Sometimes all we need is a little pump-priming to get the flow moving again. Think about these ideas for drawing, interpreting, and revealing things about plants:
• Draw the same subject three times using different media and/or line styles.
• Write a haiku about your drawing. Let a favorite quote inspire a new sketch.
• Try leaf printing with acrylics and watercolor paints.
• Sketch a series of seedpods or fruits for comparison and contrast.
• Explore the stages of maturity: for example, the sprouting seed, an opening bud and flower, or the withering folds and forms of your subject.
• Look at different leaf shapes through silhouettes.
• Describe line textures in different kinds of tree bark.
• Incorporate graphic elements into your journal pages. Think of text blocks, or a border a plant or leaf study.
• Paint a collection of nature objects from your yard.
Enjoy!
Above left: a watercolor leaf print on heavy muslin of a fern frond. Above right: another fern watercolor leaf print on handmade paper enhanced with a Pitt brush pen and watercolor washes.
