Preliminary Study - Botanicals
The first step is always to study the subject. If I can collect a sample, such as for a plant, then I will measure, dissect, make sketches, and write lots of notes. I also take lots of reference photos.
Botanists use anatomical structure and details to identify species. This includes floral features like the exact number of petals, sepals, and stamens. However, it also includes foliage features like stipules, axillary buds, margin, texture (“presence” or absence of hairs), leaf arrangement, vein patterns, and leaf tip shape.
Botanists have several different terms that could be used to describe each feature in exact detail. For example, here are some terms that are just used to describe a plant’s hairiness:
- Arachnoid – long, cobweb-like hairs that tangle
- Floccose – tufts of long, tangled hairs
- Flocculent – fine, wooly hairs arranged in tufts
- Glabrous – no hairs at all
- Hispid – firm, stiff hairs
- Puberulent – hardly hairy with fine, short hairs
- Scabrous – rough from short, stiff hairs
- Scaberulose – slightly rough from short, stiff hairs
- Tomentose – wooly, from lots of matted hairs
- Tomentulos – slightly wooly
- velutinous – velvety hairs
Although it may seem picky, these minute differences can mean the difference between one species and another. I always try to study a plant in person, either a live specimen or a dried one at a herbarium, because photographs often miss many of these small details.
Lined Seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) in Mixed Media
To create a mixed media illustration of Lined Seahorses, I traveled to two different facilities in San Diego, CA that had them on display. The first was the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Ranch, which had many species of seahorses on display – including Hippocampus erectus. The second facility was the Living Coast Discovery Center.
Lined seahorses have a surprisingly wide range of colors (ranging from bright yellow to red to brown to black). However, they usually have a distinctive pattern of lighter colored bands. The populations at both facilities were yellowish, though the Living Coast specimen was brightly colored while the Scripps Ranch individuals were a dull brownish yellow.
I took lots of reference photographs to prepare for this piece.
Sketching a Composition
Once I was happy with the sketch, I finalized it with archival, waterproof ink. The pencil underneath was then erased.
For these Lined Seahorses (hippocampus erectus), I wanted to show how the seahorses are often found along with sea grasses. The plants would create diagonal movement in the piece while giving the seahorses a home.
I picked a view from slightly below so I could incorporate reflections in the under surface of the water.
I picked three different poses to show the range of what a sea horse can do with its amazing tail as well as to showcase different anatomical features.
Adding Color
The next step for this piece was to use watercolor to add color washes. I started by layering a light blue wash over much of the background to ensure color harmony. Once the first was was dry, I added more washes to build up the color toward the darker values. (Watercolor uses finely ground transparent pigments, so it’s easy to make an area darker, but not to make an area lighter.)
I wanted to control the exact shade of yellow on the seahorses, so I waited to work on them (except for a few bright yellow spots) until the background was mostly done.
Final Details
Once the watercolor washes had filled in the basic colors, I applied shading to the seahorses using a complimentary color.
Then I used color pencil to add additional fine details. For example, the sea horse on the right was based off one I studied at the Living Coast Discovery Center in San Diego, CA. That particular individual had an intricate pattern of fine spots and stripes on its face and on the planes between the lighter-colored ridges. Using colored pencil over the watercolor allowed for a tone-on-tone effect to better capture the color and texture.
Final Image
The final step was to photograph and digitally color correct the finished piece of art.
