Botanical Illustration III: Advanced Techniques

Exercise 4.4: Mixed Media Illustration

For this exercise, you will expand your opportunities and will create an abstract piece. [As an alternative assignment, I would also offer the opportunity to combine the media in this unit -- watercolor and colored pencil -- in a plant portrait or other piece.  Although they are not often used together, these two media blend beautifully!]

This is a great exercise to advance your techniques with the various media we have focused on. It is also a great learning tool to explore the interesting ways in which to mix those media.

We have addressed several different types of media from past assignments - pencil, pen/ink, colored ink, charcoal, chalk, colored pencil and watercolor. For this assignment, be creative! Use this opportunity not to focus on technical details, but to explore interesting curves, shapes and mixed combinations. For inspiration, you may go outside in your environment to study certain plants. For example, the inspiration for the illustration below was corn.

Spend at least an hour on this assignment. I look forward to seeing your submissions for this creative exercise! Sign, scan and submit.

^{Mixed Media Illustration with colored pencils and markers                                                                                                                                                                       by Rose Benson, Botanical Illustration III student}