Bird of Paradise. Sketch and Outline Flower Proportions

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1 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 9.8 Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: Pages and 16 Illustrations Bird of Paradise Employ contour hatching graduations and blending to render the textures of a beautiful exotic flower Supplies: paper, 2H, H, HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B pencils, pencil sharpener, sandpaper block, vinyl and kneaded erasers, soft blending tool Resource: Module 3.1 Introduction to Shading This activity has two sections: Sketch and Outline Flower Proportions Shade with Hatching and Blending Figure 1 shows the actual values of the original sketch. Figures 2 to 8 have been darkened in Photoshop so you can clearly see the lines as you work. Figure 1 Sketch and Outline Flower Proportions 1. Lightly sketch the proportions of the flower. Follow along with Figures 2 to 5 in sequence. Press very gently with a 2H or HB pencil. At this stage, the goal of a sketch is to simply place your subject on your drawing paper. Remember: sketch lines should be rendered lightly so that they can be easily erased.

2 2 Figure 2 Tip! Remember to leave lots of space on your paper above and to the left of the section shown in Figure 2. Several parts of this fl ower are yet to be added. Figure 3 In South Africa, the bird of paradise fl ower is referred to as a crane fl ower and is featured on the 50-cent coin. As an Aside This drawing was not rendered from a single photo. Rather, photos of various parts of the fl ower were researched in the process of drawing a single fl ower. In 1773, Sir Joseph Banks introduced the bird of paradise fl ower into Britain. He named the exotic-looking plant Strelitzia, in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany.

3 3 Figure 4 Figure 5

4 4 2. Apply very little pressure to an HB pencil as you neatly outline the flower. Closely examine Figures 6 to 8 in sequence. As you draw, note the modifi cations that were made to most lines and shapes. The goal of outlining contours is to render the intricate details of the individual shapes as accurately as possible. Figure 6 When you create a drawing without a specifi c reference, it s perfectly normal to constantly making changes to the shapes and locations of various parts of the subject.

5 5 Figure 7 Figure 8

6 6 Figure 9 3. Erase the sketch lines and redraw any contour lines that were inadvertently erased (Figure 9). Shade with Hatching and Blending 4. Follow along with Figures 10 to 16 in sequence to add shading to your flower. Choose the pencil grades that make the same values shown in the illustrations. Caution! Don t press too hard with your pencils. If you destroy the paper s tooth, darker shading cannot be added later. Before you begin shading, use a 6B pencil to shade a tiny shadow section in the lower left of the base of the leaf-shaped petals (Figure 10). This dark section should constantly remind you that all the values range between white and this dark value.

7 7 Figure 10 Tip! When it comes to blending, you have the following options: constantly blend the values as you work wait until all the shading is fi nished to blend the values do not blend the values at all Some species of the Strelitzia plant are taller than most adults. The plant s height varies from 1 to 10 m (3 to 33 ft). Figure 11 Photorealism is a style of drawing that aims to create a realistic artwork with photographic qualities. However, a drawing doesn t have to resemble a specifi c photo to qualify as photorealistic.

8 8 Figure 12 Although the Bird of Paradise fl ower is native to South Africa, it is also cultivated in many other countries around the world as an ornamental plant. Figure 13 The fl ower s common name Bird of Paradise comes from the fl ower s resemblance to the crest on the head of the bird by the same name.

9 9 Figure 14 Figure 15

10 10 Figure 16 Compare your drawing to Figure 16 and make any changes necessary so that it s as realistic as possible. Use a kneaded eraser molded into an appropriate shape to: gently pat the lighter sections to pull out highlights clean up any smudges around the edges of the fl ower