"28 Years" - Year #15

For general information about this 22"x30" colored pencil drawing, see this blog post.
For more information about the flower symbolism I used (Years 15-28) and life events that led me to select those particular flowers, see this blog post.

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This 15th "year" marks the first mini-drawing of the third row - the halfway mark on this large piece. To symbolize this year, I decided on cherry blossom and fern as my plants of choice.

• Cherry Blossom: symbol of transience, good education, womanhood, love, wisdom, and the short lived beauty of youth
• Fern: symbol of sincerity

I first drew outlines of the plants on black paper:

I used these two botanical drawings (which I do not own; I found them on Google) as reference while I worked:

I drew the fern in the background first, since I knew this would be a one-step drawing. I outlined and drew it all at once, making sure my pencil was sharp enough to get some crisp leafy lines.

Then I lightly sketched in the cherry blossom flowers.

To complete this "year," I next colored in the cherry blossoms with shades of pink and white - and dark purple for the inside details.

Here is the drawing so far. The first two rows are completed, and now the third row has begun!