We are delighted to share the stunning final assignment work of Heather Kennedy, who is studying our Botanical Coloured Pencil Diploma Course.
Heather’s two final pieces, a glowing bunch of radishes and a breathtaking Phalaenopsis Moth Orchid, are quite simply extraordinary. The level of technical skill, patience and botanical observation on display in both works is a real testament to how far she has come over the course of her studies.
For her radish composition, Heather pushed herself with a complex, multi-layered arrangement, showing the vibrant bunched radishes alongside a single foreground radish and a halved specimen to reveal every aspect of the plant. Using the grisaille method as a foundation before building up rich, saturated layers of coloured pencil, she has captured the glossy, jewel like quality of the radishes with remarkable accuracy, including the delicate leaf veining, fine surface hairs and the translucent quality of a young leaf where the red shines through the green beneath.
The orchid is, in Heather’s own words, the flower she had wanted to draw since the very start of the course, saving it deliberately for her final assignment to show herself how much she had progressed. The result speaks for itself. The complex petal structures, the intricate colouring of the labellum, the silvery aerial roots and the graceful curve of the stem are all rendered with extraordinary confidence and sensitivity. The composition, with its carefully chosen odd number of blooms shown from varying angles, is beautifully balanced and very much in the tradition of fine botanical illustration. We are so proud of everything Heather has achieved.
If you would like to find out more about our Botanical Coloured Pencil Diploma Course, you can do so via the link.
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