When I tell people about my business I say, "I draw pictures on mushrooms." And as you can imagine, that sparks quite a bit of interest and a lot of questions.
The other day, it occurred to me that I have never taken the time to explain the ins and outs of my drawings, here on my website!
Artist Conk Mushroom
I use three types of mushrooms to draw my pictures on. Red belted polypore, birch polypore, and artist conk mushrooms. These are shelf mushrooms or bracket fungi that grow on trees throughout most of North America. They grow out of the side of trees like a shelf and are hard like a piece of wood.
While these mushrooms are not exactly considered edible (have you ever tried eating a slice of lumber?) they are medicinal. The medicines are extracted from them in alcohol and become tinctures which are taken in very small doses.
Red Belted Polypore Mushroom
These mushrooms, like many things in nature, are beautiful and unique in colour, shape, and design. They can be as small as a toonie or as big as a cookie sheet and have a wide range of colours such as; grey, brown, mocha, white, yellow, orange, ivory, black brown, rust, green, etc. The backs of these mushrooms are generally rough and woody, while the front or underside is smoother, sometimes even velvety in texture with tiny pores.
When picked, the face of these mushrooms is very delicate, and even just the pressure of your finger will leave a mark. We are very careful when harvesting them and usually wrap them in cloth or plastic bags to transport them.
A button sized mushroom with a mammoth
Depending on how large the mushrooms are we let them air dry for one to two weeks before drawing on them. By this time the faces are no longer so easily damaged and the mushrooms themselves are less weighty.
There are many ways I decide how to decorate a mushroom. Some have very smooth and soft faces and I can easily pick up a pen and draw a picture on them. Others are rougher in texture with many bumps or large pores and this can make it difficult to work with them. The large pores on the face of the mushroom will sometimes actually suck the ink right out of my pens and even ruin them. For this type I either sand down the face so it is smooth and not so porous or I will paint the face black (the paint fills the pores) and use a white pen which creates a bold look.
I typically use Micron brand felt tip artist pens with tips of varying sizes, ballpoint pens, Sharpie, and for my white ink, Jellyroll brand jell pens.
The face of a double mushroom, note the pores on the surface.
How do I decide what picture to draw on a mushroom? Sometimes I get inspiration immediately. A double mushroom may look like a mountain silhouette while the sweeping pattern of lines on another could look a lot like the swirl and glow of the Aurora Borealis. Sometimes I get custom requests, sometimes a mushroom sits on my shelf for half a year before just the right idea strikes me.
There are a few patterns that are customer favourites that I make repeats of like the sunflower mushrooms or the moon mushrooms. Some pictures I have only drawn once. I am constantly trying to learn new patterns and think up new ideas that will delight my customers and draw an ohhhh! or wow! from people. Everyone's taste is different! I have finished some designs and have been very tempted to throw them out. Only to find out that this particular drawing was very well-liked by almost everyone who saw it.
Here are some questions you might be asking:
Do you draw with a pencil and then go over with a pen?
No, only because the pencil dents the face of the mushroom rather than making a marking. This was a bit of an issue for me at the start of my mushroom drawing career as I was not used to drawing in pen at all! In this case, you have to be quite decisive about what you're doing. No room to be a wimp :)
How long does it take to draw a picture on a mushroom?
That completely depends on the design and size. Some of my larger longer works have taken around ten hours while some of my simpler designs can be dashed off in about fifteen minutes.
How long have you been doing this?
I sold my first piece of art to Mycoboutique in November 2020. But I have been drawing pictures for as long as I can remember. I still sell items to Myco occasionally.
Here is one of the first mushrooms I ever sold:
I feel like I've come a long way on my drawing style as well as how much I have improved...
Have you ruined a lot of mushrooms?
So far I have only had to throw out two. As I have learned more I realize there are ways to salvage an ugly mushroom so I am hoping my record will hold.
Do you only do nature-themed pictures?
Yes! I feel like nothing else would suit these beautiful canvases except nature. I do custom work as well as what comes to my head, and pretty much anything goes if I am capable of drawing it. However, I do have one rule. It must be something nature related.
How long do these mushroom art pieces last?
If you took care of them properly, I think they would last as long as you do! Here are a few things I recommend to people who purchase from me:
Keep the mushrooms out of direct sunlight. Don't place them somewhere like a windowsill. Sun will fade the picture and work to break down the mushroom itself.
Don't use abrasive materials on your mushroom, things that could scratch or dent the surface. If your mushroom gets dusty just give it a swipe with a soft cloth or feather duster.
Obviously, don't wet your mushroom! While the Micron pens are supposed to be waterproof, the other inks I use are not advertised as such. I'd be quite wary about wetting down any kind of ink, waterproof or not.
These mushrooms grow in the woods where they are rained on, snowed on, and pretty beaten by the elements. Even so, after a time they begin to break down and return to dust. So it's better to keep your mushroom in a water-free area. So avoid putting it somewhere like by your kitchen sink or in the bathroom where there tends to be a lot of moisture.
How did you find out you could draw on mushrooms?
My wonderful husband enlightened me. Gary is a forager by nature and now, by trade. He has foraged wild, edible plants since he was little and is passionate about his work. When he started his business, he began to dabble more in the world of mushrooms and taught me about these types of mushrooms. I have learned a lot of other things about wild edibles from him as well!
Comments