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
Many artists today, including me, draw with liners. They are smudge proof, waterproof and allegedly lightfast. They provide you with a constant flow of ink, they are not messy and easy to transport. Drawing with liners looks more like etching. It can be brought to the level of fine art and it is something I'm … Continue reading Drawing with Dip Pen and Ink. Marks
While with watercolor I came to the conclusion that I am not interested in photorealistic rendering and I'm happy with more loose, suggestive recordings, for which any paper, brush or watercolour will do, with ink I'm still searching for the best ink, nib and paper. By "best" I mean the perfect equilibrium between the quality … Continue reading Drawing with Dip Pen and Ink. Materials
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 came across this Geastrum (earthstar) mushroom in a coniferous forest by the end of November. Geastrum is a species of inedible and saprophage fungus, it obtain its nutrients by decomposing green matter. The fruit body develops at first underground (hypogeous) in the form of a small ball. As it matures, it pushes up through … Continue reading Drawing and Painting a Geastrum Mushroom in my Botanical Journal
