Pencil drawing is transferred to good paper and inked with Micron pens.

A test image of the leaves is painted with watercolor.

Painted leaves on final piece.

Trying out test image of the branches and buds with watercolor

Final painting of leaves and branches plus flowers.

Detail of painted branch.

Trying out forest scene in grayscale. Greys are mixed primaries, not ink!

Final American Beech botanical portrait.

Research includes books, web, my own photos of specimens, plus testing out stippling and hatching techniques for leaves.

Notes from research at the Hunt Botanical Institute. Phipps arranges our annual visit. The library pulls relevant books on each plant.

Drawings from a pawpaw tree--buds and flowers.

Drawings from a pawpaw fruit, cut open and with seeds.

Drawing from life: fruit and leaves, plus color swatches.

Figuring out the composition and sizing, a composite of prior drawings.

Solar plate etching of my final composition, hand-colored with watercolors.

Solar plate etching with sepia ink.