In this video you will learn how to estimate proportions between the center ( carpels, stamens and anthers) and the rest of the flower and how to use construction line and geometrical shapes to draw the petals. Here … Continue reading Daily Sketches – 18. Paeonia
Today's sketch is of Molucella laevis, also called Bells of Ireland. The plant has nothing to do with Ireland, except the striking green color, being original from Turkey, Syria and Asia. Inflorescences are arranged in whorls of 6-8 around the stem and they are composed of a large cup-shaped calyx and a white or purple-pink, … Continue reading Daily Sketches – 17. Molucella laevis
Today I sketched the inflorescence of Spathiphyllum. Aroid species produce blooms consisting of one modified leaf called spathe (sometimes of bright colour, like in Anthurium) and a spike-like structure called spadix along the length of which are hundreds of tiny flowers. Spathiphyllum have "perfect flowers" which bear both male and female organs. The diamond-shaped structure … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 16. Spathiphyllum
This plant grows spontaneously in my garden and made me a little obsessed with Euphorbia genus. Thus I found out that one of the houseplants I thought was succulent is actually Euphorbia hypogaea and that there are thousands of Euphorbia species with fascinating shapes and colors. Here are few of my favorites: 1. E. atropurpurea … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 15. Euphorbia platyphyllos
Cypripedium calceolus is a species of lady's slipper orchid that grows in temperate climate. It is a protected species in Romania. Orchids have evolved by developing very interesting mechanisms for trapping and guiding insects. The shield visible at the base of the flower is a staminode (a modified sterile stamen) with the role of attracting … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 14. Cypripedium calceolus
