Field sketching (drawing nature from life) is a little different than "normal" drawing. Field sketches usually have to be made quickly because light and the weather change quickly, and sometimes the plant is in an odd place and you have to get into an awkward position to draw it.

Why not just take a photo? If you love hunting wild flowers, you know there's nothing like looking at the real thing. When you sketch from life, you really see the flower as you draw every part of it, and that helps you remember all of its characteristics so you can identify it the next time you see one. Lastly, looking at your lovingly made sketches lets you remember the scene much more vividly than photos can.

Drawing flowers is a little easier if you know a how nature uses geometry. Use simple shapes to sketch flowers quickly and your field sketching hours will be spent enjoying the wild flowers instead of struggling with drawing.

HB pencil
Plastic eraser
Drawing paper with smooth surface

Here's a sketching kit from Dick Blick that comes with all these supplies plus a few more, and a nice tote bag too.

This wild flower (Spring Beauty) has five petals on each flower and they change angles as they go around the stem. As you draw the petal guidelines, try to imagine that they are angling away from you, first to the left at the top, and the last flower angles to the right. Notice that the flowers get gradually larger as they go down the stem. Draw the guidelines very lightly.

There are a few flower buds at the top of the stem. They get smaller in size as they curl toward the stem.

• Add the flower petals. Each one start at a single point at the center of the flower, and ends in a point.

• Attach the flowers to the main stem with single line stems.

• The three flowers on the left are angled so that we catch of glimpse of their cupped shaped bud bottoms.

• The flowers in the two top buds have emerged from their casings just a little. Indicate that with a small curved lines.

• Use the plastic eraser to erase the petal guidelines.

• Each petal has two very light lines that run along the length, so very lightly add those now.

• Use the tip of the pencil to add dots middle of each flower for their stamens.

• Add a little value with the tip of the pencil to the "green" parts of the flower heads and buds.

I drew this Spring Beauty wild flower while sitting in the woods behind our house. It's not an exact replica of the flower I found in the woods, but you're "allowed" to make little adjustments when you sketch in the field. I left out a few details but included enough characteristics so that I'd be able to identify this flower by referring to the drawing.