Hello again, asking for more advice but for nature drawings of specimens. I’ve been wanting to try drawing mushroom and plants drawings in the field for studying the formation of the mushrooms and plants to aid in research and personal learning experiences. If you have any advice or tips on the topic of nature drawings, please let me know in the comments and I deeply appreciate you guys!
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I just went back to my favorite observation of all time of sulphur tuft mushrooms and completed my first scientific nature drawing. Here’s the picture but I don’t have any color pencils so I didn’t add any color but I did add the color notes on the illustrations. Let me know if you have any advice on how to improve since this was just a practice first try at it. I do plan on getting an official scientific sketch book soon.
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Just keep at it, no matter how the drawings turn out… and maybe get some color pencils.
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There are books on scientific illustration, though I don’t have any, so I can’t recommend one, I’m sorry to say.
Studying guidebooks or keys that use illustrations instead of photos could be useful. Some of my favorite plant reference books are illustrated, and usually not in color.
You are right that using notes and descriptions along with the drawing, is the way to go.
Hmmm… I guess I should take my own advice - looking at some of my own sketches, I see that they do not include written notes:
That makes me realize that I should spend more time drawing, and not just photographing. Another excuse to buy more sketchbooks! (as if I needed any more excuses, or sketchbooks)
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Ooh! Great drawings!
the Tragopogon i your sketchbookbook is certainly not dubius (or it is sketched wrong).
It’s probably orinetalis (maybe pratensis).
dubius has a very thick portion of the stem just below the capitulum, and very noticeable phyllaries that are much longer than florets:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/215665385
It helps with scientific drawings to label them with what scale they’re drawn to. For example, 1/2x if half life-size, or 2x if twice as large as the actual organism.
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good thing I never posted that as an observation!
