"28 Years" - Year #17

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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I symbolized my 17th year with tansy and purple hyacinth flowers.

• Tansy: symbol of hostile thoughts, health, and longevity
• Purple Hyacinth: symbol of sorrow, regret, grief, and pleas of forgiveness

I first drew outlines of the plants on black paper:

I looked at these two botanical drawings for reference while I worked (I do not own these images; I found them on Google):

I lightly sketched in the tansy and purple hyacinth with colored pencil.

Then I layered in more color for the purple hyacinth, starting with a layer of blue, and then layers of adding three-dimensionality to the petals with different shades of purple, light blue for the highlights, and medium blues.

Once the hyacinth (and its stem/leaves) were complete, I moved on to the tansy. I added yellow and pale yellow to brighten them up, and then added some orange and brown for shadows along the bottom edges of each little yellow flower. I also added detail to the leaves.

Here is the entire drawing so far. 17 down, 11 to go! There are 4 more "mini-drawings" in this row, and then seven in the last row.