I illustrated one of my Hippeastrum in coloured pencils. My aim was to apply the techniques and lessons learned from the Hellebore illustration course.

The three images depict:

(i) A dark red Hippeastrum, with six flowers at various stages of bloom, from a closed bud to a fully open flower. The petals are deep red with a white stripe down the centre, most pronounced on the two lower petals. The backs of the petals are noticeably paler, and the darker centres of the flowers have a purplish hue.

(ii) A close-up of the right-hand side of the scanned image, highlighting the contrast between the dark red front of a petal facing the viewer and the creamy pink reverse of a petal from the flower behind it. The image reveals a stippled effect, showing how the bright lines on the watercolour paper are formed by tiny fragments of pigment transferred to the surface.

(iii) A close-up of the flower’s centre, revealing delicate flecks of blue, green, red, and pink.

Materials used:

• pencil sharpener

• Faber-Castell Polychromos

  • 103 Ivory

  • 134 Crimson

  • 135 Light Red Violet

  • 170 May Green

  • 174 Chrome Green Opaque

  • 194 Red-Violet

• Prismacolor pencils

  • 1078 Black Cherry

  • 1089 Pale Sage

• Karisma

  • 901 Indigo Blue

  • 902 Ultramarine

  • 923 Scarlet Lake