Naturalists such as Maria Sybilla Merian and Ernst Haeckel were some of the first researchers to actually merge their scientific interests with their passion for art. Botanical illustrators are researchers who use their artistic skills to depict the living world around them. Naturalist paintings are characterized by bright colors, delicate shading, careful attention to details, and graphic precision. The goal of botanical illustrations is to showcase nature in all her beauty and highlight even minute structures with precise brushstrokes.
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If you have been following my blog for a while, you will probably know that I love to use brown paper bags for my art projects (it's a wonderful way of recycling as well). I love the contrast between earthy brown of the bag and the bright Acrylic colors. In this tutorial, I will be sharing the painting technique I used to create this Chambered Nautilus painting. I will not go into detail on how to paint a chambered nautilus. My hope is that you will use this technique for all sorts of naturalist paintings: plants, animals, microorganisms, and fungi.
Begin by choosing your base color. In my case, I chose titanium white. Use a medium fine brush to paint the outline of your organism. Be sure to pay attention when outlining the edges. This is the most difficult part when painting the base.
Add a first layer of details (see image on left) to your painting. In my case, I used a fine brush and Burnt Sierra to paint on the "stripes". Note that I diluted some of the paint with water to create several different shades of Burnt Sierra.
Using a fine brush, add intricate details to your painting (see image on left). I even dipped my brush into metallic paint to mimic the nacre on the inside of the nautilus. Let dry for 30 minutes.
Using a nib holder as well as a fine nib, outline your painting with ink. I outlines my painting three times to add a little 3D effect.
Use your nib pen to add minor details to your painting. Label your painting with the organism's common name, scientific name, and phylum/class.
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