"28 Years" - Year #2

For general information about this 22"x30" colored pencil drawing, see this blog post.
For more information about the flower symbolism I used (Years 1-14) and life events that led me to select those particular flowers, see this blog post.

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My second "mini bouquet" consists of holly and daisy.

• Holly: symbol of hope, domestic happiness, defense/protection (especially re: protecting little girls from evil spirits), and Christmastime
• Daisy: symbol of innocence, hope, cheerfulness, and childhood

First, I drew an outline with graphite pencil, in the grid rectangle next to Year #1.

These are the botanical illustrations I used as source material (I do not own these images; I found them on Google):

I started by drawing the holly berries. I chose to draw the berries instead of the flowers of the holly plant, because the berries are more recognizable. I used four different shades of pink/red for the little berries, to make sure they had appropriate highlights, mid-tones, and shadows for peak three-dimensionality.

Then I used four shades of green/yellow, and a black colored pencil, to fill in the leaves and stem of the holly branch.

Then it was time to add in the bunch of daisies. I sketched them in lightly with white and yellow first.

Then I added more layers of white and yellow to make them "pop" against the black background. I also added some orange to the yellow centers, where there were orange shadows.

Here is the final "Year 2" arrangement:

I am now 2/28ths of the way finished with this drawing (or 1/14th, for those who like reducing their fractions). Still a lot to go!