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, … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 4. Ornithogalum umbellatum
Shrub native to North America, Calycanthus floridus was brought to Europe for its decorative value, being appreciated for the brown-cherry flowers and for its fragrance with fruity notes of pineapple-strawberry-banana. As the flowers mature they start to smell like ripe apples or vinegar. Not only the flowers, but also the leaves and bark have a … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 3. Calycanthus floridus
The blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is now in bloom in the garden and its flowers are in a beauty contest with the Philadelphus flowers next to it. The name of the species does not, as some might imagine, mean fruit-bearing; in that case the name should be fructuosus. Fruticosus in latin refers to the bushy, shrubby … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 2. Rubus fruticosus
Starting today, I will upload a video daily on my Patreon, within a project spread throughout June in which I will draw a botanical topic per day. June is dedicated to flowers. I will draw with ink and watercolor on a A3 paper, grid of 5x5cm squares, with an empty space on the right for … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 1. Fuchsia
Have you noticed how many anemone species are booming in the spring? I was surprised to see in our area no less than 5 species of anemone: 1. A. ranunculoides (yellow anemone, yellow wood anemone, or buttercup anemone)2. A. sylvestris syn. Anemonoides sylvestris (snowdrop anemone)3. A. blanda (the balkan anemone)4. A. nemorosa ( wood anemone) … Continue reading Sketching a Blue Anemone with Ink and Watercolor
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
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
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
Alina Lupu 