Creating a Botanical Composition

Many steps go into creating a finished botanical illustration composition. In the photos below, I share with you the process of creating this common poppy, Papaver rhoeas, composition. It all started with the discovery of these bright red flowers in a garden… I spent time with the plants, observing them and locating as many parts of the plant as I could – flowers, seed pods, leaves, etc… I took a lot of photos on site since these poppies are so fragile. Then I collected some specimens to take back to the studio where I could observe them even more closely under a microscope. I first made a study of the central flower, and from there based my composition around the flower. Using my window as a lightbox, I was able to transfer the drawing of the poppy directly to the center of my paper according to my composition plan. From there, I added the various poppy elements piece by piece until I was satisfied with the final composition.

Go deeper into the process during the Botanical Watercolor Composition Workshop with Mira O’Brien, starting March 7, 2023.