5 ways to get started with floral illustration
Want to create illustrations like this?
Amaryllis illustration by Quills and Blooms
Then keep reading
Floral illustration/ botanical illustration/ botanical line drawing (whichever name you prefer) can be very daunting at first. I am here to share some simple, easy to follow resources that will make the process a whole lot easier. As a floral illustrator you can fall into one of two camps: those that draw from memory or those that draw using reference photos. There is of course a middle ground where you use a reference but apply some artistic freedom. These resources have allowed me to try both methods. Note: This post contains affiliate links.
METHOD 1: TRY THESE SKILLSHARE CLASSES
The first resource I ever used was Skillshare. This site is incredible as there are hundreds if not thousands of classes on every creative topic that you could possibly think of! I honestly believe that it is so useful for creatives and I usually suggest it to all my art friends. Get TWO FREE weeks of Skillshare Premium
I have listed the classes in the order that I took them. I was a complete beginner and super uncomfortable with drawing when I started. If this sounds like you, try this order. Alternatively, start with whichever one appeals most to you!
1) ‘Botanical Line Drawing’ by Peggy Dean (@thepigeonletters)
My assignment for Peggy’s class- Quills and Blooms
What’s covered: This class includes floral doodles, laurels, wreaths, leaves, branches, succulents and eventually teaches you to illustrate real flowers. This was my first class and it was such a wise choice! Peggy is the perfect teacher and I still take most of her classes to this day. She explains every single one of her steps so you are never left feeling lost and her personality shines through even behind a computer screen. She has many other classes on this topic including: ‘Floral illustration: Composition meets negative space’ and ‘line drawing: cactus and succulent edition’.
Class length: 1hr 19mins
2) ‘Botanical Drawing: Learn to Sketch Flowers, and Arrange in Adobe Illustrator’ by Lisa Glanz
What’s covered: Basic shapes, digitizing your work, drawing floral centres, drawing from real flowers and memory. This is the class that taught me the ‘basic shape technique’ that I still use when creating illustrations.
Class length: 1hr 55mins
3) ‘Line Drawing: Master your Ink Botanical Illustration with Texture and Shading’ by Marina Petrenko
Rough sketches I made during this class- Quills and Blooms
What’s covered: This class taught me several drawing techniques such as stippling, crosshatching and shading using different fine liners. This adds depth and details to your floral illustrations and makes a big difference.
Class Length: 21mins
4) ‘Line Drawing: The Art of Ink Botanical Illustration’ by Marina Petrenko
What’s covered: Detailing, petal shapes, flower forms and a follow along of her technique.
Class Length: 48mins
5) ‘Felicity & Ink | How to draw botanical florals and foliage’ by Felicity and Ink
What’s covered: Joy-Louise’s style of floral illustration is swoon-worthy! I follow her on Instagram and she always amazes me with her illustrations. This class walks you through her technique and gives you the opportunity to follow along.
Class Length: 2hrs 47mins
“You’ll probably love Skillshare as much as I do!!”
METHOD 2: USE THESE BOOK
I kept practising fairly consistently and I was happy with my improvement. However, in 2021, I wanted to create florals from memory as I was heavily reliant upon reference photos. I admired how other calligraphers and illustrators could just do simple florals when engraving, designing invitation suites or drawing murals so I decided to do some more study. This led me to the following book.
‘How to Draw Modern Florals’ by Alli Koch available on Amazon
This the perfect book for any beginners. Alli outlines basic steps to create commonly illustrated flowers. One of the biggest advantages of this text, is that it contains follow along drawing accompanied by an explanation in text! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I now feel more confident when drawing without a reference photo. I need to continue practising though as I still refer back to the book regularly (but that’s the beauty of having something in print)!! l highly recommend this especially if you prefer simple elegant illustrations.
What’s covered: Step by step instructions for drawing flowers, cacti, succulents, leaves, wreaths and bouquets
Alli also has a second book ‘Florals By Hand: How to Draw and Design Modern Floral Projects’ (black cover) which has even more flowers. Unlike her first book, this one also covers how to draw real flowers (aka using a reference), creating patterns and digitizing your artwork. I have not used it yet but it sounds like a gold mine to me!! I’d love to get my hands on it!
2) Botanical Line Drawing: 200 Step-by-Step Flowers, Leaves, Cacti, Succulents, and Other Items Found In Nature by Peggy Dean
I haven’t personally used this book but I know that Peggy always delivers and I’ve heard great reviews!
METHOD 3: FOLLOW FLORAL ILLUSTRATORS ON INSTAGRAM
Many of us post simple tutorials that will help improve your skill.
P.S. Please do not copy other artists’ work. Tutorials are made for you to follow along but this does not mean that you can copy their other work
Process video by Quills and Blooms
METHOD 4: YOUTUBE
There are many great tutorials on YouTube. My favourite channel is definitely Shayda Campbell’s as her work is stunning and her videos are super easy to follow.
Shayda’s YouTube channel
METHOD 5: LEARN FROM MY EXPERIENCE
I am working on a FREEBIE that will include tools, tips and resources to get you started with floral illustration. I will also include some of the techniques that I use for different projects. Be the first to get a copy of my FREE PDF guide.
Daisy illustration by Quills and Blooms