Botanical Drawing

Day 236: After many attempts which I wouldn't even show to my cat, I think I am gaining some skill in botanical drawing. I am finding that using graphite pencils allows me to include more detail, and although the temptation to add colour is strong, I am unsure how to effect it in a manner which will preserve the clarity of a plant's intricate morphology, i.e., those features which allow a botanist to separate one species from another. I chose Geranium robertianum...pesky, invasive Stinky Bob...for my subject because it was readily available and because I wanted something fairly easy for my first serious rendering. The leaves began to wilt even before I'd set the vase on the table beside me, and not long after, the blossom began to droop. Although I captured the flower in one go, the leaves had to be replenished before I could continue. Botanical drawing is very time-consuming, and I was not bothering with measurements for this first study. Perhaps I will map out future illustrations with scientific accuracy; for now, I was content to just get it on paper, hairy stems and all.