"Gender Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - Finished

I'm all finished with my latest 19"x25" colored pencil drawing. Part of my "Stronger Together" series, this drawing uses color to represent all genders - from pink to blue and all of the purples in between. Gender is indeed a spectrum, and there are so many ways to express ourselves and our genders. Why not celebrate them all?

Below are some photos of the complete drawing, along with the 30 colored pencils I used. My materials were Canson MiTeintes black paper and Prismacolor brand colored pencils.

And here are some detail shots of the bouquet drawing:

This is not yet available for sale, but I will probably list it (and the others to-come in this series) in my Etsy shop at the end of the year.

-

To read about gender terminology and why gender is a spectrum, visit this blog post. To read about the idea behind this colored pencil drawing and an explanation for the symbolism of the specific flowers used, check out this one.

To see "the making of" photos of this drawing, visit these other blog posts:

• Preliminary sketches ("In Progress 1")
• Drawing and lightly coloring in the first 12 flowers ("In Progress 2")
• Drawing and lightly coloring in the last 12 flowers ("In Progress 3")
• Adding detail and dimension to the hollyhock, geraniums, lupine, hibiscus, snapdragon, and dahlia ("In Progress 4")
• Adding detail and dimension to the gerbera daisy, amaryllis, peony, protea, chrysanthemums, and lavender ("In Progress 5")
• Adding detail and dimension to the iris, pansies, carnations, African violets, lithodora, and sweet pea ("In Progress 6")
• Adding detail and dimension to the azalea, anemone, hydrangea, cornflowers, lotus, and delphinium ("In Progress 7")

"Gender Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 7

To read about gender terminology and why gender is a spectrum, visit this blog post. To read about the idea behind this colored pencil drawing and an explanation for the symbolism of the specific flowers used, check out this one.

-

I've finally reached the end of this 19"x25" drawing! Below are the last six flowers I worked on to complete this color spectrum bouquet.

These pretty azalea were drawn with seven colored pencils - two shades of green, four shades of blue, and one purple.

Below the blue azalea are these blue anemones. I used three shades of green for the leaves and stems, five shades of blue for the petals, and a black colored pencil for the centers.

These blue hydrangea were a bit simpler - using only three shades of blue and a purple colored pencil for the tiny petals, and three shades of green for the leaves.

This trio of cornflowers (a.k.a. bachelor's buttons) were drawn with five shades of blue, ranging from a very dark navy blue to a pale "cloud blue" pencil. I also used two shades of green on the stems and leaves.

I include two blue lotus flowers in this bouquet as well. I used a light yellow-green for the centers, and four shades of blue for the petals.

I've finally come to the last of the two dozen flowers in this bouquet - the delphinium stalk (a.k.a. larkspur). I used three shades of blue for the petals and three shades of green for the stem.

And now the whole drawing is complete! My next blog post will show the final pictures of the entire drawing, so you can see how it all comes together.

"Gender Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 6

To read about gender terminology and why gender is a spectrum, visit this blog post. To read about the idea behind this colored pencil drawing and an explanation for the symbolism of the specific flowers used, check out this one.

-

I'm now halfway done with the final layers of my "Gender Bouquet" colored pencil drawing. Just four more purple flowers and eight blue flowers to go to complete the color spectrum!

Today I'll be showing photos of finishing up the next six flowers, starting with these dark purple irises. For this plant, I used two shades of green, three shades of purple, and one shade of blue.

At the bottom of the bouquet is this small bunch of dark purple pansies, which I colored in with three shades of green, a dark blue, black, and three shades of purple.

Next, I built up the colored pencil layers for these bluish-purple carnations. I used two shades of green, two shades of blue, and three shades of purple.

These African violets are also more of a bluish-purple. These two blue-purple flowers will help transition the bouquet into the blue flowers that are coming next. For these violets, I used four shades of green (for the leaves and centers), two shades of blue, and two shades of purple.

Here is the whole drawing so far, with eight pink flowers and eight purple flowers done. Just eight blue flowers left, and the drawing will be complete!

The first blue flower I worked on was this pale lithodora plant. I used two green colored pencils, two blue pencils, a green-blue pencil, and white for the highlights.

The other light blue flower in this bouquet is this sweet pea, which I drew using white, two pale blues, three medium blues, a dark blue, and two green colored pencils.

The remaining six flowers in this drawing will be more of a medium blue or dark blue shade. Check back tomorrow for more pics!

"Gender Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 5

To read about gender terminology and why gender is a spectrum, visit this blog post. To read about the idea behind this colored pencil drawing and an explanation for the symbolism of the specific flowers used, check out this one.

-

The next six flowers I worked on for this drawing were the last two pink flowers, and half of the purple flowers.

This pair of pink gerbera daisies was the seventh plant I colored in. I used four shades of pink to do the job.

Next I colored in the pink amaryllis petals with two tints of light pink, a reddish pink pencil, a dark red, and white. For the stems and leaves, I used two shades of green.

Here is the completed pink side of the bouquet! Now, on to the purple flowers!

I did a large peony bloom in a pinkish purple to transition between the two colors. I used three shades of green for the leaves and white, three shades of purple, two shades of pink/red-violet, and a dark red pencil for the petals.

The protea flowers are similarly colored. I used three shades of purple, magenta, red-violet, dark red, and two shades of green.

Next, I worked on the light purple flowers. These little chrysanthemum plants have white and four shades of purple on their teeny tiny petals.

This lavender springs use the same four shades of purple and white - plus three shades of green for the stems and leaves.

And now I'm at the halfway point! Twelve flowers are done; twelve more to go to finish off this colored pencil bouquet!