Inspiration and Concept:
This piece was inspired my my own treasured houseplants. In reading a book on the history of English gardening, I came across a passage describing the importation plants which gave rise to popular cultivars. The purpose of this piece was to remind the viewer that the plant in their living room has exotic origins. I chose the dimensions
24" x 36" (plus bleed) as this is a common poster size.
original concept sketch
I created a line drawing of each plant including the covered portion
Here I've added a partially opaque layer to the leaves.
Color layers have been added, so the translucency is further diminished.
Taking the time to draw overlapped sections has multiple benefits: I'm aware of occupied space and am less likely to create impossible situations. It is more realistic because most leaves are translucent. Also, my work becomes modular; I can easily change the composition or recycle elements.
These were pulled from the composition and became stand alone pieces.
I added text and a background to the final image.
Moving forward, I'd like to do more work with familiar plants such as these and perhaps create a series of cards to outline proper care.