Monday, August 29, 2011

Carnival Squash, Three Ways

Prismacolor colored pencils on Strathmore Bristol Vellum

This week's topic on Illustration Friday is "Disguise", which brought to mind this drawing of a Carnival squash that I did last fall.  While I was drawing the colorful, mottled skin, I kept thinking that it looked like a camouflage pattern. I'm sure that Mother Nature had some purpose in mind when creating this botanical disguise.

This was the first of what was going to be a series: 3 views (top, side, bottom) of the same fruit or vegetable.  As I've mentioned before, I'm fascinated by the patterns and shapes found in nature. Maybe it's my background in drawing architectural plans and views, but I enjoy comparing the "plan view", and the "side elevation", etc.  I love that the cross-section of the stem of this squash (like many fruits and vegetables) is a 5-pointed star shape, and the number of sections in pumpkins or squash is almost always a multiple of five. 

Now that I've revisited this piece, I'm all jazzed to get going on the series again.  And even more so since fall is almost here: pumpkins, gourds and winter squashes—with their rich colors and their lumpy, bumpy shapes—are some of my favorite things to draw!

Note to Blogger users: Are you having issues with your blog not updating on your followers' blogrolls?  This has happened before, and then it randomly starts working again later. Is this happening to any of you? Do you know of a fix?

15 comments:

  1. They are lovely vegetables indeed, nature's sculptures. I'm looking forward to Fall now!

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  2. Beautiful! I love the crazy patterns on these squashes too-- have you ever seen the book Nature's Chaos by Eliot Porter & James Gleick? Its full of such wonderful, intricate, fascinating patterns on every scale. I bet it would ring your chimes!

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  3. Well hurry up! I can't wait to see what other beautiful renderings you are going to do! In the case of one of these studies do you use photos so you can keep the view the same while you take the time to draw it or do you just prop it up and hope it stays?

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  4. Thanks, guys! No, I rarely use reference photos...the few times that I have, the drawing has looked very flat. Veggies like this don't spoil or wilt like flowers, so I can prop them in one "pose" for as long as I like!

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  5. Lovely work, it looks like a flower from the top and bottom!

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  6. Hurray on not using reference photo's and hurray on your squashes. They are lovely and I'm looking forward to see more.

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  7. Love this drawing.
    OK, you do squash, I'll continue on with my desserts. :~)

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  8. Sarah,
    These are amazing! The green into the orange-yellow or the orange-yellow into the green is brilliant. I love a good series, keep going!

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  9. The updating thing . . . it has happened to me the last few weeks. My latest not appearing on others' lists and theirs not appearing on mine. Don't know of a fix; just hoping Blogger will fix it for me.

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  10. Love the colours and patterns in your squashes, also like the different perspectives

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  11. Hey Sarah! What a wonderful trio this is! Camouflage definitely springs to mind, and I love your phrase, "botanical disguise." Can't wait to see more!!! PS I have noticed the blogroll update lag, as well. Will let you know if I hear anything about what to do about it.

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  12. What a great series this will be! I can see each trio framed and the series hanging together!

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  13. Hi Sarah, how lovely for you to drop by my blog and say hello. It's lovely to meet you too and your artwork is gorgeous, I SO admire artists as drawing is not a talent of mine! We certainly do have lots in common including a love of Charlotte's web, my all time fave book (I think it is so as I have spent my life adoring all things piggy and I also rather like spiders). Have a wonderful weekend,
    Jane x

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  14. Great drawing, I just want to take it off my screen and eat it but sadly that can't happen. Keep up the great blog and art!

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