In today's tutorial I'm sketching the gorgeous flower of Gloriosa superba. It is obvious that whoever saw it for the first time and name it made use of all the superlatives he remembered and rightly did so. Native to southern Africa and India it's also called flame lily or fire lily due to it's wavy, … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 8. Gloriosa superba
This is one of my favourite flowers and this is due in part to the beautiful botanical illustration of Arthur Harry Church representing a cross-section of the flower and showing the grace of its curved filaments. So often an exceptional botanical illustration made me pay more attention to a botanical subject, which I would otherwise … Continue reading Daily Sketches – June 30 Flowers – 5. Geranium phaeum
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
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
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
Botanical Journaling - September 2020 - Lysimachia monelli, Quercus gall, Exochorda x macrantha, Tilia and Ilex fruits. Ink and Watercolour on sketchbook.
Beyond the apparent complexity of a plant you can find the simplest and the most beautiful geometric structures. Leycesteria formosa, the Himalayan honeysuckle, has an attractive, vertical port, intense green leaves and pendulous clusters with purple-red bracts under which are found both delicate white flowers and dark purple fruits. The botanical study is made after … Continue reading Botanical study – Leycesteria formosa
Alina Lupu 