Finished "Stronger Together" Series

My "Stronger Together" series consists of six 19"x25" colored pencil drawings, each created with Prismacolor pencils on black Canson Mi-Teintes paper.

The general concept behind the drawings is this: We humans can be labeled, divided, segregated, and categorized in a myriad of different ways, including (but not limited to) race, gender, sexuality, religion, class, and ability. Often, with these six categories in particular, certain subgroups have been historically/traditionally thought of as "lesser," while other subgroups are thought of as inherently better, stronger, or smarter - and are therefore given more opportunities, more privilege, and more power. This is, to use a profound phrase, absolute bullshit. People don't have more or less inherent worth than others just because of the families they were born into, their genetic code, their preferences, their life experiences, or the choices they make. We are ALL human, and we ALL matter and deserve respect. In fact, we matter not despite our differences, but because of them.

Floral arrangements are not melting pots. They do not blend all varieties together into a muddy brown soup. They are made greater by the sum of their parts, while still showcasing each beautiful part that makes up the whole. And so I chose to use drawings of floral bouquets, each made up of two dozen different flowers, to demonstrate the rich variety of the human experience, as it relates to those six categories.

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RACE BOUQUET (STRONGER TOGETHER)

I worked on this drawing way back in April, utilizing 31 different colored pencils. The bouquet consists of a wide range of flowers available in "skin tone shades" to demonstrate different races of people living and working side by side, in harmony, to create a beautiful, multicultural community.

• Click here for the list of flowers used in this bouquet.
• Click here for more images of the final drawing (and links to pictures of the step-by-step process and detail shots).

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GENDER BOUQUET (STRONGER TOGETHER)

This tri-tonal drawing was created in May using 30 different colored pencils. Here, I used "traditional" color stereotypes (pink for girls, blue for boys) and color theory (which recognizes that purple is the color created by mixing pink and blue together) to represent the spectrum of all genders in a symbolic floral bouquet.

• Click here for the list of flowers used in this bouquet.
• Click here for more images of the final drawing (and links to pictures of the step-by-step process and detail shots).

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SEXUALITY BOUQUET (STRONGER TOGETHER)

In the month of June (Pride Month), I finished this colorful drawing, which required a total of 39 different colored pencils. This "color wheel" bouquet includes all the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple) to symbolize the beautiful arrangement made when all people identifying as/experiencing different aspects of human sexuality are included equally. This includes people with little or no sexual desire, as well as those who crave it all the time; people who yearn for only physical intimacy and those who find fulfillment in emotional intimacy and long-term relationships, people experienced and not experienced in a wide variety of sexual behaviors, and of course people at all places of the LGBTQIA spectrum.

• Click here for the list of flowers used in this bouquet.
• Click here for more images of the final drawing (and links to pictures of the step-by-step process and detail shots).

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RELIGION BOUQUET (STRONGER TOGETHER)

This completed piece, drawn with 28 different colored pencils in July, combines flowers that are symbolically associated with modern or ancient religions (including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca, various Native American religions, and/or Greek/Roman mythology), with flowers that symbolize Atheism, Humanism, or Science, to present a utopian arrangement of religious tolerance and togetherness.

• Click here for the list of flowers used in this bouquet.
• Click here for more images of the final drawing (and links to pictures of the step-by-step process and detail shots).

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CLASS BOUQUET (STRONGER TOGETHER)

In August, I employed 26 different colored pencils to complete this drawing, which symbolizes different social classes through art of two dozen flowers. America is made up of very poor people, very rich people, and everyone in between. It is important that we acknowledge and give equal respect to all of these people, helping those who need assistance and remembering that we're all human.

• Click here for the list of flowers used in this bouquet.
• Click here for more images of the final drawing (and links to pictures of the step-by-step process and detail shots).

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ABILITY BOUQUET (STRONGER TOGETHER)

The sixth and final drawing in this series used 29 colored pencils and was completed in September/October. Employing flower symbolism and visual cues (such as browning, aging, wilting, discoloration, or minor imperfections), I compiled two dozen flowers that would symbolize differences in physical, emotional, and mental ability. We all have different limitations, skills, and talents (not all of which are immediately or outwardly apparent) and we should work to respect and accommodate everyone so that we can better work and live together.

• Click here for the list of flowers used in this bouquet.
• Click here for more images of the final drawing (and links to pictures of the step-by-step process and detail shots).

"Sexuality Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - Finished

I have six drawings planned out for this series, and finishing this latest one means I'm officially halfway done!

(If you're interested, you can check out my first 19"x25" bouquet drawing - "Race Bouquet" - at this blog post. Or the second one - "Gender Bouquet" - over here.)

The third colored pencil drawing is called "Sexuality Bouquet," and it uses a rainbow of colors to show the beautiful bouquet that is created when all people identifying as/experiencing different aspects of human sexuality are included equally. I mean for this to include people who have little or no sexual desire and those who crave it all the time, people who yearn for only physical intimacy and those who find fulfillment in emotional intimacy or long-term relationships, people experienced in a wide variety of sexual behaviors and those who are not, and of course people at all places in the LGBTQIA spectrum.

Below are some photos of the completed drawing, along with the 39 Prismacolor pencils I used. The paper is black Canson MiTeintes.

Here's a couple detail shots:

You can really see the difference in vase size looking back at these last three drawings side by side. The bouquets and vases both started getting fatter. I think I'll return to a skinnier vase for my next 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.

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To read about terminology related to sexuality, and why I decided to include many aspects of sexuality (and not just sexual orientation) in planning and executing this drawing, 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 tulips, poppies, amaryllis, protea, gerbera daisies, and roses ("In Progress 4")
• Adding detail and dimension to the zinnia, lilies, peony, gladiolus, crocus, and hydrangea ("In Progress 5")
• Adding detail and dimension to the chrysanthemum, daffodils, freesia, sunflower, forget-me-nots, and delphinium ("In Progress 6")
• Adding detail and dimension to the cornflower, sweet pea, anthurium, succulents, hellebore, and button poms ("In Progress 7")

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

When I say this drawing is a celebration of differences in sexuality, I'm including differences in libido, sexual behaviors, frequency, desire, willful abstinence, asexuality, sexual orientation, and relationships. For more discussion on sexuality (and definitions of related terminology), please visit this blog post.

For a description of the specific symbolism of the 24 flowers used in this drawing, check out this blog post.

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I have only six more flowers to complete before this 19"x25" drawing is complete! First, I finished up the blue section with the last two blue flowers.

To create the cornflowers, aka bachelor buttons, I used four blue colored pencils, two shades of green, and black.

For the sweet pea, I used five shades of blue, a blue-green pencil, and three shades of green.

One more color left - the green section. I started with the anthurium, using dark green, apple green, light green, spring green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, and white and black.

This trio of succulents needed pale blue, dark green, blue-green, and two medium shades of green.

If you have a good memory, you might remember that my sketch only had two little succulents. I decided to add a third because the top sections - the red and orange especially, but the purple and yellow as well - seemed larger than the blue and green sections, and I wanted to round blue and green out a bit more. Part of the reason is perspective - since I was drawing on a surface, the red and orange were farthest from my eyes, so I probably unconsciously made them a bit bigger so they'd look the same size as the colors closer to me. But then when I held it up vertically, as it will hang on a wall, it was clear that red and orange were a bit too dominant. Another reason is that I had a rather large vase drawn at the bottom of the drawing, which smushed the blue and green sections up a bit. I decided to add a bit more succulent and hellebore to the green section, and also to add some blue and green reflections to the vase to sort of visually extend those colors, so that all six colors looked more equal.

For the hellebore, I used five shades of green, as well as a white, black, and yellow colored pencil. I also added an extra leaf jutting out to the side, to buff up the green section a bit (see comment above).

Finally, I finished with the lime green button poms, which I drew using white, yellow-green, pale green, apple green, and medium green colored pencils.

Check out my next blog post to see the finished drawing in all it's rainbow glory! I really do love the saturated colors in this drawing - they're so cherry and beautiful!

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

When I say this drawing is a celebration of differences in sexuality, I'm including differences in libido, sexual behaviors, frequency, desire, willful abstinence, asexuality, sexual orientation, and relationships. For more discussion on sexuality (and definitions of related terminology), please visit this blog post.

For a description of the specific symbolism of the 24 flowers used in this drawing, check out this blog post.

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Sometimes I wonder if I should come up with more creative blog post titles, instead of just saying "In Progress #6." But then I rationalize that I already spend too much time planning and writing these posts as it is. I could probably just post once, with photos of the finished piece, and everyone would be happy - but if there's at least one person out there who likes seeing these step-by-step pics, I guess it's worth it to show them off. :)

Today's post is all about the step-by-step pics of the yellow section, as well as half of the blue section.

I started with the pale yellow chrysanthemum. Yellow pencils don't always show up super well on black paper, so I put down a layer of white pencil first, and then layered the yellow on top, to make sure the yellow was nice and bright. I added some orange into the shadows, and used the black pencil to define some of the petal edges a bit better. Altogether, I used white, cream, yellow, orange, "artichoke" (which is that ugly sort of dark yellow-green pencil in the middle), two shades of green, and black.

The next yellow flowers I tackled were the daffodils. I used white, cream, yellow, orange, green, brown, and black pencils.

For the yellow freesia, I used white, cream, yellow, and yellow-orange. For the stems and leaves, "apple green."

The bright yellow sunflower needed cream, yellow, yellow-orange, orange, yellow-green, light green, and black pencils.

Once the yellow section was complete, I moved on to the blue flowers. I did this simply because I'm used to working left to right (being right handed), and I didn't want to smudge the completed flowers while I worked on the next ones.

These little pale blue forget-me-nots used two shades of light purple, two shades of light blue, a medium blue, two shades of green, and yellow and orange for the centers of the flowers.

The delphinium stalk was created with four shades of blue and a green colored pencil.

Only six more flowers to complete (plus the large, fishbowl-shaped vase at the bottom of the drawing)! My next post will cover those "in progress" photos.

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

When I say this drawing is a celebration of differences in sexuality, I'm including differences in libido, sexual behaviors, frequency, desire, willful abstinence, asexuality, sexual orientation, and relationships. For more discussion on sexuality (and definitions of related terminology), please visit this blog post.

For a description of the specific symbolism of the 24 flowers used in this drawing, check out this blog post.

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It's time to look at the next six flowers in this bouquet - the second half of the orange section, and the purple section.

The next orange flowers I worked on were these zinnia plants. I used white and peach for highlights, yellow, orange-yellow, orange, and red pencils for the petals, and two shades of green for the leaves.

I rounded out the orange section with these pale orange lilies. I used white, peach, and orange pencils for the petals, and three shades of green for the leaves, and to blend into the little lily buds that hadn't opened yet.

I moved onto the purple section next, only because I'm a righty and used to working on artwork from left to right so as to avoid potential smearing or smudging. The purple section is the farthest to the left in this bouquet.

For the large purple peony, I used four shades of purple ranging from very pale lavender-gray to a darker red-violet pencil.

For the purple gladiolus, I used three shades of purple, black, and red (to help blend the purple section into the red section just a little bit). For the stems I used green and blue-green pencils.

The cute little crocuses were drawn with red-violet, black, yellow, green, and two light purple pencils.

The last purple flower was this bunch of hydrangea. Since it's adjacent to the blue section, I added some blue coloring in as well. I used pink, red-violet, purple, pale purple, light blue, dark blue, light green, and dark green colored pencils. The yellow-green pencil on the end is the one I used to add a few small leaves coming off the large peony blossom.

This second pass through of the bouquet is now half done! I've finished the red, orange, and purple sections. Next up - adding in some yellow!