Flower Attributes Series - Update

More than two years ago, I posted that I was starting a series of 8"x10" colored pencil drawings of flowers. Each drawing would be of a different plant or flower species and be horizontal in orientation; their titles would be a single word: one of the attributes given to that flower - a word that someone had, once upon a time, decided that flower would symbolize.

I'd made 3 drawings in 2017 before deciding to expand it into a larger series. These first 3 drawings were:

• "Endurance" (Succulents)

• "Anticipation" (Anemone)

• "Shame" (Peony)

At this point I stopped, did a bit of research, and made a list of which flowers I might want to include in this series, what colored paper I would use for that drawing (out of the stock I had - red, green, blue, yellow, gray, tan, and black), and what title I would give it. Since many flowers have multiple attributes that they symbolize, and many flowers mean similar things, I wanted to make sure I was choosing different titles for each drawing. The list grew to be a total of 69 planned drawings (including the 3 I'd already done).

That was at the beginning of 2018. In the two and a half years since then, I've completed 30 more drawings from that list, 24 which I've already posted here, each with their own blog posts:

• "Ambition" (Hollyhock)

• "Fertility" (Pomegranate)

• "Flight" (Birds of Paradise)

• "Playfulness" (Pink Hyacinth)

• "Prophecy" (Heliotrope)

• "Loyalty" (Daisy)

• "Nourishment" (Sunflower)

• "Enthusiasm" (Bouvardia)

• "Hope" (Button Pom)

• "Transformation" (Protea)

• "Constancy" (Bluebell)

• "Strength" (Ginger)

• "Resentment" (Petunia)

• "Justice" (Black Eyed Susan)

• "Whimsy" (Purple Carnation)

• "Immortality" (Acanthus)

• "Fame" (Trumpet Flower)

• "Vitality" (Zinnia)

• "Balance" (Enchanter's Nightshade)

• "Modesty" (Violet)

• "Fragility" (Azalea)

• "Union" (Myrtle)

• "Wealth" (Alstroemeria)

• "Luck" (Bells of Ireland)

I've also completed another 6 drawings so far this year, which I haven't had a chance to post on this blog yet (look for those posts coming soon)!

I still have a long way to go before I finish all 69, but now that I've completed almost half of them (33 out of 69), I thought it would be a good time to check in and see how they look as a group altogether. I'm loving this series, and excited to see what they all look like together at the end!

"Luck" Colored Pencil Drawing

I completed this drawing in March, just before St. Patrick's Day! This 8"x10" drawing of "lucky" bells of Ireland uses Prismacolor brand pencils and Canson Mi-Tientes green paper.

I started by outlining the plants in a light cream colored pencil:

Then, I started lightly shading in the shadows with a blue-green colored pencil:

I found the darkest areas of the background and blocked off those areas with an indigo pencil:

Once this first light sketch was complete, I started going through piece by piece and adding details. I used the cream colored pencil, and a light yellow-green pencil, for highlights, the blue-green and indigo pencils for shadows, and a medium green pencil to blend between these extremes:

Here's the finished piece:

As I said in my last post, I'm not yet putting these drawings on Etsy... The items that sell best on my Etsy shop are notecards and it wasn't worth my time (and the listing costs) to continue posting all my original drawings and paintings on there as well. I'm in the process of looking into other places where I might sell my work instead - but in the meantime, if you see anything on this blog that you're interested in, please contact me at afrownfe@gmail.com! This drawing and most of my other 8"x10" colored pencil drawings on this blog are all available for sale, so don't be afraid to reach out if see something you'd like to own!

"Wealth" Colored Pencil Drawing

As always, this blog is a little behind "real time." As such, even though I've had blog posts of colored pencil drawings this year already, those were all drawings I finished in 2019. This drawing - "Wealth" on green paper - marks the first artwork I started and completed in 2020, since the birth of my baby girl! I drew this over the course of several days in February 2020 - a few minutes here and there, while she was napping.

This 8"x10" drawing is of alstroemeria flowers, commonly called "Peruvian lilies," which symbolize wealth and status (among other things). I used Prismacolor brand pencils on Canson Mi-Teintes green paper.

First, I started with a light sketch of where I wanted each flower to go:

Then I started adding in details and dimension, petal by petal:

Finally, I added dimension and detail to the greenery in the background, also darkening the flower petals to add more contrast as I went:

Here's the final drawing:

I'm not yet putting these drawings on Etsy at this time. The items that sell best on my Etsy shop are notecards and other art prints, rather than originals, and it wasn't worth my time (and the listing costs) to continue posting all my original drawings and paintings on there as well. I'm in the process of looking into other places where I might sell my work instead - but in the meantime, if you see anything on this blog that you're interested in, please contact me at afrownfe@gmail.com! This drawing and most of my other 8"x10" colored pencil drawings on this blog are all available for sale, so don't be afraid to reach out if see something you'd like to own!