Sunflowers have got to be the bestseller in my mushroom art career. Out of all the things I have drawn, I've probably sold more sunflower drawings than anything. Today I am going to give a short lesson on how to draw this favourite flower.
First, let's start with a size 03 tip Micron pen. Really whatever brand you choose is up to you, I choose to work with Micron because I know it's a trusted brand in the artist world.
I chose to draw in pen today from the start, but drawing first in pencil and then tracing over in pen is a great way to avoid a huge mistake on an otherwise perfect drawing. They say real artists never erase, but I absolutely do erase when I draw on paper!
We will start with making a circle on paper. Don't worry if your circle isn't exactly perfect. As you can see, mine is not perfectly round either. If you are super picky about the way your circle looks, you can always trace a coin. Keep in mind, the size of your circle will determine the length and size of your petals and leaves. A larger circle means bigger longer petals while a smaller one merits a more delicate and smaller petal or leaf.
Now we will add the first ring of petals to the center of our flower by drawing elongated tear-drop shapes. You can change the look of your flower by
making longer thinner petals or shorter fatter ones. This time I am going for an in-between look with your average-sized typical sunflower petals.
Now we add extra petals in the back to fill out the flower. Sometimes I will draw two petals close together instead of just one so that it looks a little less stilted or symmetrical. Nothing in nature is totally symmetrical. That's part of the reason why animated characters in movies never look quite real even if the animation is very good. Just look in the mirror! My eyebrows are not exactly the same, my mouth is a little crooked, the colouring in my eyes varies, I have various beauty marks on my face etc. It's part of what makes us all original and beautiful! :)
Now we can add the outline of the leaf. This point in a drawing is often where I start to freak out and wonder what I'm doing. This looks like an elementary school drawing right now, doesn't it? But fear not! Shading will save the day. Never just quit on your drawings. They always look bad at this stage. There have been quite a few times I have wanted to scrap what I had begun but finished anyway. And am I ever glad I did. Persevere. A grand artist is not born, she is made.
And if you finish a drawing and are still not too sure about it, sleep on it. Many times I have drawn something I didn't like very much but decided to leave it until the next day. Hanging over a drawing for hours can make something that once looked pretty start to look out of proportion or ugly. Leaving it to sit overnight can really help a lot. And if you're still not too sure after that, get a second opinion from a kind but honest critic. Even if your drawing didn't turn out like you would have wanted it to, it is not wasted time. Every minute you spend drawing is just that much practice. Don't give up! You can do it :)
Now I will select a thicker tip pen to fill the middle of the flower. I usually use a Sharpie brand indelible marker for this step but this is what I had on hand today. My Sharpies keep disappearing. I need to talk to Gary about that...
You can fill in the center of the flower with many little dots close together. I find this gives it a more textured look rather than just filling it in completely black.
Now that we have the center all filled in, we can start with the exciting part of shading! This will make the drawing come alive.
Switch to a smaller tip pen for finer lines. For this project, I used a Micron brand size 02 tip.
First, start at the base of the petals. Apply light pressure as you start and as you sweep in an upward motion, lighten the pressure on your paper. Make sure your strokes don't all end in the same place. Again, you don't want this flower to look too symmetrical.
This sunflower is almost finished now, so exciting! To shade the tips of the petals, use the same technique you just used for the base of the petals. Start at the tip of a petal while applying light pressure and as you make your quick stroke toward the center of the flower lessen your pressure on the paper.
To finish your picture, fill in the white spaces between the petals before beginning on your leaf.
To shade the leaf, again use the same technique by starting at the center line of the leaf and stroking outward. Applying light pressure at the center and letting up as you stroke out. You can add small lines to make the "hair" or the prickles on the stem of the leaf. Finally, add a little shade to the underside of the leaf. Sometimes I also will add shading under some of the petals too. This step is optional and is up to you.
All done! Now you know how simple it is to draw beautiful sunflowers.
If this post is met with enthusiasm, I would be happy to post more like this in the future.
Have a good evening everyone :)
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