"Religion Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - Finished

I've finished another of my 19"x25" colored pencil drawings in this "Stronger Together" series! I have two more planned - Class and Ability. (If you're interested, you can check out the other three I've completed: Race - at this blog post, Gender - at this one, or Sexuality - at this post.)

This newly completed one is called "Religion Bouquet." The two-dozen flowers I chose for this bouquet are all symbolically used or associated with a modern or ancient religion (including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca, various Native American religions, and/or Greek/Roman mythology), or else symbolize Atheism, Humanism, or Science, to be inclusive of non-religious people who are often left out of discussions on religious tolerance.

Here is the finished drawing, which uses a general yellow-purple-red-white color scheme, with hints of oranges and greens:

And here is the original plan, sketched out on newsprint, next to the final drawing on black paper:

I used 28 different colored pencils, ranging from warm reds, oranges, and browns, to cool purples, blues, and greens, as well as sunny yellows and high-contrast white and black.

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 religious discrimination, and why I think it persists in being a problem in the United States, I invite you to read this blog post. I've also recently written posts on the Separation of Church and State and a call for secularism, as well as a post in defense of Atheism, which you can read at the links above.

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 ti leaves, cattails, enchanter's nightshade, violets, plumeria, and black-eyed susans ("In Progress 4")
• Adding detail and dimension to the holly, tulips, lychnis, morning glories, pomegranate, and acanthus ("In Progress 5")
• Adding detail and dimension to the amaranthus, birds of paradise, orchids, irises, lilies, and zinnia ("In Progress 6")
• Adding detail and dimension to the lotus, daffodils, gladiolus, sage, jasmine, and roses ("In Progress 7")

"Religion Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 4

To read about religious discrimination and why tolerance of people of all religions (and non-religions) is so important, visit this blog post.

To read about the religious symbolism of the 24 flowers used in this drawing, go back to this blog post.

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The initial sketch of my "Religion Bouquet" drawing is complete on the 19"x25" black Canson Mi-Teintes paper - which means it's time to start going through and building up layers of color and detail, flower by flower.

Today's post is going to show the first six flowers that I worked on during this second go-round, starting with the ti leaves at the top. For these large ti leaves, I used three shades of red and five shades of green:

Just to the left of these, I worked on the bunch of cattails. I used two brown colored pencils, three green pencils, yellow, and cream:

To the right of the ti leaves is a sprig of enchanter's nightshade, an herb with tiny white blooms. I used a light green pencil, white, brown, red, and a pink colored pencil for this plant:

Back on the left side of the bouquet, I used three shades of green, three shades of purple, one pink, one magenta, one blue-violet, and one cream pencil to color in the violets:

Below the violets, I'd sketched in a bunch of plumeria. I colored these in with dark green, bright green, white, cream, yellow, orange, and brown:

And for this quartet of black-eyed susans, I used black, pumpkin orange, orange, yellow, cream, white, and bright green colored pencils:

Here's what the entire drawing looks like so far, with the first six completed. You can also see in this picture where the rest of the flowers are sketched in lightly, ready and waiting for more color to help them stand out against the black paper.

Check back again soon for more posts - and more pictures!

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

To read about religious discrimination and why tolerance of people of all religions (and non-religions) is so important, visit this blog post.

To read about the religious symbolism of the 24 flowers used in this drawing, go back to this blog post.

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My last blog post looked at the first twelve flowers - and this one will look at the last twelve. Once all 24 are lightly drawn in like this, the next step is to go back through and add more layers, building up colors and details.

I started this second half of the sketch with the holly plant:

At the very top of the bouquet is a cluster of green and red ti leaves:

On either side of the ti leaves, filling out the top, are brown cattails and the whiteish-red enchanter's nightshade herb:

Going back down along the right and left sides, I added purple colored violet flowers and purple tulips:

Below the violets, I drew a bunch of yellow-white plumeria:

And underneath the tulips, a bunch of red lychnis:

Continuing down the left side is the red amaranthus (aka love lies bleeding) plant, and a pair of purple irises:

On the right side, I filled in the rest of the drawing with several purple orchids and white jasmine flowers:

Here is the layout for the entire drawing:

As you can see, all of the flowers are in place - but from a distance especially they are too lightly drawn to stand out much from the black paper. Next I will go back through one-by-one and add more color to each flower.

Below is the quick sketch on newsprint (the plan I worked from), and the start of the black paper drawing (the final piece):

"Religion Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 1

As I've mentioned before, I have plans for six 19"x25" colored pencil drawings in this "Stronger Together" series. The first three are already complete (Race, Gender, & Sexuality), which leaves only three more to do (Religion, Class, & Ability). If you've read my last couple blog posts, which talk about religious discrimination and the separation of church and state in the U.S.A., I bet you can guess which drawing is coming next.

The first three drawings used a lot of color symbolism to convey my meaning - a wide variety of flesh-toned flowers for "Race," a pink-purple-blue spectrum for "Gender," and a rainbow/color wheel for "Sexuality" - because there are colors already commonly associated with each of these categories. For these final three drawings, however, that is not the case; instead of focusing on color then, these next three drawings will look more at the symbolic meaning of the plants themselves, or (in the case of "Ability" especially) other aspects of appearance besides color.

For my next drawing - "Religion Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - I looked especially at how different religions throughout the world have used flower symbolism throughout history and in the present day. Because many religions tend to use the same popular flowers - especially the rose, which is a common symbol in several different religions - the flowers in my drawing don't represent one-to-one symbols with specific religions. There was just too much overlap to conceive the drawing this way. Furthermore, I didn't want people who don't subscribe to any religion to be left out of my "Religion Bouquet" - so there are also a few flowers that have not been adopted by religions, flowers that symbolize a more general spirituality, morality, or humanism, and flowers which are associated with logic, reasoning, critical thinking, education, and science (all other things that humans can choose to prioritize, put faith in, and devote their lives to in the place of, or in addition to religious pursuits).

Here are the flowers I picked for this drawing (in no particular order), along with the symbolism of the flower, and any pertinent religious history:

• tulip - faithfulness, devotion, passionate love, abundance, prosperity, royalty, and indulgence. In Victorian England, it also stood for charity and supporting the less fortunate, while in Turkey (and Islam more generally), it refers to paradise on earth or a reminder of heaven and eternal life.
• purple lotus - divine beauty, purity, faithfulness, rebirth, resurrection, death, the womb of the world, fertility, eternity, and prosperity. In Buddhism, it symbolizes spiritual awakening. In Hinduism, it is associated with the gods Vishu and Brahma (among others). Because the lotus sits on mud without sinking it, it also stands for living without attachment to one's surroundings.
• pomegranate - fertility (for its many seeds), abundance, marriage, royalty, and mature elegance. The fruit of the pomegranate plant has especially been used by many religions throughout history: Judaism sees the fruits as symbolic of the fertility of the promised land, and uses pomegranates to welcome in the new year (Rosh Hashanah). In Christianity, pomegranates that are split open refer to Jesus's suffering and resurrection; in Catholicism specifically, pomegranates represent the resurrection of the Church; and in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, they symbolize the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom. In Hinduism and Buddhism, pomegranates also represent prosperity, abundant fertility, and fruitfulness. In Ancient Egypt, they stood for prosperity and ambition. And in Ancient Greece mythology, they feature heavily in the story of Persephone, who was taken to the underworld by Hades and ate six seeds there - which is why we have six months of winter every year.
• amaranthus (aka "love lies bleeding") - hopelessness, hopeless love, compassion, and sacrifice. In Christianity, it symbolizes the self-sacrifice of Jesus.
• white jasmine - sweet love, beauty, sensuality, purity, good luck, love and respect, calm, and relaxation. It is also a Hindu bridal flower symbolizing attachment, modesty, deep and everlasting love, grace, and elegance.
• white lily - virginity, purity, divinity, love, and self-sacrifice. In Christianity, these are known as Easter lilies, and also symbolize the Virgin Mary specifically.
• orchid - industry, enthusiasm, boldness, pride, luxury, wealth, perfection, abundance, and prosperity. In many Asian cultures, it also stands for scholarly pursuit, integrity, and friendship.
• enchanter nightshade - witchcraft, sorcery, and skepticism. It was used as an ancient herbal medicine and its Latin name refers to the Greek goddess Circe. In Wicca, it symbolizes drawing energy into one's life, balancing light/dark or male/female, and finding connectedness to all things.
• holly - hope, protection from evil spirits, defense, and domestic happiness. It is tied to Christianity, due to the cross-shape of its flowers, and its red berries are associated with the Christmas holiday.
• zinnia - wisdom, life, intelligence, sacredness, beating hearts, vitality, endurance through trials, and familial ties. It was named after a German botanist.
• violet - love, affection, modesty, faith, nobility, intuition, dignity, devotion, and healing. In Roman mythology, the goddess Venus was said to have given it its blue color.
• plumeria - beauty, charm, grace, positivity, and perfection. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Mayan cultures all use plumeria as a symbol for immortality, creation and recreation, life and rebirth, and generalized divinity. Hindus also associate the plant with dedication and devotion, while the Mayans believed that the plumeria flower gave birth to the gods.
• gladiolus - strength of character, remembrance, honor, faithfulness, conviction, passion, infatuation, gladitorial combat/swordsmanship, cheerfulness, and compassion.
• acanthus - art, endurance, immortality, regeneration, and mourning death. In Christianity, it is a symbol for pain, sin, and/or punishment (due to its thorns). In Ancient Greek mythology, it represented the healing abilities of Apollo, and it is said to be the inspiration for the Corinthian style column design.
• morning glory - affection, gentle strength, tenacity, and unrequited love. Mexican cultures associate the flower with dreams and communication with the gods. In Christianity, morning glories symbolize mortality of life, or finality of life on Earth. And there is a Chinese legend associated with this flower of two lovers who neglected their spiritual duties to be with each other, which led the gods to decree that they could only meet one day every year; the flower therefore symbolizes the sweetness of earthly relationships. 
• ti leaf - strength, high rank, divine power, protection against evil spirits, healing, and fertility. In Hawaii, this plant is sacred to the gods Lono and Laka, and the hula dance.
• lychnis - religious enthusiasm, sunshine, eyes, and open air. It is also a medieval Christian symbol for the Virgin Mary.
• sage - wisdom, immortality, long life, experience, connectedness to the world around us, and protection. In certain Native American tribes, it was considered a purifying herb and believed to ward off evil spirits and bad luck.
• black eyed susans - justice and encouragement. Its botanical name (Rudbeckia) was given in honor of a Swedish scientist known for his accomplishments in medicine (anatomy), linguistics, music, and botany.
• iris - wisdom, compliments, eloquence, good news, royalty, faith, and hope. It is also seen as a bridge between heaven and earth, and in Greek mythology was associated with the goddess Iris, who personified rainbows.
• birds of paradise - freedom and the ability to travel, flight, optimism about the future, magnificence, excellence, success, royalty, paradise on earth, and romantic faithfulness
• cattails - victory in mind, body and spirit, peace, prosperity, lust, balance, and stability. In Pueblo tribes, it symbolizes earth energy, water, and rain; the Navajo use cattails as a protective charm against lightning.
• red rose - love, romance, sacrifice, and passion. In Hinduism and Buddhism, roses symbolize spiritual joy and wisdom. In Judaism, red roses stand for blood, life, and judgment. In Christianity, the red color represents Jesus's crucifixion wounds and sacrificial blood, while roses in general evoke the paradise of the Garden of Eden. The scent of roses and roses without thorns are said to symbolize the Virgin Mary - which one can see especially in the Catholic rosary. In Islam, roses symbolize beauty, divine love, and the human soul. In Christianity and Islam both, roses are associated with the scent of angelic messengers. Red roses are also symbolic of the English monarchy.
• daffodils (aka narcissus and/or jonquil) - rebirth, spring, new beginnings, uncertainty, returned affection, luck, reward, creativity, inspiration, renewal and vitality, awareness, inner reflection, and memory. In Greek mythology, narcissus flowers represented self-involvement. In some Asian cultures, daffodils symbolize hidden talents and career-driven hard work. In Christianity, they are symbols of forgiveness and eternal life.

In cases where the flower had natural varieties in more than one color, and the color of the flower did not alter its symbolism, I chose red, purple, yellow, or white - because I noticed that many of these flowers already fell into those four colors, and I wanted to play up that limited color scheme.

Once I had all my flowers selected, I made a quick sketch on newsprint to decide the composition of the bouquet. I wanted to sprinkle those four different colors throughout the arrangement, mixing them up so that only rarely would two flowers of the same color be next to each other.

Check back soon for "in progress" photos of starting the drawing on black paper!

"28 Years" - Year #1

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 first "mini bouquet" for this new drawing is going to use the flowers plumeria & Queen Anne's lace.

• Plumeria: symbol of life/birth, new beginnings, creation, positivity, perfection, charm, beauty, grace, and springtime
• Queen Anne's Lace: symbol of sanctuary/haven, delicateness/fragility, and complexity

First, I drew the grid in pencil, to mark where each of the 28 bouquets would go (one for each of my 28 years). I made four rows of seven columns.

Then I drew a rough sketch in graphite pencil of what I wanted the combination of plumeria and Queen Anne's lace to look like.

These are the botanical illustrations I looked at while I was drawing.

I do not own these two images; I found them on Google. Usually I do not like to do this - use other people's images as source material for my artwork - because I like the idea of my artwork being totally my own, and also I don't want to get in trouble over potential copyright issues. But for this drawing, I needed images that showed specific, botanical characteristics of the plants I wanted to use, so that it would be clear for each year what the plant was (and therefore, what the symbolism was). And I simply did not have the resources for all these different plants without getting on the Internet and finding some.

A lot of times artists do this - "copy" someone else's images by redrawing them. It's not considered plagiarism - it's "appropriation" or "pastiche." It's inspired by someone else's work, or uses elements of their work without using the entire image. I figured it would be fine for me to do for this particular large 22"x30" drawing because I was going to be 1) combining two different illustrations into a new composition, using elements of each type of flower but not the entire drawing, and 2) further combining all 28 of these 2-plant bouquets into a larger piece.

It's essentially like when you were writing a research paper in school, and the teacher asked you to find sources, list them in the bibliography, reorganize everything you'd researched into something "new" (even if it was made up of different parts that were, on their own, not new), and rewrite the other person's ideas in your own words.

Once I had my rough outline, I began filling it in. I started with the leaves of the plumeria, using two different green colored pencils to get the variations in shade.

I filled in the rest of the leaves, the brown stem, and a rough sketch of the plumeria, focusing on which parts of the plant had lighter white petals and which had darker pink petals.

At this point, I added in the Queen Anne's lace, so that I could ensure the plumeria wouldn't overpower the thin green stems of the Queen Anne's lace. I wanted to mark these in place before I finished the plumeria flower in the background.

Once the Queen Anne's lace was drawn and colored in with greens and whites, I returned to the plumeria to add the finishing touches to the petals.

Here is the finished piece:

This is only 1/28th of the entire drawing, but it's a good start! Year 1, in the upper left corner, is now complete. 27 more years to go!