The bearded iris is probably the most beautiful of the iris varieties. Its colors range from deep purples to blues, lavenders, and whites. Some flowers have delicate, lightly colored petals with dark veining. They range in height from less than a foot to over three feet.
These flowers appear delicate, but they usually grow back year after year.
Follow the arrow directions in step C for blending and shading strokes; these strokes make the petal surfaces appear solid. Darken shadowed areas using the point of a 2B.
The Step A shown previously shows the block-in lines for a side view of the iris, while Step A shown later shows a frontal view. Whichever you choose to draw, make your initial outline shapes light, and use them as a general guide for drawing the graceful curves of this flower’s petals.
Good, clean block-in lines are helpful for shading an involved subject. Take your time, and plan ahead to save correction time.
This final drawing is quite involved, but it’s no more difficult than the previous drawings. It just has more flowers and shading steps. Once again, we must first draw the overall layout of the flowers before attempting any shading.
Sketch the ridge lines in the petals; they are necessary for accurate shading. Develop the shading in stages, filling in the grooved areas first. Then make the whole flower slightly grayer, by adding what is known as a “glaze” over it. To glaze, use the side of an HB lead very lightly, shading with smooth, even strokes over completed sections of the drawing. To make petal surfaces appear even smoother, blend them with a paper stump.
This drawing was done on plate-finish bristol board using HB, 2B, and flat sketching pencils. Create highlights by molding a kneaded eraser into a sharp wedge, “drawing” with it in the same direction as the shading.
The more detail you add, the more time a drawing will take. Don’t become discouraged. If you get tired, simply put the drawing aside, or take a break!