Feature story on drawing leaves, from Winter 2011 Drawing magazine

1. Botany for
the Artist:
Drawing
Leaves
by Sarah Simblet
B
otanical drawing is a of detail without becoming too
centuries-old tradition that technical.
has captivated fine artists, We’ve chosen to excerpt from
naturalists, and illustrators Simblet’s chapter about how to
alike. When drawing plants, great draw leaves. Individual leaves are
artists can pull from their knowl- often visible in landscapes or other
edge of botany to combine scientific scenes set outdoors, but artists may
accuracy with a sense of beauty and not know the intricacies of how to
personal expression. draw them accurately. Even knowing
Because botanical drawing is a something as simple as the basic
cornerstone of drawing education, categories of leaves can help artists
we are pleased to present an excerpt draw more realistic depictions.
from Sarah Simblet’s book Botany Whether you are looking to draw
for the Artist (DK Publishing, New botanical studies or to incorporate
York, New York). Simblet is not only this knowledge into more complex
a skilled artist but also an excellent outdoor scenes, there is always more
educator. She breaks down subjects, to learn about nature. Botany for
concepts, and techniques in mul- the Artist is a great place to start or
tiple ways, and provides a wealth continue your pursuit.
Botany For the artist
This article is excerpted from Sarah Simblet’s
recent book Botany for the Artist (DK Publish-
ing, New York, New York). The book contains
hundreds of pages of advice about how to
draw plant roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit,
and more. For more information or to order a The Flight Into Egypt by Albrecht Dürer, ca. 1500, woodcut.
copy, visit http://us.dk.com. For centuries, great artists —including Dürer—have studied botany and included detailed plants in their compositions both to enhance verisimilitude
and visual interest and to add symbolic meaning.
52 DRAWING www.ArtistDaily.com www.ArtistDaily.com WINTER 2011 53

2. leaF veins hornbeam
(Carpinus betulus)
The veins inside leaves are all part of
the central pipework of a plant. Leaf veins
are directly connected to the veins inside Dutchman’s pipe
stems so that the leaves can be supplied (Aristolochia
with water and minerals for photosynthe- Black bryony trilobata)
sis, and the sugars that they produce can (Tamus
be taken away to feed all the other parts communis)
of the plant. The pattern of veins inside
leaves is called venation.
There are two main types of vein
pattern: parallel and reticulate. Parallel
veins run in straight lines parallel to one
Secondary
another and are associated with mono- vein
cots, such as palms, grasses, lilies, tulips,
and snowdrops. Reticulate veins branch Tertiary
repeatedly to make netlike patterns. They vein
Tertiary
are typical of eudicots and are seen in the vein
leaves of most flowering plants.
There are, of course, exceptions. A
few monocots, such as black bryony, have BranChing veins
leaves with reticulate veins, and a small The midrib of a leaf with branching
number of eudicots have leaves with veins runs down the center of each
parallel veins. The leaves of succulents leaf section. Secondary and tertiary
Primary
have deep veins that are not visible on the veins branch out to the sides.
vein
surface of the leaf. Other leaves, such as
ginkgo, are unusual in that they have no
Primary
midrib but a fan of veins that converge at
vein
the stalk of the leaf.
Parallel veins Secondary
Tertiary
vein
The veins in the leaves of monocots vein
all run parallel to the primary vein,
as in the New Zealand rock lily. All
the pale, straight lines radiating from Palm (Chamaerops humilis)
the base of the palm leaf are veins
running parallel to one another.
Converging
veins
Parallel
veins Parallel
Primary vein secondary
veins
Converging
veins
The veins of a ginkgo leaf
venation in a ginkgo are neither parallel nor
ornamental gourd
ComPounD leaF (Ginkgo biloba) branching: they are not
connected to one another (Cucurbita pepo)
new Zealand rock lily The brake fern is a good example of venation
(Arthropodium but converge at the stalk
Brake fern in a compound leaf: The secondary veins in of the leaf.
candidum) (Pteris vittata) each leaflet run parallel to one another.
54 DRAWING www.ArtistDaily.com www.ArtistDaily.com WINTER 2011 55

3. leaF arrangements
As plants need sunlight to photo- Opposite leaves are paired, one on larch
synthesize, their leaves are arranged either side of a stem, as in a mint plant. (Larix sp.)
along their stems to gain the maxi- Alternate leaves, the most common
mum amount of light and minimize form of all, appear one at a time on al-
leaf overlap. The way in which leaves ternate sides of the stem. Some leaves,
are arranged is determined by the however, grow almost vertically, or
growth patterns of buds, which emerge droop to reduce their exposure to light
at intervals to produce single, paired, or if the sun is too strong, as at the top of
groups of three or more leaves at once. a mountain. Multiple leaves arranged
Leaves may also subtly tilt to adjust the in a circle around the same node of a snowdrop
amount of light they catch. stem are known as whorls. Rosettes are (Galanthus nivalis)
Leaf arrangement is one of the first composed of either opposite or alter-
things to observe if you are identifying nate leaves packed tightly around a very
or drawing a plant. The two most com- short stem. Perfoliate leaves enclose
mon forms are opposite and alternate. the stem of a plant.
ivy
(Hedera helix)
PerFoliate leaves
The alternate leaves of this plant are perfoliate, meaning
that they enclose the stem. Shaped like pointed shields, they
decrease in size toward the top of the stem and tilt to catch
the light.
oPPosite
leaves
Opposite leaves grow at
intervals along a mint stem.
Perfoliate
Each pair of leaves may grow
alexanders
at right angles to the pair
(Smyrnium mint
below so that its exposure to
perfoliatum) (Mentha sp.)
the light is maximized.
rosettes whorleD
The houseleek, a succulent, has a rosette of fleshy leaves
leaves. Rosettes are associated with dry, sunny
conditions, as their tight form reduces leaves’ A whorl is a circle of
exposure to sunlight and minimizes water loss. three or more leaves,
branches, or flowers aris-
ing from the same node
on a stem, as seen in the
larch and sticky weed.
houseleek
(Sempervivum alternate
tectorum) leaves
Alternate leaves appear one at sticky weed
a time on either side of a stem. (Galium aparine)
Ivy leaves are clearly spaced
apart, whereas snowdrop
leaves grow from a thin, disklike
stem deep inside the bulb.
56 DRAWING www.ArtistDaily.com www.ArtistDaily.com WINTER 2011 57

4. leaves in PersPeCtive
Elephant’s foot is a species of wild To draw a leaf in perspective, it
3 Adding Tones
When you have drawn a flat shape correctly, you
can make it look three-dimensional by adding tone.
Here, the pencil marks follow the contours of the leaf
yam and a rare example of a monocot helps to forget that it is a leaf and that it and let plenty of white paper show through, creating
that has leaves with branching veins, is tilting away from you. Look at it as if highlights that express the shininess of the leaf.
rather than parallel veins. It is interesting it were an unfamiliar flat shape. Mea-
to compare its leaves with those of black sure the height and width of the shape
bryony, one of its relatives. Yams produce and mark these on your paper, then fit
tough, heavy tubers (modified swol- the curved outlines of the shape inside
len stems), but this species is unusual the measurements. Draw the curves
because the tubers grow above ground. you really see, however strange they straight on
1
The simple leaves of this plant are clearly may seem. The key to success with
spaced apart, making them an ideal perspective is to draw what you can
subject for practicing perspective—the see, rather than what you know. Use an
pictorial device used to describe how HB pencil for a study like this and keep
things apparently change shape when the point sharpened so that your lines Draw Flat
they are tilted away from you. are precise.
Shapes
We know a leaf is three-
dimensional, but to make
First thoughts left visible it convincing on paper,
give life and movement to look at it as if it were a
a drawing. flat shape or a series of slightly tilted
flat shapes. Hod your
pencil up vertically and,
closing one eye, use it
Let the central vein to compare the height
of each leaf blade
and width of each shape
extend smoothly
from the leaf stalk. within the leaf. Use these Ringlet lines help
comparisons to work out to make stems look
the proportions of the three-dimensional.
whole leaf. tilted at 90°
2
Changing
perspective
These three sketches of a
leaf show how it changes
Draw the central Connecting Parts shape when tilted through
vein of each leaf Draw the leaves as if they are transparent,
90 degrees. In the top
before any of its to make sure that all the curves and veins
drawing the leaf is seen
other veins. join together in the right places and the Carefully observe straight on. In the middle
leaves do not look folded or disconnected the specific drawing it is slightly tilted,
from the stem. Once you have connected all undulations of
so it is the same width but
the parts, you can erase any unwanted lines. every leaf and the
looks shorter. In the bottom
gnarleD tuBer whole length of the
stem. This will give drawing the leaf is tilted
The deeply fissured, woody, a drawn plant its away at about 90 degrees.
elephant’s foot
swollen stem of this South African characteristic It is still the same width but
(Dioscorea
desert plant sits on the surface of tension and now looks like a series of
elephantipes)
the soil and looks like an elephant’s posture. small shapes.
foot, hence its name.
About the Artist Sarah Simblet is an artist, writer, and lecturer. She is the author of several acclaimed books,
including Anatomy for the Artist and Sketch Book for the Artist. She teaches at the National Gallery, in London, and at the
University of Oxford, in England, where she is a member of Wolfson College.
58 DRAWING www.ArtistDaily.com