About 3 years ago, I gathered these dried seed pods of Castilleja integrifolia, whole-leaf Indian paintbrush from a local stand growing near my house. My intention was to do a very detailed drawing of them, then toss the stems into a watered area of my yard so they could maybe sprout the next spring. They’ve been lying on a shelf in my studio ever since, one of many cool-looking specimens I’ve always meant to draw, but never got around to.
So today, I set them up on my drawing board and sketched them for the 100-day project.
The sketchbook I’m using has four sections of toned drawing paper, ranging from white to mid-ochre. I chose a page in the ochre section, and added wash around the open, negative space of the page. The plan was to use various earth-toned color pencils to define the forms and details of the stems, but I decided to return to watercolor, finishing the drawing with a dip pen and sepia watercolor for the fine scratchy details.
This little drawing has been on my mental to-do list for literally years now! It feels so good to actually complete this little project. Now I can move on without regrets and scatter the seeds outside, without feeling like I am obligated to turn it into a serious full-scale illustration or painting.
