The Beginning of Something Beautiful
The great promise of the amaryllis begins as soon as you open the box and take out the naked bulb. The fact that this thing, this ball of a plant, will produce a huge red flower is remarkable. But it seems to me that it is also beautiful right now. Maybe it’s just that I like drawing tangled roots. Or perhaps it’s the papery peeling skin and ghostly stalk that intrigue me. Maybe it’s all that potential holed up inside such an unlikely package. In any case, it’s the beginning of something beautiful. I hope this page is the same as I add to it over the coming weeks.
Tip and Techniques– If you are inclined to draw or paint flower bulbs, don’t wait until they bloom. There’s a lot to be learned and enjoyed by sketching the bulb before you plant it. Begin by drawing the big shape of the bulb and note its size relative to what’s coming out of it. Likewise, start with the larger roots and the ones that are in front and then add more behind. Keep looking at your subject– the more you look, the more you’ll see. Once you have the big shapes down, you can start to refine them and add detail. Do the same once you start painting. Start on the largest areas first and work your way to the finer details. Enjoy the unfolding!
New class—Check out the workshops page for a new four week series of Collecting on Paper through Winslow Art Center, beginning on January 4.
Drawn In 
Fabulous!
Alison
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Thanks Alison– sorry your messages get clipped. I appreciate your support and feedback!
Wow!
Thanks Barb!
My pleasure, always!
Stunning sketch of an interesting subject! You captured all the different textures very well. I saw these at the store and I might go back & pick one up as a sketching subject through it’s growth stages!
I hope you do! It’s such a fun thing to sketch and paint!
Love it !
Thanks much!
Lots of texture now & more to come. Do you have a rough idea of how you’ll add the unfolding stages on the page? I’m tempted to try one too….
Hi Caroline- I suspect I’ll do a line up across the page from left to right, adding a drawing each week until flowering– though I ay run out of room! Hope you try it. Figuring it all out is part of the fun for me.
I like the blank white space to the right of the bulb – unseen promise of what’s to come!
stay tuned!
I agree, I like every bit of young amaryllis bulbs. I held on to one from a few years ago and left it outside while the weather was nice…it put up new leaves but that’s about it so far. Maybe next year…
Looking forward to the series!