How to draw an iris: 4 tutorials in one month

To conclude the month of an Iris here are the links to the tuts I used this month.

1. Method 1: a tutorial produced by Dragoart, real easy one, 10-15 minutes of work.

2. Method 2: a beautiful tutorial by TLC. I can't help it, I love their tuts!

3. Method 3: a graphic tutorial by DrawingNow

4. Method 4: a video tutorial by OverNight artist.

I hope you find them useful.

It was interesting to draw an Iris. The fact that I have them grow in my town every spring and drawing these from photos is obviously, absurd. But for some reason it is always easier to draw from a photo than from a live object.

I hope I will be able to change it soon enough.

Have a great day,
D.

How to draw an Iris - Method 4

Hi all!

This is a Fourth How to draw an Iris flower tutorial. This one is a video tutorial, since I couldn't find any more regular tuts.

The tutorial is very simple: you draw a circle/a vertical ellipse and a horizontal ellipse beneath and behind the first one. Then you do the petals.

That is the "by the tut" sketch.

And these are by reference images:

Have a great day,
Dalia

Drawing an Iris flower - combining and implementing methods

Hi all,

Surprise surprise!!! We're half month through and I'm out of How to draw an Iris flower tutorials!!! How is that possible? Previously when looking for drawing methods I would find plenty:
There were 5+4 tutorials for a Tulip and 6+3 for a Rose.

But this time I found only 3+2 for an Iris. How come?
Maybe the reason for it is that an Iris is not such a popular flower among artists or because it is not as difficult to draw as a Rose. I'm not sure about the first guess but I for sure would argue with the second one. I find the Iris a pretty complicated flower to draw.

Anyway, I still have more than two weeks till the end of the Iris month so I will just continue working on it. And who knows, maybe I will come up with my own Iris drawing method.

These sketches are based on almost randomly chosen references.

The thing is that the more flowers there are and the closer they are positioned one to another - the more difficult it is to draw them. The reason - curvy and curly petals. They tend to blend one into the other with makes it a bit challenging to tell them apart.  

But I guess this is something I would have to deal with.

Have a great day and keep on sketching,
D.

Drawing an hour a day - beating procrastination.

In one of my latests post I've announced of two of my new 2012 commitments:
1. To learn how to draw people.
2. To draw for at least an hour every single day and document it in my calendar.

I've explained the reason for the first one before - now it's time to reason the second one.

I want to become a great illustrator. For that I should learn. A lot. And since I am not in some kind of formal art program or taking classes but learning by myself I need to create my own framework for that matter.

I am not talking about specific hours, like in real class, although maybe I should. I am just talking about just doing some art work during the day for at least an hour. I know it sounds like I'm forcing myself to do things, but you know, procrastination is such a strong thing, especially if you're a DIY person.
I remember watching a movie, I think it was "Music and Lyrics" where one of the characters told to another that the "muse is for lazy people". So true!!! And I don't need a muse to learn. I need a strict plan to bring my dream to life.

So from now on - every single day I will mark in my calendar weather I drew something that day or not. And if it wouldn't be at least 4 days a week - for at least an hour, and lucky or me, usually it's more - shame on me!!!
By the end of the year I will count the days - starting today.

I hope the results will make me proud.

What do you think? How do you get over your procrastination?

Have a great day,
D.

Happy st. Patrick's Day!!

Happy st. Patrick's day everyone!

Wishing you a green and lucky year,
D.

How to draw an Iris flower: Method 3

Hi all!!!

This is a third part of How to draw an Iris flower series.
I found this video tutorial on Drawing.now, site which provides all kinds of drawing tutorials for all kind of styles. And although I've said previously that I didn't really like video tuts, I loved this one and used it with great pleasure.
It's simple, it uses geometrical structure and it's the first out of these three to show the flower from its top.

This is the "by the book" sketch and it took me about 10 minutes to complete.

And these are from online references.

I must admit that I don't really like result. These are by far the worse sketches I've ever done. But the funny thing is that I love this method. For some reason I find it really really good. No idea why but it is. So I guess the tryout wasn't a complete waste of time.







Also I guess that in the very near future I will begin working on some shadowing. I think it's time...

Anyway, what do you think? Did you like this method?

I wish you a great day,
D.

St. Patrick's Day is on it's way!!

Hey, what do you know? The title is rhyming!

Anyway, St. Patrick's day is in a week and I've been scribbling some related images for the past several days. As usual, I worked with my keywords list to get some ideas. Nothing specific, just sketching here and there. After that I started to go through these scribbles looking for possible combinations and I came up with this.

I scanned it and started to outline it and then adding some color to it.

After some time it became this:

I don't know if it really fits the "standard" St. Patrick's Day images, but hey, I wasn't looking for standard.

Have a great St. Patrick's Day!

If you want for things to happen - make them happen!

Some time ago I got a preposition for an illustration. I was asked to draw 4 people standing in the kitchen, fairy tale style and I had 5 days to do it.

The more I thought about it the scarier it became. And the reason was simple: I didn't really know how to draw people. The only experience I had with drawing a human figure was when I designed this wedding invitation for friends. It took me several months to get to the results I was almost satisfied with. But to tell you the truth? That just wasn't enough. It was really interesting, I was learning, but definitely not the right way. Because it didn't stick.

So I didn't apply to this project and stayed with a bitter taste in my mouth. I realised - and that was the insight, as cliche as it might sound - that if I want for things to happen I have to make them happen.

What I mean is that if I really want to become an accomplished illustrator I must start drawing more. Much much more. Not to do it for 2-3 hours a day every other day. And not just for the sake of this blog - and yes, unfortunately it already happened too. I want to draw for the purpose of self development and growth. Every single day. Quick sketches. Not necessarily a detailed one's. I must start sharpening my skills. One flower a month is just not enough. It won't lead me anywhere, and even if it will - it will be a very, very long journey.

So with that in mind - to draw a lot - I add two more goals/items to my 2012 resolution checklist.
1. Till the end of the year I must learn how to draw a human figure.
2. I shall draw every single day for at east an hour. And to make it visible I will mark everyday in my calendar to see if I really withstand my own commitment.
I just hope I will be able to make it happen.

Wish me luck and have a productive day,
D.

How to draw an Iris flower: Method 2

This is a second part of How to draw an Iris flower series.

The method was taken from TLS site, where you can find articles on various subjects including art.

It is a 5 step method - including the shading, pretty simple and almost naturalistic.
These are the "by the book" sketch. It didn't take me too long to draw, since the method is pretty simple.

And these are the attempts to implement this method on my drawing.

I was pretty surprised that I almost didn't struggle with these, although I think that Iris is not such a simple flower to draw. It was frustrating at times, but nothing I couldn't manage.
So I guess it was pretty good.

Did you find this method useful?
What do you think?

Have a great day,
D.

Purim time

It's March the 8th hand it's Purim time!!!

Kids and adults alike wear make up and costumes, everything is in color, the weather is gorgeous and the skies are bright blue.

Life is beautiful!!!

Have a great day and a Happy Purim!!!
D.

How to draw an Iris flower: Method 1

This is the first part of the How to draw an Iris series.

In this session I will be using a tutorial I found on DragoArt.com.

It really looked like a really simple one so I've decided to start with it. It is based on a line and a circle and builds itself around it.
So, with a bit of fear I drew my first Iris ever - here it is.

Since I wasn't really satisfied with it, I sketched it again. I made it a bit larger that the first one, although you won't see it here, since the images have been cropped to get rid of unnecessary white space. I am not sure it looks better, but for sure I drew it with more confidence.

These are the sketches from other references.

All sketches were made on an A4 size paper (a new habit, I'd say).

One thing I've learned from this experience: if you want draw a bright flower from a reference - always pick the one with a dark background, not a light one. Or create it manually. I loved White Irises I found online and I really wanted to sketch them, but sometimes I couldn't separate flower from background or petal from petal.
And you know what? Simple? It wasn't.

I hope you enjoyed learning with me.

Have a great day,
D.

March: Month of an Iris

Hello!

It is March outside and it was supposed to be a month of the Snowdrop, a beautiful white flower blooming in early spring. For some reason I couldn't find any written tutorial on How to draw a Snowdrop, only videos but those I find hard to follow. No idea why.

I've decided then to switch to another flower.
Those of you who follow this blog remember that some time ago I visited our local Purple Iris reserve and made some short photo session while enjoying a great February weather.

So why shouldn't March be a month of an Iris? It's a beginning of the spring, Iris is blooming and I believe that there are - at least some - tuts for it. At least I know there are some in several art books. And the Snowdrop, you ask? I think I might create a tutorial of my own. After all, Snowdrop is gorgeous. 

Now let's go back to Iris.
Wikipedia tells us that there are about 300 species of Irises around the world. It comes in a wide range of colors - from white to almost black - and because of that Greek called it Rainbow. It can be found both in the wild and in one's garden.

Iris has been an item of interest to several famous artists. The most famous - at least to me - is a piece by V. van Gogh - Irises, a field of purple Irises with a single white Iris. Apparently, he created at least three more Iris paintings.

As for me, I've always thought of an Iris as of a very complicated flower, just like a Rose. And yet the local artist I know made a full water color image of it in about half an hour with me sitting beside him. But, on the other hand, he has some experience with these. 

So this month will be dedicated to an Iris, an elegant and a beautiful flower.

Good luck to all of us, 

D.