RBGE Botanical Illustration Certificate: Unit 1 Reflection
I’ve turned in Unit 1 for the botanical illustration course, I can already tell I am going to adore this course!
The first half of this unit was all about exploring pencil families and botany! The leaf diversity section unlocked a new world of botany I’d never noticed before! This section covered plants, their different leaf types and what makes each special. The section continued to highlight a beauty in plant leaves I’d not noticed before.. I was fascinated by this, and how even plants I see everyday can have something special about them. I’ve probably seen hundreds of dandelions and never noticed their pretty pinnatisect leaves.
My main takeaway from this unit had to do with measured drawing and using measured points to form a subject’s outline. I learned how important measuring twice can be and then double checking those points again. I think this might’ve saved me a lot of frustration in the long run had I done that from the start! This unit also taught me how vital having a plain background is for drawing complex shapes, especially when it comes to drawing leaves.
I did struggle again when it came to foreshortening leaves and connecting the lamina between the midrib and leaf edge. Drawing a leaf behind itself when you can’t see behind it is tricky business!
Patience and practice are essential for botanical accuracy. I found myself getting discouraged when having to start again or if something didn’t work the first time. I always want to get it right, and finding myself not good at a specific area was difficult. I definitely felt this way when foreshortening the leaves. The one pictured is my third attempt at this activity. You can even see my hesitation during the initial stages from the scribbles. I know accepting that perfection takes time, practice and you can’t always draw it right the first time will be beneficial to remember in the long run. Redrawing the same lines twice over doesn’t mean I’ve failed, it just means I am still learning and enjoying the process along the way!
