California Poppy in Soft Pastel

I recently made my first venture into botanical art (aside from a couple of wildlife pieces that required it!) and I’m really enjoying these pieces. I am sticking with a scientific illustration style for my botanicals and am using soft pastels for these small pieces.

The first piece I felt inspired to create was the California poppy. I have actually never seen one of these flowers, but have always felt they are so beautiful and I love the way the light can catch the petals and create different colors. My goal for this piece was to capture that beautiful light through some of the petals, while still having some shadow areas.

One of the challenges of these botanicals is that I’m trying to draw them on a smaller scale (5” x 7”) in order to make them quicker and provide something in a lower price range. Anyone who uses soft pastels probably knows how it can be difficult to work small, particularly if you’re trying to be detailed. Another challenge I’m finding is that I need to increase my range of pastel colors a little bit. I’ve always used pastels for wildlife and they don’t normally require the bright colors that botanicals can require, so I’m finding I have some gaps in my color range as I complete these. Pastels don’t really mix, so for the time being, I’m doing my best to work with the colors I have and to create the illusion of the colors I’m trying to reach or substituting them for a color with a similar value and slightly different tone.

While this piece has sold, you can look for more botanicals in the future or even commission a piece of your choosing by contacting me via email. This piece is 5”x7” and was created using Unison Colour soft pastels on Clairefontaine Pastelmat paper.