Young Botanical Artists
Botanical artworks by teen volunteers. Artists clockwise from upper left: Denise Cheng, Lucy Lu, Russell Tsai, We-Ling Chen.
Explore four botanical artworks created by Huntington Teen Volunteers and read the artists’ statements about their work. Would you like to create your own botanical art?
Denise Cheng
I used pen, colored pencil, and alcohol markers. I chose a lotus flower because I’ve always admired how they were so simple yet so beautiful. I hope people notice the color pencil strokes used to create texture, and how nicely the green stem contrasts the pink and yellow petals. Before this project, I had no idea what botanical art even was, and after creating my own, I learned yet another thing from The Huntington.
Botanical artwork by Denise Cheng
Lucy Lu
For this artwork, I used watercolor and a sunflower that I found in my yard. I chose this plant because I think sunflowers represent new energy, radiance, and positivity. Furthermore, I believe that the flower is symbolic of new beginnings. I hope that my artwork can bring a sense of peace within the minds of the viewers. I hope that people can notice the different shades I used to render the layers of the flower. I learned that there are different complexities within a flower and plants in general. This time, I’m starting to set this plant from a more scientific perspective. I learned that the sizes I drew have to be accurate for this kind of artwork.
Botanical art by Lucy Lu
Russell Tsai
I used graphite as my medium. I chose to use orchids because their my mom’s favorite flower and are very common within my house. It was both accessible for me to draw, and beautiful in its nature. I hope people can notice small details and the use of different values. I learned more about the shape of the orchid and how it’s symmetrical in certain areas.
Botanical artwork by Russell Tsai
Wei-Ling Chen
I used colored pencils to draw the sunflower. I chose a sunflower because it is one of my favorite flowers and the middle seed part seemed difficult to bring out the texture by drawing, so I wanted to challenge myself. I hope people will notice my effort in drawing the middle seed part and how I used varieties of color values to bring out the lighting of the flower. I learned how difficult and challenging it is to make botanical artwork, especially how it needs to be very similar to the actual plant.
Botanical artwork by Wei-Ling Chen