A drawing of one type of plant or several, made by watercolor, is called botanical painting. Plants should make up the correct composition, eye-catching. The image is often very realistic, which is due to a detailed study of the construction and a correctly selected color ratio.
Technological development
Initially, plant drawings served practical purposes. Flowers were depicted as materials for medical and scientific research. The illustrations of flowers as a separate type of drawing continued to develop along with natural science disciplines and, in fact, botany, and reached a special peak with the promotion of the printing industry in the 18th century. The popularization of photography in the 20th century, it would seem, could put an end to the successful existence of illustrations, but this has not happened, and it is still popular. In addition, in recent years, technology has begun to gain even greater momentum in popularity.
Start of work on botanical watercolor painting
The first step is to carefully study the model with which the image will be drawn. It is necessary to consider in detail all the details of the structure of the plant: leaves, stems, petals. Particular attention should be paid to the smallest and most important elements, such as the places of attachment of leaves and flowers to the stem, especially veins, stamens, pistils. Without an accurate image of these details, you will not get a truly realistic image and a complete transfer of the appearance of the plant. Equally important is the observance of the general proportions and sizes of the individual parts. This applies to thicknesses, lengths and all kinds of shapes.
The next step involves the analysis of lighting. This is one of the most important foundations of botanical painting. You need to answer yourself questions about the direction in which the light falls, what are the features of coloring each individual part depending on the light. At this stage, the colors of the palette and the color scheme of the entire image are determined.
After choosing a composition, it is worth starting to identify the features of the linear constructive construction of the picture. At this stage, half of realism is determined due to the accuracy of the transfer of the shape and proportions of the plant. The second half depends on the definition of the color system and the correct choice of the relationship of color and tone.
Features of drawing
For the correct construction, knowledge about the four main forms of the flower in the drawing will help:
- Cone-shaped. This form of flower in lilies, hyacinths and other perennial flowers, whose buds are located on one stem.
- Disc-shaped. The structure of daisies, gerberas and other flowers with petals located in the same plane begins with the creation of this very simple form.
- Spherical and hemispherical. The shape of flowers with a complex structure of a large number of petals, for example, roses, peonies.
- Compound. The combination of three different forms in one. Represents the largest group of flowers, which includes orchids, irises, daffodils, etc.
At the stage of constructing the composition, it is important to remember the aerial perspective and the proportions identified during the study of the model.
After a clear construction of the shape with a pencil and a clear understanding of the fact that all proportions are met, you can proceed to the drawing of flowers in watercolor.
Painting techniques in watercolor illustration
It is worth remembering that watercolor is a transparent paint, and thanks to this property, images are delicate and airy. But meanwhile, the technique is quite difficult for beginners. The complexity of the work lies in the fact that the finished watercolor image cannot be redone in the same way as it is possible to change oil and pencil paintings. At first, this can scare away a novice artist, but each new attempt will prove that everything is getting better and better. There are many watercolor writing techniques: glaze, wash, alla prima, fill. Training in botanical painting can begin with any of these techniques, or even with a combination of them.
More about techniques
Glaze is a classic technique used in many masterpieces of watercolor art. The principle is multi-layer application of paint. Due to the multilayer effect of deep translucency and color intensity appears.
Filling and washing are interconnected. The first technique allows you to create a flawless background with solid color or subtle transitions. Washing is used for color correction of the finished image.
Alla prima is a one-stop job. That is, the image is completely written raw, and with the proper abilities, this allows you to create smooth color transitions and the greatest airiness. For beginners, the technique may not be given the first time, and “dirt” will turn out, but training will help to achieve the result in the form of a juicy bright color.
All four types of techniques are perfect for depicting plants. It is only important to choose the most profitable technique for different types of flowers and leaves in order to achieve a truly beautiful and believable pattern.
The popularity of flower illustrations
Watercolor drawings of flowers always look very gentle and beautiful. Perhaps due to this, this type of painting is becoming increasingly popular in the world. The perfect mastery of this art form can be a big step towards world fame. In extreme cases, the acquired talent in this technique can always be used to design stylish accessories or the interior.