Sketchbook

Growing my dreams, one step at a time. 🌿

Today that simply meant opening a sketchbook, sharpening a few pencils and creating my very first botanical sketch… probably the first drawing I’ve done since school (which was a very long time ago!). I chose an artichoke because I’ve always been fascinated by the beautiful shape and the intricate pattern created by its overlapping leaves or ‘bracts’. It seemed like the perfect subject to slow down, really look, and simply enjoy the process of drawing. It’s far from perfect, but every page is a step towards a slower, more creative life. Here’s to the beginning!

A couple of fun facts about artichokes…

🌱 The bracts of an artichoke are arranged in beautiful spirals that often follow the Fibonacci sequence. As the sequence progresses, it approaches the golden ratio, a mathematical pattern that appears throughout nature in everything from sunflower heads and pine cones to shells and fern fronds.

👑 In parts of 16th-century Europe, women were discouraged, or even forbidden, from eating artichokes in public because they were believed to be an aphrodisiac.

Fortunately, we’ve moved on since then… although I suspect I’ll be sticking to drawing them rather than eating them in public! 😊

🌿 Tools I used:

✏️ Crawford & Black Sketching Pencils

📖 RHS Botanical Sketchbook

🪵 Crawford & Black A3 Table Easel

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