Petals
like crepe paper, flowers like a fried egg
February 19, 2003
Have you ever thought of food when looking
at a plant? The flowers of the matilija poppy look just like fried eggs --
sunny side up! A clump of plants can have up to 100 flowers.
The flowers have broad, flat, pure-white
petals with domed yellow centers. Their petals look like used crepe paper
because they are crumpled in the bud and never lose their folds. The
scientific name for this native California plant is Romneya coulteri.
Rio, 12, shows us what a single
flower looks like using a technique called "mixed media." That means she
used different art materials to create her illustration.
Rio first researched the plants. She tells
us they "can grow from 5 to 8 feet tall, and the flowers can get up to 9
inches wide."
She then viewed the plants in a garden
environment, studying the color of the flowers and how they appeared on
the plants. She noted the pattern of the petals to each other, and the
size of the petals compared to the center of the flower.
"I made a pencil sketch of the flower while
still in the garden," said Rio. "Then at home, I darkened it with a gray
marker and painted the stem and flower with acrylic paint."
This is the second in a series of
stories on "Drawing From Nature."
Check this column on the third Wednesday of every month for a new nature
subject and art technique. (The next story will be on March 19.) Use it to
help you learn to draw from nature, then send us your results. We will
publish some of your efforts. Follow Rio's example and include one or two
sentences describing what you learned about the plant or animal and
describe how you drew it. See "How to write to us" for more information.
*
This Learning Link was written by Carol Felixson, director of Education/
Community Outreach, UCLA Stunt Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains Reserve,
nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt.html, and the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden,
Both offer lots of subjects for drawing from nature.