"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - Finished

And so my "Stronger Together" series is complete! Six 19"x25" colored pencil drawings on black paper, each symbolizing a system of privilege/oppression. You can check out the first five completed drawings here:

• Race Bouquet (this post)
• Gender Bouquet (this post)
• Sexuality Bouquet (this post)
• Religion Bouquet (this post)
• Class Bouquet (this post)

This final drawing is called "Ability Bouquet" and it uses two dozen flowers to symbolize differences in physical, emotional, and mental ability. We all have different limitations, skills, and talents, and should work to respect and accommodate everyone so that we can better work together.

Here is the finished drawing:

I used a total of 29 colored pencils for this drawing, in shades of green, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, and blue. I also used neutrals like brown, black, tan, and white.

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

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To read about the "ability umbrella" - the aspects of ability I was looking to include in this symbolic bouquet - please read this blog post. To read about the relatedly interesting correlation between creativity and mental health, visit this one.

To read about the idea behind this colored pencil drawing and an explanation for the symbolism of the specific flowers used, check out this post.

To see "the making of" photos of this drawing, please visit these:

• 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 tulips, anemone, flannel flowers, acanthus, crocus, and succulents ("In Progress 4")
• Adding detail and dimension to the dahlia, tansy, hellebore, roses, aloe, and cherry blossoms ("In Progress 5")
• Adding detail and dimension to the geraniums, lady's mantle, yarrow, heliotrope, mullein, and lupine ("In Progress 6")
• Adding detail and dimension to the marigold, daffodils, white lilac, orchids, chamomile, and dandelions ("In Progress 7")

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

This drawing uses flowers to symbolize the wide variety of different physical, emotional, and mental abilities humans might have, as a way to show how we are better and stronger together when we are willing to help each other out.

To read about "the ability umbrella" - what exactly I mean when I talk about differences in ability - please visit this blog post.

To read about the symbolism of each flower used in this bouquet drawing, visit this blog post.

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My next set of six flowers on this "Ability Bouquet" drawing started with the pink dahlia in the center. I used three shades of green for the leaves, and black, indigo blue, dark purple, dark red, two shades of pink, and light lavender gray pencils for the petals.

On the right side of the bouquet, I colored in this bunch of dying tansy flowers. Less vibrant that the tansy plants I've drawn in other bouquet in this series, it's clear that there is something "less than" healthy about these brownish flowers and stems. I used green, yellow, dark yellow, light tan, orange, brown, and dark red colored pencils.

These hellebore flowers - which are just starting to wilt - were drawn with ten different colored pencils: brown, magenta, dark purple, light purple, light lavender gray, light tan, yellow, light yellow-green, green, and blue.

Nestled between the hellebore and the dahlia are these five wilted roses - once white but now decidedly brown and dry. I used green, light tan, yellow, brown, and dark brown colored pencils for these roses.

To the right of the dahlia, I drew in the colored layers for these aloe stalks. I used two green pencils, black, dark red, red, orange, yellow, and light tan.

The twelfth flower I drew in are these dark cherry blossoms. I used indigo blue and dark red for the centers and dark red and green for the tree branches. For the petals, I used two shades of light pink and my light lavender gray colored pencil.

Now my "Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" drawing is halfway done! I have twelve more flowers to finish up with layers of Prismacolor pencils. Then, it's just a matter of putting finishing touches on the glass vase at the bottom, and signing and dating the piece. :)

"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 2

This drawing uses flowers to symbolize the wide variety of different physical, emotional, and mental abilities humans might have, as a way to show how we are better and stronger together when we are willing to help each other out.

To read about "the ability umbrella" - what exactly I mean when I talk about differences in ability - please visit this blog post.

To read about the symbolism of each flower used in this bouquet drawing, visit this blog post.

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Like my other drawings in this "Stronger Together" series, I used black Canson Mi-Teintes paper and Prismacolor brand pencils. Once I had my composition planned on newsprint, I lightly sketched in each flower on the black paper.

I started with the pink dahlia, somewhat in the top-center of the drawing.

Next to the dahlia, I added little yellow crocus buds and a clump of hen and chick succulents:

Some wilted pink anemones went in next:

Followed by some flannel flowers:

These pink tulip buds are in the top left of the bouquet:

On the other side, I sketched in some acanthus, with yellowing stems and leaves to signify a bit of aging:

The large aloe plant went in next:

Underneath the pink dahlia, I added a clump of browning lady's mantle and a bunch of wilting white roses:

The eleventh and twelfth flowers I drew in were these purplish blue hellebore and pink geraniums:

Here is the initial layer, halfway complete:

My next blog post will finish up this initial sketch of the last twelve flowers. Then, once all of the flowers are in place, I'll go through with more colored pencils and add layers of color, dimension, and detail.

"28 Years" - Year #4

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 fourth floral arrangement consists of aloe and anemone.

• Aloe: symbol of healing, protection, affection, grief, and luck
• Anemone: symbol of fading hope, anticipation, protection against evil, luck, and having been forsaken

First I sketched out the plants in the designated space.

Here are the two botanical illustrations I used as inspiration (I don't own either of these images; I found them on Google):

I lightly sketched in the pink and red forms of the aloe and anemone plants, then lightly sketched in the green for the anemone's leaves.

I used red and green to lightly sketch in the aloe leaves next.

Once the flowers were all in place, I started to fill in the dimension. I colored in the anemone blooms with several shades of pink, and colored in the anemone's leaves with green, leaving some thin "lines" of the black background showing through for details on the leaves.

Then I colored in the aloe plant with several shades of red and green. Here is the final drawing:

4/28ths down, 24 more to go!