This post finds me in the aftermath of a computer crash. My good old Mac, it was nearly five years old, started behaving erratically, and we had to buy a new one. Buying a new computer took a while because I hate spending that much money in one sitting. I had to sneak up on it. That’s why there aren’t very many scans to go along with this post.
This blossom was huge and was such a bright orange that it blitzed out my camera. If I was a better photographer, I could have probably taken a better picture of it. But I’m not, so I had to resort to filters to help make a reference photo to draw from, including infrared, sharpening, and a couple more.
I went back to using Fabriano Artistico paper with Straetler Lumnograph pencils for this drawing. That combination creates a lively hatch with lovely depth and plenty of interesting texture. All things that this drawing needed.
I used a filter that exaggerated details because the bright orange of this blossom was so intense very few details were visible in a normal photo. As I started to draw, I held back on the amount of detail. But finally I let myself have fun and cut loose with all the detail I wanted. So, while this drawing is verging on over detailed, I think it suits what I saw emotionally: A big luscious orange blossom with lots of movement and punch.
I’m happy with this drawing because I feel as though I could touch this blossom with my fingers. If it could talk, it would tell a story of a bright summer’s day full of sunlight and growth.
If I could do something differently, I’d take another look at the cropping and maybe loosen it up a bit more.
In creating this piece, I learned that it’s okay to push myself out of my comfort zone in pursuit of a good drawing.
Keep drawing everyone,
Carol