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| My class set-up |
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| Pencil sketch (gesture & plant habit) |
My Botanical Illustration classes have started once again, and this fall's challenge is Observational Studies and Composition 308. We were to bring a plant in bloom for class that would last through this course and the next one (about six weeks). I'd planned to bring an Episcia from my houseplant collection, but the Episcia was not cooperating and there were no blossoms, so in desperation I went out to our local stores to find something suitable.
I found a lovely Dendrobium orchid (species not identified) at Lowe's at an affordable price, and knowing orchid blooms last a long time, this seemed like a good choice. Orchids are a fascinating family of plants--there's so much complexity, altogether too much to learn!
I had not been expecting such a crowd at Brookside Gardens so early on a Saturday morning, but as it turned out yesterday was their annual plant sale fundraiser. I was early for class, so I went out to check the plants before class started and ended up buying a few perennials for my new yard.
Our first step in class was to do some thumbnail sketches to decide on our composition. Once we'd selected an arrangement for the sketch, do a gesture drawing of the plant life-size, to which we'd gradually add detail and shading for a finished sketch of the general plant habit. My Dendrobium was so tall, I had to set it up raised a bit off the floor so the flowers would be at eye level.
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| Flower and leaf detail with colored pencil |
From there we would go on to sketch significant details of the plant such as flowers, leaves, stems, and make notes about shape and color. We had a number of reference books where we could look up plant families and take notes about our plant.
Among the fascinating things I noticed about this particular Dendrobium species was a spur in back, which contains the nectary. The spur is a general characteristic of Dendrobiums which usually have scent. By the afternoon one flower had attracted a tiny bee (which I included in the frontal view of the flower below). Orchids tend to have their sexual organs fused into what is called the column which is opposite to the showy bottom petal, known as the labellum. I also learned that orchid flowers are generally rotated 180 degrees on their stems so they are actually upside down! The botanical term for this is resupinate.
I won't bore you readers with all the stuff I learned about orchids in general and Dendrobiums in particular--I still have not been able to identify this particular species, other than to say that the flower has a Phalaenopsis-type of shape (though Phalaenopsis is a completely different genus the flower form bears a resemblance). In addition to thousands of species, there are millions of orchid hybrids, and Dendrobiums are very popular so the chances of being able to identify this one conclusively are probably slim.
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| Flower details showing the spur in back |
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| Stem and leaf details |
