Let’s draw!

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

■ Understand a flower’s anatomy

■ How to produce a strong composition

■ Draw a single pansy and a raindrop effect

You will need

• Graphite pencils – HB, 2B & 4B

• Watercolour sketchbook

• Pencil sharpener

• Putty eraser

• Eraser template shield

Welcome to the fifth instalment of my learning-to-draw series for beginners. We have already had quite a lot of practice in the basics of drawing three-dimensional shapes, shading variations in tone, and creating realistic lost-and-found edges. Now we apply these skills to the art of drawing flowers with graphite pencils.

Flower anatomy

Some knowledge of flower anatomy can help in understanding what you are observing and drawing. Flowers are the reproductive part of a plant. The filaments (stamen) with pollen on the tips are the male structures. Be accurate in your drawing by noting the number of stamen. Some species, like lilies, often have six large stamen, while other flowers, like daisies, may have dozens of tiny ones in their centre.

Pollen from the tip of the