Flower Attribute Notecards - Red & Yellow Set

 I have several new notecard variety packs available in my Etsy shop, including new designs from my "Flower Attribute" series. This is the series I've been working on for 4 years now, naming each 8"x10" drawing with a single word attribute to describe the symbolism of the flower that is the subject matter of the drawing. These drawings are done in colored pencil, on black, gray, tan, yellow, red, blue, or green colored paper.

As with much of my artwork, I've been scanning each drawing as I go along, so the digital scans would be ready to print on notecards. And finally I've actually used those scans, created those notecard designs, packaged them in pre-selected notecard sets, and added them to my Etsy shop!

Today's blog post is featuring the "Red & Yellow" notecard set, which includes scans from the 8 colored pencil drawings I've completed on red or yellow paper.

The eight designs included in this notecard set are:

• Ambition (Hollyhock) on red paper
• Fertility (Pomegranate) on red paper
• Fame (Trumpet Flower) on red paper
• Vitality (Zinnia) on red paper
• Nourishment (Sunflower) on yellow paper
• Enthusiasm (Bouvardia) on yellow paper
• Jealousy (Marigold) on yellow paper
• Energy (Cattails) on yellow paper

Love the style of these notecards, but wish you could swap out a few for other floral designs I have? I also have a U-Pick listing where you can mix-and-match among all my floral colored pencil design and color options and build the perfect stationery set for your preferences!

"Jealousy" Colored Pencil Drawing

I completed this 8"x10" colored pencil drawing of marigold flowers on yellow paper during early June. The pencils used were Prismacolor brand, and the paper was Canson Mi-Tientes cadmium yellow.

I started, as usual, with a light sketch of where the marigold flowers would go on the page, and where I might insert some greenery in the background:

Then I got to work really adding layers of dimension. I highlighted the edges of the marigold petals with cream, then went over the cream with yellow, to make the edges really stand out. Then I added dark red, purple, and black in the shadows of the petals, blending those in with a basic red color up to the yellow edges.

At this point of the process, I also started filling in the background as I went around and finished adding dimension and depth to the marigold flowers.

Often when I use colored paper like this, I leave some of the background uncolored to let the natural vibrancy of the colored paper do some of the heavy lifting. But for this drawing, I just loved the way it looked using the paper as a "backlit" effect and letting the yellow paper come through the colored pencil layered on top of it. It really draws attention to the yellow highlights of the edges of the marigold petals and makes them pop. So I made sure to fill in the entire background with leaves, greenery, and darker shadows/dirt (more similar to how they'd be found in nature, as part of a garden or landscaping or potted plant), rather than leaving some of the background yellow. It was a lot more work to color in all of that negative space, but I really think it makes the piece.

And here is the completed piece:

I really love the way this one turned out!

I have stopped listing these original drawings on my Etsy page for now, since I decided it wasn't worth the listing costs when my originals are so rarely purchased online. But if you are interesting in purchasing this drawing (or any of my similar 8"x10" colored pencil drawings), they are all available for sale through me directly. Please leave a comment below or send me an email at afrownfe[at]gmail.com for more information.

And in the meantime, you can still visit my Etsy store for notecards! I have several notecard sets for sale there, from Michigan- and Great Lake-themed designs to abstract patterns and prints of floral colored pencil drawings like this one. :)

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

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.

**

It's time to (finally!) finish up the last of the bouquets in this "Stronger Together" series. Here are the photos of completing the last six flowers in this "Ability Bouquet" drawing.

These marigolds were drawn in with red, orange, yellow, white, light tan, light yellow-green, green, and black colored pencils.

Next, I worked on these daffodils, which I finished up with white, red, orange, yellow, light yellow, light green, green, and black pencils.

At the bottom of this bouquet is a large branch of white lilac flowers. I used purple, green, dark green, light yellow, yellow-green, light tan, and white pencils to complete these flowers.

These pink orchids - drying up and browning - were colored in with purple, magenta, pink, brown, white, yellow, yellow-green, and green shades.

Several large chamomile flowers went in next to the white lilac on the bottom. I used black, yellow, yellow-orange, orange, blue, light blue, and white colored pencils to work on these petals and centers.

I also started adding detail to the glass vase at this point, drawing in a few stems in green and marking reflections in the glass with white, green, and other colors.

Finally, I finished up with these dandelions. I used orange, yellow, and white for the flowers, and three shades of green for the leaves and stems. Small detail work I refined with a black colored pencil.

And that's it - my last "Stronger Together" drawing is finally done! I'll post some more images of the final drawing (and all of the drawings in this six-piece series) in the next two blog posts.

"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 3

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.

**

My last post looked at how I sketched in the first 12 flowers in my initial black paper drawing layer. Today, I have some photos to show of the last 12 flowers.

These browned/dried tansy flowers were drawn in on the right side of the bouquet:

Underneath, I drew these cherry blossoms:

This yarrow plant went in next, followed by some purple heliotrope:

I added in these pink lupine stalks and yellow daffodils next:

On the left side of the bouquet, I sketched in some browning yellow mullein and orange marigold flowers:

This wilted hollyhock stalk was added in over on the right side, as was a clump of dandelions:

Finally, I added the last two flowers to the bottom. White lilac and chamomile:

After the first sketch, the drawing now looks like this:

The next steps include going back over each flower individually with more pencils, building up layers of detail and dimension, and blending colors to achieve the desired look. Final touches will be added to the glass vase at the bottom, and then this final 19x25" drawing will be complete!