Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 4. Ornithogalum umbellatum

Ornithogalum umbellatum or star-of-Bethlehem is a bulbous plant that can be found in Romanian meadows from mid to late spring and it is related with many familiar garden plants such as hyacinth, bluebells, grape hyacinths and squills.

The petal-like perianth is radially symmetric and consists of six lanceolate tepals, 3 smaller than the other 3, white with a broad green stripe on the underside. From the outside the closed flower appears green with white margins.

An attractive feature of this flower are the 6 stamens with flatten spear-shaped filaments that form a kind of crown around the pistil.

Ovary is superior, star-shaped, of 3 fused carpels with several ovules. 1 style, with a simple stigma.

*Close-up on crown-like filaments – Green on the underside of tepals – View on buds and closed flowers*

In today’s tutorial we will discover the geometry behind the composition of a 6 star-shaped flower and I will show you how to apply minimal ink hatches to give it a three-dimensional look.

Join me on Patreon for 30 days of daily flower sketches!
Every day of June I will post a video tutorial in which I will draw a flower from scratch. You will learn how flowers are composed, how to sketch and render them realistically using ink and watercolor.

By joining my Patreon you will have also instant access to another 40+ tutorials and live sessions on classical drawing and botanical illustration!