Botanical Drawing - Federica Volpato

∼ 12th April 2021 ∼

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about my favorite illustration subject: nature!

Flowers and leaves are so beautiful and elegant both in real life and on paper. However, it could be scary sometimes to approach botanical themes, so I want to share what I learned while studying and drawing.

The first suggestion is to not look for inspiration on the web, but rather on the world that surround you. This first thing is very important: you do not want your art to be the same you find on Pinterest or in the other social media, and neither your motifs. Your art deserves to be unique, as you!

Evermore, the beautifulness of searching in your garden or in a park, or of going on a trip just to collect materials is not something you can get on internet. The journey to find inspiration and to get your wild flowers and leaves to draw is rich of emotions, and emotions are essential in art. You will express the same feelings you felt during your journey on your illustrations. How does it work? I don’t know, but it works!

You can photograph lots of elements when you have the opportunity, and collect them in a fold in your phone or your computer, ready to use when you need them. Remember to take photographs anytime you can!

The second suggestion is to observe before drawing. The more you observe and the more you see. When you have a purpose (to draw, for example), you will discover details you never noticed before, just before you were not watching carefully! I am sure you will never know something until you draw it! Isn’t it engaging? Try to know!

Finally we are ready to draw! You have to decide what point of view is your favorite and start sketching some guidelines: what forms compose your flowers? Every element can be simplified in easy forms like circles, lozenges, rectangles, heart shapes, spirals, etc. These shapes will be your guide.

I experienced that when I try to copy exactly every detail of a flower, for example, I am not happy at all of the result. What I learnt is that the best botanical illustrations are stylized. To stylize you have to understand your subject and to focus on its major points. In this way with few tracts you can create a perfectly recognizable and gorgeous natural element.

At the end, one of the best thing about botanical illustration is that it can change so much depending on your signature style. In fact, the last thing I want to suggest is to develop your own personal style also on natural elements, because it makes every leave, every flower unique and beautiful.