Drawing a favorite rose ~ adding color

The process is getting a little easier now that the desired composition is decided upon and drawn with detail and everything is transferred to the "good paper".  Now the fun part -- adding color.  

As you can see, I have cut out a rough outline of the rose in a sheet of tracing paper. I have learned that sometimes the color will travel in the process of drawing. And if I would get a crumb of colored pencil on the paper and rub over it accidentally it is very hard to erase. So this helps a bunch so that won't happen and the white of the surrounding paper will stay clean.

The colors I will be using have been chosen in my preliminary sketches and I will be using my color notes (upper right photo).  

I first use a medium shade pink to map in the shadows (left). This gives me sort of a map to follow. Then I follow with the darkest shades in the shadows slowly, with a light touch and sharp pencils, adding color layer by layer. 

I am mostly using FC Polychromos pencils with Process Red from Prismacolor and Lyra Rembrandt Rose madder lake.

 

Drawing a favorite rose ~ The Transfer

Now that the drawing is complete and I'm satisfied with the composition, it's time to transfer the drawing to a piece of Fabriano Artistico bright white, hot press watercolor paper. I like the smooth texture of this paper as well as it's ability to take many layers of colored pencil while keeping sharp details. This is very important to my technique. The paper is also acid-free to avoid yellowing. 

In this piece, I made my initial drawing in my sketchbook and transferred to a sheet of tracing paper to allow more light to come through. 

I sometimes use a "light box" that my husband had made for me. He's really handy that way and helps me out a lot. :)  But if it's a sunny day, taping it up on the window works great for me. The tracing paper goes up first with the watercolor paper over top. I'm using a Derwent HB pencil to do the tracing.

After I've finished with the transfer it's time for color! 

Drawing a favorite rose ~ sketching and color notes

Once I've chosen the flower and leaves I want to draw, I use a floral water tube to keep it hydrated and attach it to a clamp to keep the specimen upright. I have to work fast with these first steps because roses tend to wilt and lose their petals quickly. I also take many close up photographs to use after the flower fades.

First of all, I drew a detailed sketch - from the live specimen as long as was possible. I took measurements using a tool called a divider in order to make a life-sized rendering.

It was helpful to use a single petal as a guide while I worked out my color combinations. I also tried to replicate the fine details of the petal.

Here is the complete page of preliminary sketches and materials I used to make them. I have also added a detailed sketch of a single leaf. I like to draw a sphere with the lightest to the darkest shades for each color of the piece. It is helpful to make a chart of the colors and the order in which they are used. I've found that it eliminates a lot of frustration and time in creating the finished piece when I do this.

Next time, I'll show you how I transfer the drawing to the "good paper". 

 

 

Drawing Series of a favorite rose

Rosa gallica 'Officinalis' - colored pencil on h/p watercolor paper 

One my favorite plants in the cottage garden behind our house are the roses. I really love the old- fashioned types ~ lovely forms and scents. Probably the most fragrant is the Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis’, a beautiful clear pink with an amazing scent. It only blooms for a short while in late spring/early summer so I try to gather a few flower heads to dry for potpourri or just to fill a bowl of dried petals to scent a corner of the room. They keep their scent very well when dried.

I was happy to be able to do a drawing of a single blossom last year. It actually took a couple of years to complete as the flower wilted and lost its petals very quickly and I had to put the piece away to do other things. Thankfully, with the aid of photographs, a few detailed sketches, measurements and color notes I was able to get a good likeness.

I thought I would share a series of posts with photos and notes for anyone who might be interested in my process. I enjoyed the work so much and hope you will too!