LESSON 5
FLOWERS
STRUCTURE 5.0
OBJECTIVES
5.1
INTRODUCTION
5.2
STUDY OF FLOWERS 5.2.1 FORM OF A FLOWER 5.2.1 TEXTURE AND COLOUR OF FLOWER
5.3
ASSIGNMENTS 5.3.1 CLASS ASSIGNMENTS 5.3.2 HOME ASSIGNMENTS
5.4
SUMMING UP
5.5
POSSIBLE ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS
5.6
TERMINAL QUESTIONS
5.7
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER READING
5.8
GLOSSARY
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5. FLOWERS Flowers impart a colorful look to nature. So it is imperative to observe a flower through an artist’s eye. Nature drawing offers a wide range of opportunities to use any number of colours in the shaping of flowers. Let’s learn the way an artist views a flower in this lesson.
5.0
Objectives After going through this lesson you will be able to:
5.1
•
Understand how flowers are different and distinct from the leaves.
•
See, observe and begin to draw a full 3 dimensional subject, i.e. a flower.
•
Study the form of the flower appearing to change with changing angle of view and understand how a circle looks like an ellipse when viewed from the side.
•
See Colour and surface texture as significant characteristics of the subject (for example a flower).
Introduction
Leaves, a simple form in nature and yet fascinatingly complex when you study and try to draw them! You must have by now begun to feel more confident and at ease with drawing in general and drawing leaves specifically. Drawing is an attempt to pictorially represent an object. You can, with more and more visual information drawn in as details, come close to a near real/ photographic appearance. Our effort is to get you started on more and more observations and more and more details that you can draw to make your drawing richer and complete. If you keep your interest alive in this skill, drawing will be more than just a skill for a creative person. However, as with any learning process, put in your best at learning the key steps and soon enough you will be surprised at your own ability. We are looking for you to gain confidence in your ability, and if in that process we have you soaring the heights of Art, it will be a great satisfaction. You may be finding the pace of this course a little demanding and calling for a lot of involvement and effort. Do remember that if in your drawings you have visually represented as much detail and information as you can, regardless of a level of “mastery” in the art of drawing you have come a fair distance. The rest will be an ongoing process of getting it better and right.
Fig. 5.1 Study of Flowers
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5.2
Study of Flowers
Flowers are the most beautiful part of the plants. They attract and hold our attention because of the eye-catching colours, and a variety of forms, perhaps more than any other part of the plants. It is almost as if the plants greet you with the flowers they have on. Flowers come in myriad colours. There are almost always 2-4 different colours in any flower. Light and shadow on the flowers show up that many more shades of those colours. Isn’t it exciting that we will now study and explore flowers as our subject? Let us now go on to study the flowers and apply the drawing skill that we have learnt so far. This time let us see what we can add to the visual information and represent it as Drawing.
Fig. 5.2 Different kinds of flowers
Activity • Take 4 different kinds of flowers (Fig. 5.2). • Take a closer look at the surface of the flowers. You will notice that the petals of the flowers have different textural quality to that of the leaves. • You will also notice that the flowers are full 3D forms, unlike the leaves which by themselves are more flat. • The stem joins the flower at a right angle as a central axis from which the petals branch out. • The laying pattern of the petals of the flowers differs with each type and essentially gives a character to the flower. • There may be a single layer or many layers of petals. • You may also see some stamens emerging from the centre. What else do you see? • Do you see how the petals are held together or, say, what is at the back of the flowers? • With all these details the study of flowers is indeed fascinating. 3
Self-check Questions 1. What is different about flower petals as compared to leaves? 2. What are the different parts of a flower? 5.2.1 Form of a flower Look at the flowers as a Form. When seen from top, the flowers mostly appear circular. There are, of course, other types and forms too. But as a first step in understanding the flower form let us consider on0ly the simplest form that of a circle. There is then a certain height to the flower that is attached to the stem, what appears to be the depth of a flower from the top. First look at the flower from the top (Fig. 5.3). Now shift the flower slowly, and look at the height of the flower from the side (Fig. 5.4) and then from the back (Fig. 5.5). Notice how the circle of the flower forms changes? Actually, it is not the form that is changing. What is changing is the viewing angle of the flower form. As the angle of view changes, the circular form changes to an elliptical form. To simplify this understanding: When a top view of the form is a circle, it will appear to be an ellipse when viewed from the side. This understanding will help you as we go further and draw the flowers.
Fig. 5.3 Observation from top
Fig. 5.4 Observation from side
Fig. 5.5 Observation from back side
5.2.2 Texture and colour of flower The Drawing exploration so far in sketching the form of the flowers in outline is only a beginning. You have yet to add the details, the textures and the colours, to complete the study. So far you have observed the play of light and shadows on Leaves and stem. You must have noticed two or more shades of green on the leaf surface. When you look at flowers you have another element, that of colour and there may be more than one colour in the same flower. Light and shadow on any surface, be it leaf or flower, are not demarcated by any physical line. They, in fact, seem to merge from one to the other. As mentioned earlier, light and shadow when expressed through line form are drawn by light and dark lines of the curve form of the leaf or flower. For representing surface texture, light and shadows are drawn through shading gradations. It is not necessary that the entire surface is filled up with shading. The darker areas, i.e. the more shadowy areas, would need more 4
shading and the lighter areas would need to be less or not at all shaded. The shading gradations are obtained as details and value of grey within the same colour if you are using colour media. The hatching, cross hatching, and shading techniques that we learnt earlier will help you in drawing the flowers with line and shadow details. As you have seen through your exploration today, outline or contour line focuses on the edges of the Form that contain the form. This is also a 2 Dimensional outline of a 3 Dimensional form – not just a silhouette of a thing, but also its thickness, how the form exists in space, how the edges contain the form within and across the outside contour. Form of the object is revealed by tonal values – lightness and darkness. Together, contours and the tonal values describe an object’s volume, its mass, density, weight, texture and even its mood. Studying the value range of the leaves will thus give you more holistic information about them.
Self-check Questions 3. What is simplest form that a flower may be understood as? 4. What does a circular form appear as from the side view? 5. How do you represent shadow areas on the form of the flower?
5.3
Assignments
5.3.1 Class assignments i)
Study and draw 5 different kinds of flowers in pencil and sketch only in outline form. Use of thick and thin outline or contour line will show the light and shade on the subject. Draw on a 1/4 imperial sheet. You may use B and 2B pencils. Look and observe the flowers. Begin drawing the contours of the flowers. There, as you know, could be many light strokes to get the shape and proportion. • In your next step, go firmly over the right curves of the flower’s shape. Do keep in mind that the aspect of light and shadow must reflect in the quality of lines.
• • • •
ii)
Study 3 different kinds of flowers in pencil shading, black and white and natural colours. Do the study of flower heads from two different angles. • •
Begin with drawing the outline contour lines of the flowers. Once you have the line form drawing of the leaves, the next step is to add texture and detailing by using shading, hatching with varying pressure of the pencil reflecting light and shadows. 5
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With a pencil as you see, the drawing is mainly an exploration in black, and white. Actually what you have in front of you is a study in various shades of grey achieved through drawing with pencil.
On a 1/4 imperial sheet, draw a fresh set of leaves with B, and 2B pencil, and if need be a 4B pencil. You may draw a freehand reference box or imagine the paper edges itself as references. 5.3.2 Home assignments i)
On a 1/4 imperial sheet, Draw 2 flowers (different from class exploration), in line form and then add texture and detailing and add value to the drawing with use of water colours. • Study and draw the flowers from 2 different angles. • You may use colour pencils to get the outline form of the flowers as a first step. • The shading on the flowers should be with water colours.
This drawing, as in your class earlier, would be a studied exploration, reflecting your understanding of the 3 dimensional forms.
5.4
Summing Up
This lesson covers all the aspects of How to create the vision of a beautiful flower on your canvas which is close to the natural and real view. This lesson helps to develop skill of drawing this colourful creation of nature as originally as possible.
5.5
Possible Answers to Self-check Questions
1. Flower petals are colourful, often with more than one colour on its surface, whereas leaves are primarily green. The surface texture of the petals is also different from the leaves. 2. The different parts of the Flower are: • Petals • Stem • Stamen 3. The simplest form the flower, when seen from the top, is understood as a Circle. 4. The circular form looks like an ellipse from the side view. 5. The shadow areas on the form of the flower are represented by shading the surface in dark or light grades according to the quality of shadow falling on it. 6
5.6
Terminal Questions
1. What is the importance of flowers in Drawing and designing? 2. Explain the form of a flower. 3. Discuss the texture and colour of flowers.
5.7
References and Suggested Further Reading
1.
Anonymous. 2006. The Complete Guide to Drawing and Painting. Quantum Publishing Ltd, London.
2.
Locher, J.L. 1992. Escher: The Complete Graphic Work. Thames & Hudson Ltd., New York.
3.
Powell, W.F. 1997. The Art of Drawing Still Life. Walter Foster Publishing, Inc, California.
5.8
Glossary
1. Myriad
A large indefinite number
2. Ellipse
Oval
3. Demarcated
Separate clearly; as if by boundaries
4. Silhouette
An outline of a solid object (as cast by its shadow)
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