Updated :
July 31, 2010 4:34 PM

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Artist Contact Information
Lloyd Thibodeau
1901 Country Apple Court
Fountain Inn, SC 29644

Or email :
mail@draw-n-paint.com

First a Few Thoughts About the Single Rose.

Leaves are the major elements you will find in this floral painting lesson. Some are in full sunlight, some are in partial shadow and a few in full shadow. One leaf differs in size from the others. Angles and directions of each leaf point to destinations of their own. So this art lesson is good for practicing the drawing of leaves in various directions and sizes.

Each leaf is also at a different level jutting out from the center stem of the plant. This means our perception of perspective drawing will be conveyed in our art work. Doing so is a challenge but the rewards are great because this principle captures the interest of those viewing your art works. By working prospectively your art works should not look 2D or flat.

Studying a Leaf Structure

The leaf image to the left is a close-up of the many leaves you will find in different shadows, lights and positions on the Single Rose grid drawing pattern. A rose leaf has certain characteristics that differ it from other floral plants making it unique. And then there are attributes of the leaves on the rose plant that make them all similar. By getting familiar with the leaf structure we'll be able to draw and paint each leaf with those same attributes but with different characteristics.

For the basic structure or the foundation of the rose leaf you will find that leaves are rounded near the stem and then pointed at the extended end. It's some what like drawing an illustrative heart but with saw tooth edges.

A common mark you find is the fold of the leaf or what is know as the main vein that runs along the center from the stem. From that branches out smaller veins to the outer edges. A noteworthy point to keep in mind is where you see these leaf veins appear is where the shadows and highlights will generally occur. These shadows and light areas make up the characteristics of the leaf that we want to draw and paint to make the rose plant appear realistic in our art works. But first before we get to far ahead lets begin by drawing a basic structure of a leaf.

Drawing Grid Exercise Sheet on Leaf Structure

The grid drawing worksheet will help you in learning the structure of the leaves of the rose plant. On the drawing worksheet there are four example illustrations of one leaf that can be used for reference in your art lesson.

The first leaf image is a normal view of how you would see the leaf in a natural daylight setting. This shows many of the green hues that you will find making up the rose plant with no shadows.

The second image is a difference or negative making the leaf features stand out helping you to get to know the structure of the leaf. A third image is a gray scale for determining the darks and lights for graphite pencils. And the fourth image is a detailed pencil outline of the leaf.

You can print the worksheet out on your own printer. It is setup with a grid pattern so that you can practice right on the worksheet with graphite pencils or colored pencils.

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Shadows and Highlights on the Leaf

Draw the outline of the leaf a grid pattern on a sheet of bristol board and lightly sketched an outline of the leaf. By looking at the images on the bottom from your Grid Leaf pattern worksheet the highlights and darkened areas of the leaf can be discerned. Most of these areas can be noted to be near the veins of the leaf. An art technique that some artists use is to cause your eyes to squint while looking at your art subject to make darker and lighter areas stand out. For this art subject the contrast is evident near the veins of the leaf and on the shadow side the hue brightens as a shadow is made on a long cylinder.