How to draw an Orchid: Links and conclusions

Hi all.

September is over and it's time to conclude.

This month I found 4 worthy tutorials that explain how to draw an Orchid. Orchids have many many different forms but the idea is the same: a center and six petals. Usually, the bottom one differs a lot from the rest of them.

Here they are - the September tuts.

1. Method 1 - taken from How to draw cartoons online!.
2. Method 2 - taken from Dragoart, one of my favorites.
3. Method 3 - another one from Dragoart, I told you it's one of my favorites.
4. Method 4 - taken from TLC How stuff work. Plenty of useful tutorials there.

This was a nice experience. I love orchids. In fact, there is an orchid garden nearby, called Utopia. If you ever come to Israel, do visit there. It's absolutely stunning.

Have a great day,

D.

Yom Kippur

Hi everyone.

It's yom kippur outside.

One doesn't say happy holidays or Yom Kippur sameah on this day. One asks for forgiveness. From friends and family, from neighbors and service people. From God. One gives his/hers best behavior so one's name - and life - would be a part of the next years' Book of Life. It is Filled in Rosh ha Shana and signed and sealed on Yom Kippur - the Atonement day. The Judgment day. That's what a tradition says (and a Wikipedia).

Yom kippur had passed several days ago. And since I'm being constantly late with my post for the past several months I ask for your forgiveness. I'll do my best to improve.

Have a great day,
D.

How to draw an Orchid flower - method 4

Hi hi, how are you all?

We are moving on to Method 4 out of the How to draw an Orchid flower series.

This one is taken from TLC How stuff works. As always, they give you a traditional style drawing, I would even say - classic. Which is great because, like someone very wise said, "you most master the rules before you break them".
And that's what we're trying to do here - to master the item so we can alter it in the future.

Going through the tut, I've realized that so far this is the most difficult I've seen since I've started the Flower Project in January. It has 5 steps and Step 1 throws you straight in the water - no structural building, no flower division but all the basic forms to be in place from the very beginning.

Since it was a complicated sketch from step 1 I had to decide where to begin. So I started from the very center - the small ellipse in the center. Then I did the upper long petal and the double bottom that looks like 8. Then I did the two on the left and the two on the right. I finished with the flower stem and the leaves. Only after I placed all the elements on their place I could make the forms look more like they're in the original sketch.

This is mine base don this tutorial.

And here are my referenced sketches.

To tell you the truth I didn't exactly follow the tutorial sketching these, but I did follow the principle. I started to outline the general form, placing flower parts where they belonged and then - the rest of it: details, shading, etc.

I hope you found this tutorial and post useful.

Have a great day,
D.

P.S. This is the longest post I've written since I started this blog.

Happy Rosh HaShana

Happy Rosh haShana, everyone!!






For me it was a special one since it was the very first time that I spent Rosh haShana outside and without my family. Don't be alarmed, everything is fine. It's just that we took a vacation with our friends and kids to Golan Heights and spend the holidays there. And what a holiday was that!!!

We were waking up to a birds singing and bees buzzing; a friendly local dog visiting us every single day. Also we had a very rare chance to watch a sky filled with stars - since there was almost no city illumination in the area.

On the Rosh haShana eve we had a semi traditional meal with pomegranates, apples dipped in honey and a delicious honey cake with almonds on top- yes, I know, I should've make some pictures.

And of course, we walked around the area, visiting a local winery and a watching really small waterfall.

But mostly, we just rested enjoying our kids and being lazy at times.



Although, I must admit, I really missed the hustle of preparing a grand meal on a Rosh HaShana eve... But no worries, I'll compensate on Sukkot, which is just two weeks away...

Wishing you a great holiday season,
Dalia

How to draw an Orchid flower - method 3

Hi hi!!

Let's go through the third method of how to draw an Orchid. The method is also taken form DragoArt.com , and it's quite simple. You draw a circle first, than an eight-like shape right on it. Then you add half an ellipse to the upper part, some pirate -shaped mustache to the bottom part and then the rest of the three bottom petals.

This is the "by the book" method.











These are the "by the ref" sketches:

It took me a while to complete them, but not because it was difficult but for some other reason which is not detected yet.
This is the exact reason that made me do so little sketches.











I even started to sketch a branch of flowers but left it in the middle, because it just didn't flow right.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved this method, it's wonderful.

But it just didn't feel like drawing at that point so I left it as is. But for the sake of the post I've decided to include it too so you don't say I'm not drawing enough.

I don't know, maybe it's some kind of bad mood or a feeling f the end of the year. Or maybe I just got sick of this "12 flowers" project, I don't know...




Anyway, this is it for now...

I'll see you soon,
D.

Admiring flowers

Hi all,

I've been drawing flowers for some time now - 8 months, to be exact - and while searching for some references, I keep on wondering how is it possible to develop so much beauty in this world!
I mean come on, take a look at this White Orchid, isn't it stunning? Or this White Tulip - an absolute perfection!!!

I know, I know, it's just a frame, you'd say, a talented photographer... Well, I'll have to agree and disagree...

One day I got a perfect White tulips bouquet and must I telL you - it was stunning!!! Huge corolla, beautiful gentle petals - I couldn't get enough of it... The three you see here are just the three out of it. I fell in love since.



What can I say? I love flowers....

Have a great day,
D.

How to draw an Orchid flower - method 2

Hello!!

This is a second post out of How to draw an Orchid series. This time I used - again - a DragoArt tut. I love this site since it has so many useful tutorials in it! I don't think there was a month that I didn't use something from it. And this month is not an exception.

The method is simple: draw two uneven ovals, one overlaying the other. Inside each draw a circle. Then you work on a center and then you add petals. Sounds simple? Not as it sounds.
As I said previously, I love DragonArt tuts but this method made me love the orchid a bit less... Following the tut and drawing the center of the orchid made me constantly think of octopus tentacles... And I find octopus a fascinating and beautiful creature.

Anyway, this is the "by the tut" sketch. It's so weird - it usually takes me minutes to complete the by the tut sketch, but when it comes to other sketches - sometimes it can take days to do one!!! So frustrating!!!

And here they are, of course, the "by the ref" sketches.

As you can see, I drew branches again and not only a single flower. It took me some time to do all of them, sometimes too long which was a bit annoying but I managed to complete it.

It looks ok, I think.

And here's what I've learened during these sessions:
Tip of the post: When using several reference images for the same item, always save your links for not wasting time later on. I used to look one reference at a time, searching same web pages over and over again. Now I save the links for those images I find suitable for the sake of the tutorial. Saves me SOOOO much time!!!

Tip of the post: always use at least three pencils - at least at the beginning of your training. A hard one - 2H or lower for the first sketch. It will give you very bright and erasable lines. An HB - for outlining and correcting the existing sketch. A soft one - 2B or higher for shading.   

Rosh ha Shana is on it's way!!!

Hi all!!!

The summer is over and it's September again. Yellowish leaves, colder (oh, I wish) weather, shorter days and longer nights and many many holidays to celebrate.

The first one that comes my way is Rosha haShana, a Jewish New year. 

Since Judaism follows the Lunisolar calendar (approximately 28 days + additional month for balance, if needed), for those who follow the Gregorian calendar the dates of the holidays change every single year. This year the celebrations begins Sept. 16th while last year it began Sept. 28th. Sometimes it is in October but never in August or November.

As any New year it is all about new beginnings and wishings for a better year. And, weather you are religious or not, there's always a family feast in the end of the day. Well, like in any major Jewish holiday :)

There's a Gefilte Fish or Hraime with its head to symbolize the head/the beginning of the year; Apples dipped in honey for a sweet year; Pomegranate seeds for fruitful year, Dates - no idea for what, it's just yummy :) And, of course, there is an infamous Leikeh, a Honey cake for dessert. (and I must admit I'm drooling for that cake right now...). And like every year, we leave the table with filled bellies wishing we hadn't eaten that much.

Anyway, this all will happen in a week and in the meantime, I will wish you a great week and happy upcoming holiday season!

Dalia

How to draw an Orchid flower - method 1

Hello!!!

This is method one of How to draw an Orchid tutorial.
I chose the easiest - so it seems, at least - tutorial I found online. It is taken from How to draw cartoon online.
It says that you draw a structure of six lines coming from a center and then you just draw. When the author explains about the flower he says that orchid is basically a two layered flower when each layer has 3petals. So after you're done with structuring the 6 line skeleton you can begin with the flower itself.

This is my sketch. It didn't take me long since these are outlines only. You could expect it to be very schematic, since the lines are so straight and forward.

And these are the other sketches. After three single flowers I've decided to go wild and do some full orchid branches.
Although choosing simple ones I loved working on these branches since it had some slight twist on each flower, bud and leaf.

Not my best work, I must admit, although the upper left is ok.









This month I've decided to enter permanently the Tip of the post part which will be concentrated every month in the concluding post and possibly in the end of the year in one big Tip of the Year post.
So today's Tip of the post is as follows: Go over the line with your eyes first before drawing it. Try to remember its curves. They are the ones that make everything so special and differ one item from another.

I hope you found this post and tut useful.

Have a great day,
Dalia.

September: Month of an Orchid

Hi all,

First of let me say that I absolutely adore Orchids... For me it is one of the most elegant plants of all.
I remember walking from school one day seeing a woman sitting behind a desk with several Orchids in pots. All types, sizes and colors. When I came closer I was shocked to realize that all these flowers were a fake!!! They were made out of some kind of clay, colored so realistically that it took me some time to believe they weren't real. These clay flowers where made with such care for every detail it was really hard to tell the difference. Of course, the price was pretty high (as it should have been).

But besides admiring this flower I know absolutely nothing about it. So I guess now it's time to learn.

According to Wikipedia Orchid is a "diverse and widespread family of flowering plants with colorful an fragrant blooms".
It is the widest plant family with more than 20K species accepted up til now.
Wikipedia also says that the name of the flower comes from the Greek word for testicles, because of the shape of the Orchids root. And, just like with a last month's Narcissus, there is a myth behind a name.

I must say that I have no preferable Orchid. But I absolutely admire its beauty and its shape.
I tried to groom one once but failed disastrously. I guess Orchids are just not for everyone.

I hope you'll enjoy this month's tutorials.

Have a great day,
Dalia

P.S. Apparently, there's a whole website dedicated to the flowers of a Greek mythology...