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
Today I want to take a closer look at the Black Locust flower (Robinia pseudoacacia - the false acacia). Acacia grows only in sub-tropical and tropical areas and, although has leaves very similar to Robinia, the shape of the flower is different. The flower of Robinia has a morphology typical of plants of the Fabaceae … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 13. Robinia pseudoacacia
The flowers of Digitalis purpurea, the purple foxglove, are tubular, pendent, arranged in a spiral around long spikes. Each flowers has 5 sepals, joined at the base, and 5 petals, joined in a tube, the lowest forming a lip as a landing area for pollinators. The lower petal also has markings to guide the pollinators … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 11. Digitalis purpurea
Lamprocapnos spectabilis, formely known as Dicentra spectabilis (a scientific name still widely used) has this very easily recognizable heart shape, hence the popular name of bleeding-heart. Other common names include lyre flower, heart flower and lady-in-a-bath. The flower has 2 large outer petals (those in the shape of a heart) and two inner petals, narrow, … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 9. Lamprocapnos spectabilis
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
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
